Repentance and Accompanying the Righteous

Question :

I am now twenty-one years old, and over the past four years, I have gotten to know some friends of a similar age who are religious. Through them, Allah Almighty has guided me - all praise belongs to Allâh. For a period of about a year and a half, I kept company with them and I began to develop some noble Islamic characteristics; however, my family and relatives would insult and ridicule me for the change that took place in me. I took their abuse, but after a while I left those noble companions and I regressed to my previous lifestyle: I became derelict in Allah's rights and I began to do wicked deeds. In spite of this regression, I am remorseful about the major sins I committed and about leaving my brothers.

I hope that you can explain how I can find a way out of this predicament; also, what are some books that you advise me to read?

Answer:

It is compulsory for you to repent to Allah Almighty- which means to feel regret for your past sins, while abandoning them, and making a firm resolve not to return to them, and all the while fearing Allah Almighty and hoping for His reward.

You must frequently ask Allah Almighty for forgiveness; you must perform obligatory acts of obedience as well as voluntary ones, and you must abandon whatever Allah Almighty forbids.

In order to completely repent from your sins, you must return any rights to people that you have wronged. Allah Almighty says:
"And all of you beg Allâh to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.

And He said:
"O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise)."

The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever has wronged his brother in his honor or in something (else), let him seek pardon from him today before there will be no such thing as a Dinar or a Dirham (i.e., the Day of Judgement).

If the wrongdoer has good deeds, the wronged will take from him according to the evil done to him. However, if the wrongdoer doesn't have any good deeds, he will take from his companion's sins and he will carry their burden.

Recorded by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih, and the verses and Hadiths with this meaning are many.

I advise you not only to seek the company of the righteous, but to cling to them; also, avoid the company of evil people. In terms of books, I advise you to read Allah's Book, to recite it, to reflect upon its meanings, and to apply it. For Allah's Book is the noblest and greatest Book; no crookedness comes near this Book, and it is revelation from the Most-Wise, the One Who deserves all praise. It is the most beneficial of books, in that it contains the cure for diseases of the heart. Allah Almighty says:
"Verily, this Qur'an guides to that which is most just and right."

And Allah ﷻ said:
"O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (i.e., the Qur'an, ordering all that is good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that (disease of ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy and differences, etc.) in your breasts, a guidance and a mercy (explaining lawful and unlawful things, etc.) for the believers."

And:
"(This is) a Book (the Qur'an) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its Verses, and that men of understanding may remember."

I also advise you to read the following books, which are written by the people of the Sunnah: Kitab At-Tawhid, by Muhammad bin 'Abdul Wahhab; Al-'Aqidah Al-Wasitiyah, by Shaikh-ul- Islam Ibn Taymiyyah; Ighathatul-Lahfan, by Ibn Al-Qayyim; Al- Arha'in An-Nawawiyah, by Al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab; 'Umdatul-Hadith, by Shaykh Abdul-Ghani bin 'Abdul-Wahid Al-Maqdisi; Bulugh Al-Maram, by Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar.

These books are especially beneficial for high school and college students. Thereafter, a student should read the the Two Sahihs and the other books from the people of the Sunnah in creed, Hadith and Figh.

I pray that Allah Almighty makes you firm upon the truth and that He grants you beneficial knowledge with the guidance to apply that knowledge. He is the best to ask in time of need.