The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Feeling regret is a part of repentance.”
[Ahmad ibn Hanbal; al-Musnad]
Repentance is invalid without regret because if there is no regret for having done something wrong, then this implies that the wrongdoer considers it acceptable, as well as alright to do again.
According to Al-Hasan al-Basri true repentance is, “when the servant regrets what has happened and resolves never to repeat it again.”
According to Al-Kalbi, “It is when the servant asks for forgiveness with his tongue, feels regret in his heart, and restrains his limbs.”
[The Purification of the Soul, Compiled from the works of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali; Al-Firdous Ltd, London]
[Ahmad ibn Hanbal; al-Musnad]
Repentance is invalid without regret because if there is no regret for having done something wrong, then this implies that the wrongdoer considers it acceptable, as well as alright to do again.
According to Al-Hasan al-Basri true repentance is, “when the servant regrets what has happened and resolves never to repeat it again.”
According to Al-Kalbi, “It is when the servant asks for forgiveness with his tongue, feels regret in his heart, and restrains his limbs.”
[The Purification of the Soul, Compiled from the works of Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya, and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali; Al-Firdous Ltd, London]