sins
Question :

If someone committed adultery in his youth, but thereafter he repented and had not committed such a sin again, should he still expect to be punished in purgatory (barzakh)?

Answer :

If he repents and seeks forgiveness, the mercy of Almighty Allah is expected to reach him. He shall not be subject to any punishment, God willing.

Sin
Question :

How does one purify his heart from the darkness of the sins?

Answer :

Repentance, which is regretting the committing of sins and the determination to refrain from them in the future, is one of the means of the mercy of Almighty Allah. Seeking forgiveness from Almighty Allah and continuing to do so whenever one remembers the sin helps the purification of the heart.
Performing the good deeds leads to the cleanliness of the heart as well. Almighty Allah said: “Good deeds annul ill-deeds” (11:114).

Umrah Mufradah
Question :

If one performs Umrah, does it remove his sins? If yes, does this include major sins as well? Is it true that when one leaves the sacred place in Mecca after performing Umrah it’s as if he or she was born again?

Answer :

It has been reported that Umrah is expiation from sin and this is a manifestation of God's mercy and kindness to His slaves when He legislated for them certain acts of obedience that lead to forgiveness of sins. This is a common message in the religious texts. Despite that, a devotee should be afraid of his sins so he may become closer to Allah's mercy and acceptance, and this may be an encouragement to perform more good deeds and avoid committing sins.
Almighty Allah said: "And those who give that which they give with hearts afraid because they are about to return unto their Lord; these race for the good things, and they shall win them in the race"(23:60-61).

Peace of Mind
Question :

I have committed a lot of sins in my life. Those sins keep coming back to haunt me and I don't know what to do. I have been praying for Allah's forgiveness day and night. For many years now I haven't found peace of mind.
Specifically, please tell me how should I know that my sins have been forgiven?

Answer :

All sins can be forgiven by sincere repentance. Almighty Allah said: “Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgives all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful”. Yes, it is recommended to seek forgiveness whenever the committed sins are remembered but should not turn into psychological complication.

Committing a Major Sin
Question :

My problem is I have committed a very major sin, adultery and regret it very much. I am ashamed of myself and ask Allah for forgiveness. Should I now marry the man? Will it make our sin less or will it stay the same?

Answer :

Getting married to the adulterer does not decrease the sin. What does is repentance and repeatedly seeking forgiveness. Almighty Allah said: “Say: O my slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgives all sins. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful” (39:53).

A Good Deed
Question :

If a man does a sin and then again immediately does a good deed, will his good deed finish his sin?

Answer :

Repentance erases the sin and leads to forgiveness. It is certain that some good deeds lead to erasing the sins as Almighty Allah says: “Good deeds annul ill-deeds” 11:114. However, we cannot give a general criterion for that. For a believer, it is better to combine repentance, seeking forgiveness and performing good deeds so he may be closer to Almighty Allah’s mercy and forgiveness.

Repentance in a State of Purity
Question :

According to me, a person must repent in a state of purity or in the position of prostration or standing facing Qiblah, if he has committed a lot of major sins i.e. not praying the obligatory prayers and fasts. So if a person does this, will the past major sins be forgiven?

Answer :

Repentance is regret and determination to avoid committing sins in the future. Being in the state of purity, prayers or fasting is not part of it. Yes, it is recommended to repeatedly seek forgiveness whenever sins are remembered. A devotee is expected to have high hope in Almighty Allah’s acceptance of the repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Almighty Allah said: “O my slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgives all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (39:53).

Committing Minor Sins
Question :

If I am not mistaken, according to a verse of the Holy Quran, Almighty Allah said that if you refrain from major sins, your minor sins will be wiped out. On the other hand, scholars say that we should refrain from minor sins too. How do we find consistency between these two points?

Answer :

The point that this verse express is that if one refrains from committing big sins, this will become a cause for the mercy of the Almighty Allah in the forgiveness of the small sins. This does not mean that one can commit small sins and disobey Almighty Allah. Furthermore, according to traditions the belittling of committing small sins or persisting in committing them is considered to be a major sin.

Kaffara for Drinking Alcohol
Question :

What is the Kaffara (expiation) for drinking alcohol?

Answer :

There is no special Kaffara prescribed for this act. One should repent and seek forgiveness.

Repentance
Question :

I have practiced masturbation, and I want to repent. Can I do that? Would it be correct?

Answer :

You should continue to repent to Almighty Allah from the sins you have committed, in addition to the promise that you will not commit those sins again as much as possible. If you returned to committing a sin because of the strong desire, or because of the influence of Satan, then do not despair from the mercy of Allah, and repent again, as the Almighty is Merciful to His slaves, and does not close the door of His mercy. Almighty Allah has promised His slaves with His mercy. He said: “Say: O My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgives all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”(53:39).

Sins
Question :

How do I stay away from sins? I'm a teenager and I get distracted sometimes and get involved in sins. It really kills me to not be a good Muslim. What should I do?

Answer :

A person has to discipline himself and strengthen himself little by little by contemplating on the harmful effects of sins in the Hereafter. Repeating this contemplation will strengthen a believer's faith, and he moves away little by little from sins. Every believer who commits a sin should repent to Almighty Allah and seek His forgiveness for leaving one's servitude to Him and being disobedient. Even if one repeats the sin, he should repent immediately, as God Almighty has promised His sinful servants to be pardoned and forgiven if they repent.
Fasting is a helpful means to keep away from sinning and disciplining oneself, and so is the performing of supererogatory prayers (nawafil), especially the Night Prayer (Salat al-Layl).