Islamic Teachings: I Want To Repent, But...

People may be divided into two types, those who repent and turn to Allaah, and those who do wrong; there is no third category. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ". And whosoever does not repent, then such are indeed zaalimoon (wrong-doers, etc.)." [al-Hujuraat 49:11]. We are living in a time when many people have strayed far from the religion of Allah, and sin and immorality have become so widespread that there is no one who remains free from the taint of evil except for the one who is protected by Allaah. Some people face many obstacles which they think stand between them and repentance, some of which exist within their own selves, and others in the world around them. For this reason I have written this brief work, hoping to clear up this confusion, dispel doubts, explain wisdom and drive away the Shaytaan. Following an introduction which discusses the dangers of taking sin lightly, I then explain the conditions of repentance, psychological cures, and fataawa (rulings) based on evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah which are addressed to those who repent. This is followed by quotations from some of the scholars' comments, and my own concluding remarks.