What is the way to get rid of sins that are entrenched in the soul, and the way to be sincere in seeking knowledge?

The questioner : Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
May the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.

The questioner : There are, O honorable Shaykh, some sins that are entrenched in souls. How can a person get such sins and transgressions out of himself? How can he be sincere with Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? How can he be sincere in seeking knowledge and turning to Allah? I ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to guide us to obedience and to knowledge.

The Shaykh : Amen. There is no doubt that this is a question that arises in souls, but it arises from souls that have some despair. A person must not despair of the mercy of Allah, nor lose hope, and he should repeat supplication to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and rely on Him, and he will find the fruit soon. But when a person magnifies the sins, turning away, and heedlessness he has, and then says, "When will I be righteous?" that is the only disease. It is obligatory for a person not to despair of the mercy of Allah and to turn to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) as much as he can. He should try; perhaps he wants to turn to Allah, but Shaytan diverts him. So let him try again and again until he is upright. The best thing is to try to bring the heart into the prayer; this is the important thing. If you are able to bring your heart into the prayer whenever you pray, know that this is the opening of a door of good, because Allah said in the Noble Qur'an: meaning: do it uprightly So if you establish the prayer perfectly, rejoice in good. And He said (Mighty and Majestic): over everything, not just over the difficulties of this world, but over everything. So I advise this brother who magnifies the sins in himself and perhaps despairs of the mercy of Allah (Mighty and Majestic); I advise him to remove this illusion from himself and to try as much as he can to establish the prayer in the required manner, for this is the medicine and this is the key. And we ask Allah for safety for us and for you.

The questioner : Seeking knowledge.

The Shaykh : And likewise, seeking knowledge should be met with a true approach and not with despair, because some people, when they start knowledge and see that it is difficult, imitate the saying of the poet:
"If you cannot do something, leave it *** And pass over to what you can do"
We say: This is wrong. Rather, be patient, steadfast, and mindful of Allah. These are four commands: and this is stronger than the first: and this is stronger: And how many people sought knowledge when they were old, but they were earnest and strived, relied on Allah, and turned to Him (Mighty and Majestic), and they attained much good. Some of my brothers told me, and I did not see it myself, that Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him), who is one of the famous, great scholars, entered the mosque one day and sat down. Some of the people present in the mosque said to him: "Get up, get up, and pray two rak'ahs." So he got up and prayed two rak'ahs. Then he entered once after 'Asr and stood to pray, so some of the people present said: "Do not pray, this is a time of prohibition." He said: "Glory be to Allah, what is this ignorance? If I stand to pray, they say do not pray, and if I sit, they say pray. That means I have no knowledge." Then he began to seek knowledge until he attained it, even though the stronger position is that if a person enters the mosque at any time, he does not sit until he prays two rak'ahs, because it has a cause, and voluntary prayers that have a cause do not have a time of prohibition. Yes.