Can a person who is accustomed to masturbation and looking at illicit things, and committing indecency in front of a camera, repent, knowing that he has not actually committed sodomy with anyone out of fear of God, and he feels guilty but sometimes returns to the sin?
Praise be to Allah, Who came between your friend and sodomy, which is a heinous sin and an abomination among the greatest of major sins. His love for masturbation, sodomy, looking at pornographic images, and other such acts, all indicate a form of sexual deviance and serious sins. However, if he is regretful and wishes to repent, then let him rejoice in the mercy of Allah, for repentance wipes away what came before it, and the one who repents from a sin is like one who has no sin, as Allah the Almighty said: "Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'" The conditions for repentance are: sincerity, abandoning the sin, resolving not to return to it, regretting what has passed, and that it be before the death rattle, and before the sun rises from its west. So let your friend hasten to repent and abandon bad company and bad environments, and his sins will be forgiven, Allah willing.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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