Advice of Hadhrat Mufti Mahmood Hassan Gangohi (Rahmatullahi Alayh)
Question:
Respected Mufti Sahib,
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-raḥmatullāhi wa-barakātuh
My excessive sins have overwhelmed me and I have lost control.
I greatly regret this and sometimes wish that the earth will split and swallow me up. Please advise me in this regard.
Answer:
Respected Brother,
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-raḥmatullāhi wa-barakātuh
Whatever regret and remorse you have expressed over your conditions, may the same remorse be deep down in your heart.
Indeed, if a person is truly concerned about his Islaah (reformation), his concern in itself is more effective in bringing about his reformation than any wazaaif (recitations of various Zikr’s, etc.)
However, the concern that is merely expressed with the tongue but does not exist in the heart does not have this effect …
May Allah Ta‘ala assist you.[1]
[1] (Hadhrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi raḥimahullāh His life and works, Publsh. Ta’limi Board, KZN, Pg 244)