Assalamu'alaikum,
Yes, humans are weak by nature. We sin. "Every son of Adam is a sinner and the best of the sinners are those who repent" [Tirmidhi]
But Allah swt is forgiving and merciful and accepts repentance. As reported:
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: Allah the Almighty said:
"O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it." [at-Tirmidhi]
This is a clear sign to the believers and a warning to them to seek forgiveness from Allah swt before it becomes too late. However, we also need to remember that Allah swt through His mercy has given us specific criterion to help us on the path of repentance.
I found this really beneficial and thought I'd post it:
[I can't yet post links, but its from inter-islam website, you can search it on google to find it iA]
The Benefits Of Sincere Repentance
Imaam Ibn Qayyim rahmatullahi alaihe mentions certain benefits:
1. Repentance is the most noble and beloved form of obedience in the eyes of Allah Ta'ala.He loves those who repent and it is because of His love for His creation that He tests them with sins so that He may shower His blessings and favours upon them after they repent.
2. Repentance has a status that no other form of worship has. This is why Allah is extremely happy when a servant repents just as a traveller is happy when he finds his lost mount in the desert.
This pleasure (of Allah) has a great impact on the heart of the one repenting. Hence, the repenting person reaches the status of being amongst the beloved through his repentance.
3. Repentance brings about humbleness and a sense of helplessness that is not easily acquired through other forms of worship.
4. Allah’s statement, "Except those who repent, have faith and good deeds, those Allah will charge their sins for good deeds. Certainly Allah is most forgiving and merciful."
(Qur'aan 25:70)
This is a greatest glad tiding for those who repent and combine their repentance with faith and good deeds.
Repentance breeds good deeds, whilst sinning (without repentance) can cause deprivation of obedience altogether. It has been said that committing sins regularly will darken and harden the heart. It may even lead a person to reject Allah completely (Allah forbid) or lead him to commit a bigger sin. There is no recourse for a sinner except to ask Allah for forgiveness and to feel great regret for his actions.
Repentance is to repent from the heart, to train the heart into obedience and to make a firm resolution never to commit the sin again.
The repenting person should remember three facts:
1. The grave consequence of sins.
2. The painful punishment for sins and
3. The helplessness of the servant with regards to these two things.
What Should I Do After I Have Sinned?
Someone may ask, "How do I go about repenting from a sin?" Do I just say, "I repent." and that’s it, or is there anything to be done after that?
Two things should immediately be done. The first is an act of the heart, to sincerely regret the sins of the past. The second is an act of the body, to bring up some good deeds, starting two cycles of prayer of repentance. The following is a hadith in support:
Abu Bakr radiyallahu anhu, says, "I heard the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam say, ‘There isn’t a man who, when he commits a sin, rises, makes ablution, and offers two rak’ats of prayers, but Allah forgives his sins.’ Then the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam recited the verse, ‘Those (are the true believers) who, when they commit an evil deed, or wrong their souls, remember Allah, and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who but Allah forgives sins? They do not insist upon the sins they have committed, and they know (that Allah is forgiving)."
(Qur'aan 3:135)
There are other reports that describe more in detail how these two cycles of prayers of repentance must be offered.
For instance:
1. There isn’t a man who makes ablution (and does it well, but sins fall off the limbs of the body with the last drop of water. And doing the ablution well includes saying the Bismillah in the beginning, and some other prayer words after it such as:
"I bear witness that there is no deity save Allah , the one, and I also bear witness that Muhammad is his slave and messenger."
"O’ Allah! make me of the repenting, and make me of the purified."
"O’ Allah! with praises to you I bear witness that there is no deity but you. I seek your forgiveness and turn to you in repentance."
2. Offer two rak’ats of prayer. Performs them in full presence of mind and heart. Commits no mistake within the prayers. Does not speak to himself within them. Recites the prayer-words in them well and in humility. Then seeks Allah’s forgiveness.
The Result
1. His past sins are forgiven.
2. He is assured paradise.
Then, as these things have been achieved he should now increase his good deeds to the extent possible.Don’t you see what Umar radiyallahu anhu did when he had committed the mistake of arguing with the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam, at Hudaibiyya. He used to offer special acts of worship, (like fasting, almsgiving, etc.), to atone for that sin. The following hadith should also be considered.
"He who commits some evil deeds, and then turns to doing good deeds is like the man who had on him a tight-fitting coat of mail made of steel, so tight, it would almost choke him. Then he did a good deed and it opened up a little more until it became so loose as to fall off to the ground."
So you see how good deeds release a man from the clutches of past sins and liberate him from the tension that they cause. Let me at this point offer you the abridged version of an incident, which is laden with lessons.
Ibn Mas’ood radiyallahu anhu says a man came to the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam and said, "O Apostle of Allah. I found a woman in a garden and did everything to her except having intercourse: I kissed her and hugged her and so on, but I didn’t go beyond this. So judge me as you wish." The Prophet of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam said nothing in reply and the man went away. Upon this Umar radiyallahu anhu remarked, "Allah would have kept it a secret if he had kept it a secret." The Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam in the direction the man had gone and said, "Call him back." When they called him back, he recited to him the following verse, "Establish Prayers at the two ends of the day and early part of the night. Indeed good deeds wipe out evil ones. And this (Qur’aan) is a reminder unto the mindful."
(Qur'aan 11:114)
Upon hearing this, Mu’adh radiyallahu anhu (and according to another report Umar radiyallahu anhu) said, "O’ Apostle of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam, is this for him alone or is it (this ruling) common?" he replied: "No, it is common."
Hope this helps insha'Allah. The believers should not delay in asking for forgiveness from Allah swt, for we do not know what tomorrow will bring..
And Allah swt knows best.
Wassalamu'alaikum.