Will Allah Forgive Me despite My Cycle of Sin and Repentance?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
I’m a young teenage girl, and I’ve committed sins for which I am trying to repent. I cry to Allah, I beg for forgiveness, but will He forgive me? What should I do if I repent but then commit the same sins again and repent again? It is an endless cycle, and I’m trying to escape it. What do I do?
Answer
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you at your young age for being concerned about your religion and concerned about Allah’s forgiveness.
Our Role Model
No Muslim alive today is perfect, only the Prophets and Messengers were free of sin, and we take them as our role models. Allah knows that His servants will sin, he does not desire them to be perfect, and He rejoices at their repentance. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, were you not to commit sins, Allah would replace you with a people who would commit sins and then seek forgiveness from Allah, and Allah would forgive them.” [Muslim]
Despair
I urge you not to despair because Allah Most High has told us, “Say: My servants who have wronged yourselves, never despair of God’s mercy. God forgives all sins: He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.” [Quran, 39:53]
And the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “If anyone constantly seeks pardon (from Allah), Allah will appoint for him a way out of every distress and a relief from every anxiety, and will provide sustenance for him from where he expects not.” [Abu Dawud]
Perseverance
Your key is to persevere in your repentance and never cease, no matter how shameful, sad, desperate, or depressed you might feel. In any cycle, even that of sin and repentance, one of the two will overwhelm the other. Allah will answer your prayer by His grace and pull you out of this lifestyle; I am sure of it. His greatness and forgiveness are far, far greater than your sin. Persevere in asking for forgiveness, even after you have conquered this habit.
Resources
Please see some tips here on overcoming sin:
How Do I Break The Habit of Repeatedly Falling Into The Same Sin?
How Can I End The Cycle of Sin and Repentance?
How Do I Get Out of This Shameful Cycle of Sin and Empty Repentance?
I Feel Depressed From My Cycle of Sin and Repentance. What Should I Do?
How Can I Resist Temptations and Sins?
Dhahabi’s The Major Sins Explained: Avoiding the Pitfalls to Attain Salvation
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.
