The Ruling on the Sincerity of Repentance Amidst Trials

The questioner : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon the noblest of the prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. And to proceed: We thank our father, Your Eminence, for these kind words. We remain with you regarding the questions. I was at a loss in sorting the questions because there are many, and their topics are varied, but I will begin with the questions related to the topic, which is the issue of repentance. Among them is this questioner who says: Honorable Shaykh, I repented about eight years ago, and praise be to Allah, but since then I have been afflicted with being distant from my family for many years, then being deprived of seeking knowledge, and in recent years with great debts that have reached one hundred thousand riyals. Does this mean that my repentance is not sincere? May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. What happened to this person—his distance from his family, his turning away from seeking knowledge, and the debts weighing on his shoulders—is a trial from Allah the Exalted and Majestic. For worship has a price; Allah the Exalted may test a person with affliction even while he remains steadfast in his religion, to examine and test him: will he be patient or not? The evidence for this is the saying of Allah the Exalted: on the edge he was reassured by it, but if he is struck by a trial, he turns on his face and loses this world and the Hereafter. So I advise this brother, whom Allah has granted repentance, to be patient with what has befallen him. As for his distance from his family, he should draw close to them, drawing close even if they reject him, for some relatives, may Allah protect us from that, if they see their children becoming steadfast, they drive them away. To the point that it is said to me that they close the doors in their faces, may Allah protect us from that.
So let him draw near as much as he is able. And if it is his family who are keeping him distant, then the sin is upon his family. As for his distance from seeking knowledge, let him draw near to seeking knowledge. What is it that has come between him and seeking knowledge?
As for the debts that have weighed him down, Allah the Exalted will make for him a relief and a way out. His brothers, if they learn of his situation, will surely help him in paying off his debt if they know of his sincerity.