How Can I Break the Cycle of Sin as a Teenager?

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

As a teenager, I struggle with recurring sins despite seeking forgiveness. How can I break this cycle and find Allah’s forgiveness?

Answer

Thank you for your question. I pray that you can find the strength to overcome this temptation and choose Allah over your lusts. By Allah’s grace, you will defeat it with du`a, courage, and a healthy environment.

Forgiveness

Choose to supplicate for forgiveness before dawn as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Our Lord, who is blessed and exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last one-third of the night remains and says: Who supplicated Me so that I may answer him? Who asks of Me so that I may give to him? Who asks My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?” [Tirmidhi]

You must never despair because Allah forgives all sins. There have been many sinners before you, and you are not the worst of all sinners. Find solace in this Quranic verse: Allah Most High says, “Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.’” [Quran, 39:53]

Please see more details on beating your habit here:
A Reader on Pornography and Masturbation
Is Masturbation Sinful? How Do I Stop?
The Ruling on Masturbation
Masturbation and Its Effect upon Worship

May Allah 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 aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, 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 later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.