The
Ill Effects of Sins
“Whatever
of good reaches you, is from Allaah, but whatever of evil befalls you,
is from yourself.”
[1]
Narrated
by Ibn Umar : Allaah’s
Messenger (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam) said, “If Allaah
sends punishment upon a nation then it befalls upon the whole population
indiscriminately and then they will be resurrected (and judged) according to
their deeds.”[2]
Whatever
good comes upon us - blessing or security - it is from Allaah,
it is He who provided that, its beginning and end, from his beneficence.
It is He who granted us from his bounty that we should carry out that
which would lead to it, and it is He who
granted us His blessing and completed that for us. Many
people today attribute the misfortunes which befall them, whether relating
to wealth and economics, or security and political affairs to purely
materialistic causes. There is no doubt that this is due to their limited
understanding and weakness of their
EEMAAN and their failure to
reflect upon the Book of Allaah
and the Sunnah of His Messenger
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam). Behind
these reasons are causes prescribed as such by Allaah,
However the material reasons may be a means of bringing about what is
due to the causes prescribed by Allaah
which necessitates the misfortune and punishment. Allaah,
the Mighty and Majestic
says :“Evil
(sins and disobedience of Allaah) has
appeared on the land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned
(by oppression and evil deeds etc.),
that Allaah may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in
order that they may return (by
repenting to Allaah).”
[3]
"O
Muslim! you are the best and most noble of the nations of Allaah,
the Mighty and Majestic.
Allaah does not punish this
nation for its disobedience and sins in the way that He punished the
previous nations. He will not
cause its destruction with a single overwhelming punishment as happened to ‘Aad,
[4]
when they were destroyed by the violent wind which He unleashed upon them
for seven nights and eight days in succession so that they were left lying
like the hollow trunks of palm trees, Do
you see any remnants of them.
Ibn
‘Abbas narrates that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said
“I was granted victory with As-Saba (Easterly Wind), and the nation of
‘Aad, was destroyed by Ad-Dabur (Westerly
Wind).” [5]
and Anas narrates that
“Whenever a strong wind blew, anxiety appeared on the face of the Prophet
(sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam)
(fearing that, that wind might be a sign of Allaah’s
wrath).” [6]
He will not destroy it (the ummah)
with the like of the punishment of Thamood
[7]
who were seized by the terrible shout and the earthquake so that they lay
prostate corpses in their homes. And
He will not destroy it with the like of the punishment of the people of
Loot,[8]
against whom Allaah sent a
violent wind and stones from the sky and turned their homes upside down.
O Muslims ! Allaah, from
His Wisdom and his Mercy, punishes this nation for its sins and disobedience
by setting some part of it upon the others so that they destroy one another
and take each other prisoner, Allaah,
the Mighty and Majestic,
says “Say
: ‘ He has power to send torment on you from above you of from under your
feet, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, and make you to taste
the violence of one another.’ See how variously We explain the Ayaat ,
so that they may understand.
But your people (O Muhammed (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam)
have denied it (the Qur’aan)
though it is the truth. Say : ‘I am not responsible for your affairs.’
For every news there is a fact (i.e.
for everything there is an appointed term and you will come to know).”
[10]
It
is also reported by Sa’d ibn Abee Waqqaas, who said : “We
went along with Allaah’s
messenger (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam) until we came
to the mosque of Banoo Mu’aawiyah, so Allaah’s
Messenger (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam) entered and
prayed two rak’ahs so we prayed along with him, so he called upon his Lord
for a long time, then said : ‘I asked my Lord for three things, I asked
him that He should not destroy my nation with a deluge so He granted me
that; I asked Him that He should not destroy my nation with famine as
happened to the people of Fir’awn so He granted me that; and I asked Him
that they should not fight amongst themselves, but He refused me that.” [11]
Misconceptions
Cleared
There
are some people who doubt and seek to cause doubts that sins are a cause of
misfortunes, and that is because of the weakness of their eeman
and their negligence in reflecting upon the book of Allaah,
the Mighty and Majestic
as Allaah of the says in the
Qur’aan, “And
if the people of the towns had believed and had taqwaa (Piety),
certainly, We should have opened for them blessing from the heavens and the
earth, but they belied (The
messengers).
So we took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn (polytheism
and crimes etc).
Did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of
Our punishment by night while they are asleep ? Or, Did the people of the
towns then feel secure against the coming of Our punishment in the forenoon
while they play ? Did they then feel secure against the plot of Allaah.
None feels secure from the plot of Allaah except the people who are
lost.”[12]
Daawah
to the Ummah
Sins
affect the security of a land, they affect its ease, its prosperity, its
economy and they affect the hearts of its people.
Sins cause alienation between the people.
Sins cause one muslim to regard his muslim brother as if he were upon
a separate religion other than Islaam.
But if we sought to rectify ourselves, our families, our neighbours
and those in our areas, and everyone we are able to rectify , if we mutually
encouraged good and forbade evil, if we assisted those who do this with
wisdom and wise admonition then it would produce unity and harmony.
Allaah the Mighty
and Majestic says :
“Let
there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that
is good (Islaam)
enjoining the ma’roof [13]
and forbidding the munkar.[14]
And it is those who are successful.
And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after
the clear proofs had come to them. It
is they for whom there is an awful torment.”
[15]
Al-mugheerah
ibn Shu’bah related that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said
“A group of my followers will remain victoriously upholding the truth
until Allaah’s order (the
last hour) comes on them while they are still Victorious.” [16]
It is reported by Zaid ibn Thaabit that the Prophet (sallallahu
alaihe wa-sallam) said “Allaah
blesses any man who hears a saying of mine, memorises it and
understands it, then conveys it just as he heard it.”[17]
O Servants of Allaah !
Fear Allaah, the Mighty
and Majestic, and beware of
neglecting the prescribed laws of Allaah
, beware of neglecting Allaah
signs, beware of failing to reflect upon the book of Allaah,
beware of failing to know the Sunnah
of Allaah’s Messenger
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam), since in the Book of Allaah
and the Sunnah of his Prophet
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) lies your success (if you cling to them , if
you attest to the truth of what they inform
of and follow their commands). And since we have been looking at them
from a materialistic perspective the unbelievers are stronger and greater
than us through that. However
if we look from an Islamic perspective by the way of the
Qur’aan and the Sunnah then
we will abandon all that is a cause of
these misfortunes as Allaah
says: “Verily
, Allaah will help those who help His (cause)
Truly, Allaah is All-Strong, All-Mighty.”[18]
Some
of the ‘Symptoms, Avoidance & Cures’ of Sins :
Narrated
by Abu Huraira, The Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said “Avoid
the seven great destructive sins” the
people asked O Allaah
Messenger ! what are they ? He said “To
join others in worship along with Allaah,
to practice sorcery, to kill the life which Allaah
has forbidden except for a just cause, to eat up Riba (usury, interest), to
eat up an orphan’s wealth, to show one’s back to the enemy and fleeing
from the battlefield at the time of fighting and to accuse chaste women, who
never even think of anything touching their chastity and are true
believers”.[19]
Narrated
by Abdullah bin Amr that
the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said “Whoever
has the following four (characteristics) will be a pure hypocrite and
whoever has one of the following four characteristics will have one
characteristic of hypocrisy unless and until he gives it up.
1.
Whenever he is entrusted, he betrays (proves dishonest).
2.
Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.
3.
Whenever he makes a covenant, he proves treacherous.
4.
Whenever he quarrels, he behaves in a very imprudent, evil and
insulting manner .”[20]
Narrated
by ‘Aishah that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam)
said “The most hated person
to Allaah is the one who is most
quarrelsome of the opponents”[21]
Narrated
by Abu Huraira that Allaah’s
Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said “Part
of a man’s good observance of Islaam is that he leaves the things which do
not concern him” ( i.e. avoiding interference with other’s matters).[22]
Narrated
by Ibn Abbas that Allaah
Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) passed by two graves and said
“Both
of them are being tortured, and they are not being tortured for a major
sin. This one used not
to save himself from being soiled with his urine, and the other used to go
about with calumnies”[23]
The
Qur’aan
:
Narrated by Uthman, The Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said “The
best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur’aan and teach it (to
others)”[24]
Ibn
Masood reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) once said “Whoever
reads a single letter from Allaah’s
Book will receive a blessing and each blessing is worth ten times its
value.”[25]
Abu Umaamah reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam) said “Recite the
Qur’aan for verily on the Day of Resurrection it will act as an
intercessor for its companions (those who read it often).[26]
Prayer
( Salat )
To offer
salat at its appointed time as narrated by Abdullah ibn
Masud ‘I asked the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) Which deed
is the dearest to Allaah
? He said, “To
performs-Salat at their early fixed times.......”[28]
Bearing in mind salat is to performed as the prophet ordered us
to pray “Perform
your salat the way you see me performing them”[29]
Fasting
(Saum)
and Charity (Sadaqah)
Mu’adh
bin Jabal narrates: "The Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said to
him “May I show you the gates of
goodness ? (They are)
Fasting is a screen from hell, As-Sadaqah extinguishes the sins as the water
extinguishes the fire, Standing in prayer by a slave of Allaah
during the last third part (Tahajjud) of a night” Then the Prophet
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) recited (V.32:16) “Their
sides forsake their beds”.[31]
Abu Huraira narrates that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe
wa-sallam) said “Everyday two
angels come down from the heaven and one of them says ‘O Allaah
! Compensate every person who spends in your cause,’ and the other (angel)
says, ‘O Allaah ! Destroy every
miser.’ ”[32]
Seeking
Knowledge
Reported
by Anas “Seeking
knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim”[33]
Reported
by Abu ad-Dardaa that he heard the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) say
“If
anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allaah
will cause him to travel on one of the roads of paradise.
The angels will lower their wings because of their pleasure with one
who seeks knowledge, and forgiveness will be asked for him by the
inhabitants of the heavens and earth and the fish in the depth of the
oceans...”[34]
Adhering
to the Sunnah
Reported
by Abu Huraira that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said “I
have left with you two things, if you hold on firmly to them , you will
never go astray; Allaah’s Book
and my Sunnah.”[35]
Abu Huraira narrates that Allaah’s
Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said, “All
my Ummah will enter paradise
except those who refuse” They asked O Allaah’s
Messenger ! who will refuse ? He Said “Whoever
obeys me will enter paradise, and whoever disobeys me is the one who refuses
(to enter paradise)”[36]
Avoiding
Bidah (Innovation)
Abdullah
ibn Masoud relates that Allaah’s
Messenger (Pubh) drew a line for them one day and then Said “This
is Allaah’s path”, then
he drew several lines (branching off) to the right and to the left and said,
“These are the paths (of
Misguidance) on each of which is a devil inviting people to follow it” and
then he recited (the verse) “Verily
this is my path, leading straight, so follow it. And do not follow the (other)
paths for they will scatter you about
from (Allaah’s) path.
This is His Command to you in order that you may be conscious of Allaah.[37]”[38]
Aisha
reported that the Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said “Whoever
introduces something new into this religion of ours which does not belong in
it will have it rejected” [39]
(i.e., it will not be accepted by Allaah.
Imitating
the Kufaar
The
Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) has warned us in regards to imitating
the Kufaar, Abu Saeed al-Khudree reported that Allaah’s
Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said “You
will follow the practices of your predecessors,
inch by inch and yard by yard, so
much so that if they were to enter a lizard’s hole you would also follow
them.” He then asked if he meant the Jews and the Christians and He
replied “Who Else ? ”[40]
The Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) also warned us saying “Whoever
resembles a people, he is one of them”[41]
The Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) also
cursed men who tried to resemble woman and women who tried to resemble men.[42]
We
ask Allaah, the Most High, that
He turns the misguided of this Ummah
back to the guidance, and that he makes us all to support one another and
aid one another in carrying out good and righteousness until we return to
this Ummah its lost glory and
honour, Indeed He is fully able
and having the power to do that.
F
O O T N OT E S
