One should bear in mind that if he manages to escape the punishment meted by others in this life, he will never escape the punishment of Allah in the Hereafter unless Allah forgives him. It is never too late for a true Muslim to repent to Allah and to shed tears for the wrongdoing he has committed. After sinning, one should not feel despair. Rather, he should sincerely repent to Allah and rest assured that Allah Almighty will forgive his sin.
Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states: “If you committed evil but have repented sincerely and have changed your life around for the better, then Allah has certainly promised to grant you mercy and forgiveness. It is one of the basic principles of belief in Islam that Allah is All-Relenting, All-Forgiving and All-Merciful.
Following are a few verses that clearly convey this crucial concept:
“Do they not know that it is Allah Who accepts the repentance of His servants and receives (approves) their charity, and that Allah is the Relenting, the Compassionate?” (At-Tawbah: 104)
“Say: ‘O My servants who wronged against their souls, do not despair of Allah’s mercy! For Allah forgives all sins; for He is indeed Forgiving, Compassionate.” (Az-Zumar: 53)
So do not put off repentance; take the necessary steps immediately, for no one can tell when death will overtake him. The door of repentance is open so long as we are not in the throes of death, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Allah accepts the repentance of His servant so long as death has not reached his collar bone.” But since we have no way of knowing when death will overtake us, we must never be complacent or slack in hastening to taking steps towards repentance.
While speaking of repentance, I must hasten to add that repentance cannot be considered valid unless one takes the following steps:
First, one must feel deep remorse for the sins he has committed.
Second, one must refrain from the sin totally while also abstaining from all those leads or circumstances that led him to such a sin in the first place.
Third, one must be firmly resolved never to sin again and immediately become occupied in whatever good deeds that he can in order to wipe out his past sins.
All of the above involve sins involving the rights of Allah. If, however, one’s sins involve the rights of human beings, then he must also do whatever it takes to return, compensate or redress the grievances of the person he has wronged. Paying him his dues or compensating him in whatever ways possible becomes an essential condition of valid repentance.
Once repentance is accomplished as described above, one’s sins will be undoubtedly wiped out and he is guaranteed a clean record. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “One who has repented of a sin (sincerely) is like one who has never sinned at all.””
(Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islam.ca)
Sister, try to look forward, with full hope in the overflowing mercy of Allah, and rest assured that as long as you are true with Allah, He will be very kind with you, for surely He is full of love, especially to His penitent servants.
Also, be keen on performing your regular prayers, and always get yourself more involved in Islamic work. You should focus on going to the masjid (mosque), reading the Qur’an on a daily basis, attending Islamic classes, and try to be away from any company that does not remind you of Allah. Give sadaqah (charity) to the poor and the needy with the intention to purify yourself and expiate your sins. Do your best to serve Islam and Muslims.