It is not as if our sins leave us and go away to hide somewhere.
Our sins surround us, and cumulate, and layer up, and cocoon us. Not in a protective manner as do silkworm cocoons. But in a deleterious way to keep God Almighty's blessings and mercy from us.
And his guidance.
And his light. Allah's Noor that lights up heavens and earth.
As a result, the more sins we commit, the denser the darkness that surrounds us. And the harder it becomes for us to return to the Straight Path -- Siraat Mustaqeem -- for which all Muslims pray.
Sins create an opaqueness around us that keeps Allah's light away from us, making it harder and harder to see things clearly.
And it becomes harder to do good things, while bad things become more attractive and easier to do.
The way out of this darkness, for individuals as well as for groups, communities, nations and societies, is Repentance: Tawubah.
And that means acknowledging one's wrongdoing; a firm resolve and commitment to stop and never return to it; and do all in one's power to make amends.
But Repentance and Tawubah is the fundamental art and skill of human survival, and living life on God's earth, that human beings forgot and gave up a long time. Nobody tells them about it any more.
Not even the Muslims.
And Repentance and Tawubah is also the bread and butter of life as a Muslim that Muslims quietly abandoned.
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