Abdullah from Saudi Arabia says: Why is a person not granted success in repenting?

Regarding being granted success in repentance, we say there are multiple reasons for not being granted success in repentance.

Among them is that a person.

That he persists in that sin, so at that point he is not truly determined to repent to Allah the Mighty and Majestic.

The condition of a person who is still committing that sin, doing it while asking Allah, and he is doing it—this shows a kind of belittling of that sin, and for this reason, a person may be deprived of it.

For this reason, we say that if a person is determined to give up the sin, it is necessary for him to leave the sin he was committing so that it becomes clear from him.

It becomes clear that he loves to give up that sin, and among the reasons for this is that a person may be upon bid'a. If he is upon bid'a,

then Allah does not grant him success in repentance, because the basis of this is that a person does it as an act of devotion. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned in a number of narrations, from the narration of Abdullah ibn Umar, Abu Huraira, and others,

that the Prophet ﷺ said: Allah does not accept the repentance of a person of bid'a. Imam Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, says: He is not granted success in it; what is meant by this is not that it occurred from.

then it was returned to him and not accepted, because Allah accepts the repentance of His servant. Rather, what is meant is that he is not granted success in it, and the reason for this is that bid'a is done as an act of devotion.

And what is done as an act of devotion cannot be abandoned, so how can someone abandon a religion that he practices?

For this reason, we say that there are several things a person is not granted success in, including weak determination and persistence in sin, and also innovation and introducing new things into the religion. And Allah knows best.