How Do I Repent From Speaking Ill About Someone?

Question:

I spoke badly about someone when I was a young child. I told a sister that another did not like her, but how should I repent from this? Also, is it haram to use gifted money from someone who does not earn halal to pay for university fees that would usually require a loan with interest?

Answer: 

Assalamu alaykum,

Thank you for your question. A child is not morally responsible for what he utters, but it is excellent that you recognize this namima and want to eliminate it from your life. Such good habits must be formed at a young age, and it is a good habit to be concerned about repentance and sin. Tawba is the very essence of spiritual development. Please see details about namima here:
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/slander-backbiting-and-talebearing/

As for your taking unlawful earnings to pay for university, you will find the details here:
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/hanafi-fiqh/what-is-the-ruling-on-receiving-things-from-others-that-were-acquired-with-unlawful-money/
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/suspected-unlawful-earnings-and-gifts/

May Allah reward you for your sincerity and give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.