How do we view our sins?

[Muwaahid]

How do YOU view your sins??? Indeed many of us have fallen into a state of ghaflah [heedlessness] and perhaps we have fallen into rationalizing our sins under the guise of, "I'm living in the west in Darul Kufr and Darus-Shirk so at times I forget or at times I am overwhelmed by just living day to day" So Ibn Mas'ood [radhiya Allahu anhu] said, "Indeed the Mu'min sees his sins as if he is sittin
g at the base of a mountain fearing that it will fall upon him, [whereas] the Faajir [the one given to sinning] sees his sins as if they are flies trying to land on his nose, so he waves them away like this [motioning with his hand in an effort to shoo away the flies]. From this noble hadeeth we are taught not to dimunitize or lessen how we view our sins as this leads to destruction. All sins are destructive to which istighfaar and taubah should be done immediately after as a source of protection for the slave of Allah. As the Ulema have mentioned,"At-Taubah Waajibatun Alal Faur" The repentance is obligatory immediately"If a person falls into a sin that necessitates Taubah [repentance] is it obligatory that a person repents immediately? Allah the Most High says, "And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins; - and none can forgive sins but Allah - And do not persist in what (wrong) they have
done, while they know. " [3:135] Ibnul Qayyim [rahimahullah] said, "indeed hastening towards repenting from the sins is obligatory immediately and it is not permissible to delay it" [Madaarijus-Saalikeen 1/272] Imaam An-Nawwawi [rahimahullah]said, "It is agreed upon that indeed Taubah [repentance] from every sin/disobedience is obligatory and that verily it is obligatory immediately and it is not permissible to postpone it whether it be al mausiyyah sagheerah aw kabeerah [a small sin or disobedience or a great sin or disobedience]." [Sharh Saheeh Muslim 17/59] Extracted from [Sifatu Taubah Al-Mubtadi3 pg.18] by Abu Sufyaan Az-Zayla'ee
[hafidhahullah].