Sacred Steps: The Joy of Repentance - Sheikh Hamza Karamali

Guilt is one of the most universal human experiences and one of the most mishandled. For many people, the attempt to take stock of their choices leads not to change but to shame, paralysis, or despair. This session addresses that problem directly.

Drawing on Islamic spiritual teaching and the classical tradition of tawbah the Arabic term for repentance, literally meaning "to return", Shaykh Hamza Karamali teaches a practical, evidence-based skill: how to hold yourself honestly accountable for your choices without being destroyed by them. The session distinguishes between healthy self-reflection, which produces genuine change, and destructive self-criticism, which produces only suffering. It offers participants a clear, actionable framework they can apply immediately.

The questions this session engages are not uniquely Islamic,  they sit at the intersection of moral psychology, philosophy of the self, and human wellbeing. How do we take responsibility without losing hope? How do we change without punishing ourselves into paralysis? Islamic spiritual tradition has developed sophisticated answers to these questions over centuries, and this session makes that wisdom accessible in a contemporary, practical format.

Open to UWA students and the broader community. No prior background in Islamic studies required.