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When
Allah commands us to give up sins and to avoid them it is not because our sins
will harm Him. It is only us who will benefit by avoiding sins. Likewise, we
alone will be affected by the sins we commit. It was the habit of the righteous
ancestors to think about their sins whenever they were faced with hardship in
anything. In fact, sins have many bad effects on the lives of the sinners. How
can sins change our lives? What are the effects of sins on our well-being? Imam
Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyah explains to us these effects in his well-known book Al-Jawab
Al-Kafi:
Imam
Ash-Shafi`i said: “I complained to Wakee` about the weakness of my memory, so
he ordered me to abandon disobedience and informed me that knowledge is light.
He said that the light of Allah is not given to the disobedient.”
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Legacy
of the cursed:
Every type of disobedience is the legacy of a nation from among those which
Allah destroyed. Sodomy is a legacy of the people of Lot, taking more than
one's due right and giving what is less is a legacy of the people of
Shu`aib, spreading mischief and corruption is a legacy of the people of
Pharaoh and pride, including arrogance and tyranny, is a legacy of the
people of Hud. So the disobedient one is somehow a part of those nations who
were the enemies of Allah.
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Disobedience
is a cause of the servant being held in contempt by his Lord: Al-Hasan
Al-Basri said: “They became contemptible in (His sight) so they disobeyed
Him. If they were honorable (in His sight) He would have protected them.”
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Effect
of sins on others: The ill-effects of the sinner fall upon those around
him as well as the animals as a result of which they are touched by harm.
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Living
in sin: The servant continues to commit sins until they become very easy
for him and seem insignificant in his heart and this is a sure sign of
destruction. Every time a sin becomes insignificant in the sight of the
servant it becomes great in the sight of Allah.
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Disobedience
corrupts the intellect: The
intellect has light and disobedience extinguishes this light. When the light
of the intellect is extinguished it becomes weak and deficient.
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Sealing
of the heart: When disobedience increases, the servant’s heart becomes
sealed so that he becomes of those who are heedless. The Exalted said: [But
no! A stain has been left on their hearts on account of what they used to
earn (that is, their actions)]
(Al-Mutaffifin 83: 14).
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Sins
cause various types of corruption to occur in the land: Corruption of
the water, the air, the plants, the fruit, and the dwelling places. The
Exalted said: [Mischief
has appeared on the land and the sea on account of what the hands of men
have earned; that He may give them a taste of some of (the actions) they
have done, in order that they may return]
(Ar-Rum 30: 41).
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Disappearance
of modesty: Modesty
is the essence of the life of the heart and is the basis of every good. Its
disappearance is the disappearance of all that is good. The Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) said: “Modesty
is goodness, all of it.”
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Sins
weaken and reduce the magnification of Allah the Almighty in the heart of
the servant.
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Being
removed from the realm of
benevolence: When a persons sins, benevolence is removed from
his heart. When benevolence fills the heart it prevents it from
disobedience.
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Disobedience
causes the favors (of Allah) to cease and makes His revenge lawful: No
blessing ceases to reach a servant except because of a sin, and no
retribution is made lawful upon him except because of a sin. Ali ibn Abi
Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “No trial has descended except
due to a sin and it (the trial) is not repelled except by repentance.”
*
Based
on Al-Jawab Al-Kafi by Imam Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyah, www.al-manhaj.com
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