Sometimes I am overcome by a feeling of guilt, a rebuking of the conscience, and a sense of deficiency, and I recall the mistakes I have committed, even if they were not intentional, and the small matters that have passed many years ago

The questioner : He says, “O Shaykh, sometimes I am overcome by a feeling of guilt, a rebuking of the conscience, and a sense of deficiency, and I recall the mistakes I have committed, even if they were not intentional, and the small matters that have passed many years ago. Is this from the whispers of Satan? And what is the solution and the cure?”

The Shaykh : The solution and the cure is repentance to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Whenever a person remembers a sin, he should make a new repentance for himself. However, it is not permissible for him to have a bad opinion of Allah, thinking that Allah will not accept his repentance. Because whoever repents with a sincere repentance in which the conditions are fulfilled, Allah will accept it, and this is certain. Allah the Exalted said: .
But repentance has conditions:
The first condition is that it be sincere for Allah. The second condition is that the person regrets the sin he committed. The third condition is that he abandons the sin immediately. The fourth condition is that he resolves not to return to it. The fifth condition is that it be in a time when repentance is accepted.
As for sincerity, its opposite is shirk (associating partners with Allah). If a person repents to the creation and not to Allah, his repentance is not accepted. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted in the Holy Hadith: .
As for regret, it is because if a person does not have regret, the sin and its absence become the same to him. This means that he is not concerned and does not care. Therefore, there must be regret and distress in the soul over the sin he committed, whether it was leaving an obligatory act or committing a forbidden act.
As for abandoning the sin, it is known that there is no repentance with persistence. He says, “I repent to Allah from riba (usury or interest),” while he is dealing in riba. How can this be? He says, “I repent to Allah from ghibah (backbiting),” while he is backbiting people. How can this be repentance?
Repentance is returning from the disobedience of Allah to His obedience. So whoever does not abandon the sin is not a repentant person. For this reason, it is obligatory for one who has injustices against people, when he repents to Allah, to return the injustices to their owners. If a person stole from someone and then repented to Allah, he must return the stolen item to its owner. Otherwise, his repentance is not valid.
Perhaps someone will say: “It is difficult if I return it to its owner, I will be exposed, and perhaps the owner will say the theft was more than that.” It is said: He can find a way around this by writing, for example, a letter without mentioning his name, and sending it to the owner of the stolen item along with the stolen item, or its value if that is not possible. And he says in the letter: “This is for you from a person who committed a transgression against you and has repented to Allah .”
As for saying: “I am afraid of being exposed, or I am afraid that the owner of the money will claim the money was more,” this does not exempt them from returning it.
The fourth condition is the resolve not to return to the sin. If he repents sincerely to Allah, regrets, and abandons the sin, but in his intention he thinks that if he gets another opportunity for this sin, he will do it, then his repentance is not accepted. Because repentance is cutting the connection between the sin and the repentant person.
As for the fifth condition, which is that it be in a time when repentance is accepted, this is a precaution against the case where a person repents after his death approaches. In that case, his repentance does not benefit him. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: .
For this reason, Allah will not accept the repentance of Pharaoh when drowning overtook him. He said: And it was said to him: .
Likewise, when the sun rises from the west, the people will see it and all of them will believe. But their belief will not benefit them. They will repent from their sins, but it will not benefit them. This is based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: . The meaning of this is the rising of the sun from the west.
And I advise my Muslim brothers to hasten to repent to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: And because a person does not know how long he will remain in this world. He may hope for a long life, but it decreases. Hope betrays him. So it is obligatory to hasten to repent to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) so that a person is freed from sins and exits this world safely. Yes.