How to Seek Forgiveness for Sins

Q: A questioner says: I am a student at an institute, and I am now twenty-one years old. Allah has blessed me with the gift of faith, and I have decided to seek forgiveness for what I was doing by becoming ascetic and seeking Allah's forgiveness. What is the best path you can guide me to? May Allah reward you with good.
A: We guide you to adhere to repentance from your past sins, to feel remorse for what has passed, to be steadfast in the obedience of Allah and His Messenger, and to make a sincere resolve not to return to sins and disobedience. We advise you to increase in reading the Book of Allah and reflecting on its meanings, and to increase in memorizing the Prophetic hadith, such as Bulugh al-Maram by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar, 'Umdat al-Hadith by al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi, and the Nawawi Forty Hadiths and its completion by Ibn Rajab. These are beneficial and useful books. Also, Kitab al-Tawhid by Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and Kashf al-Shubuhat by Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him).
We also advise you to review the book Zad al-Ma'ad fi Hady Khayr al-'Ibad by Ibn al-Qayyim, for it is a book of great benefit, as well as Fath al-Majid Sharh Kitab al-Tawhid by Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan.