If you think you're too far from Allah to return, and your 'past' continues to own you, just remember that Malik ibn Dinar (RA) was an alcoholic, and Omar (RA) was on his way to assassinate the Prophet (pbuh) before they became two of the greatest souls to walk the earth!
Yasmin MogahedEverything in this life is only a glimpse of the real thing. Love, beauty, pleasure, even pain in its true essence is only in the next.
Yasmin MogahedOh external worshiper, know that worship without heart is motions. Oh seeker of knowledge, know that knowledge without purification is a dangerous weapon of the ego. Oh activist, know that work without orientation of heart is fruitless. Oh lover, know that love without God is pain.
Yasmin MogahedThe enduring life is the one that begins once we awaken from this world. And it is in that awakening that we realize... It was only a dream
Yasmin Mogahed