Asalaam aleykum
Avoiding Sinful Acts
Know that the religion is of two halves:
1- One of them is: avoiding the prohibitions
2- The other is: performing acts of obedience
Avoiding the prohibitions is more difficult (than the opposite). For every one is capable of performing acts of obedience. But giving up (ones) passions is something that only the truly sincere (siddeeqoon) are capable of doing.
For that reason, he (the Messenger) (SAW) said, “The emigrant (muhaajir) is he who emigrates from evil. And the one striving (mujaahid) is he who strives against his lust.”
Be aware that you disobey Allah with your bodily limbs while they are Allah’s blessing upon you, and a trust given to you. So exploiting Allah’s blessing to disobey Him is the epitome of ingratitude. And your betrayal of a trust that Allah has deposited with you is the epitome of transgression. Your limbs are your shepherds. So watch how you guard them!
The Prophet (SAW) said: “So each of you is a shepherd. And each of you will be questioned about his herd.”
And be aware that all of your limbs will testify against you in the squares of the Resurrection with a free articulate tongue – i.e. eloquent. They will disgrace you with it in front of all created beings.
Allah(SWT) says, "That day their tongues, their hands, and their feet will testify to what they used to do" [TMQ Surah Noor: 24]
And He(SWT) says, "Today We place a seal over their mouths and their hands will speak to Us and their feet will testify to what they used to earn" [YaSin: 65].
So guard your entire body, especially your seven limbs, for verily, Hell (jahannam) has seven gates. For every gate there is a designated portion of them (people). But none are specified for those gates except for he who has disobeyed Allah with these seven limbs.
And they are:
1- The eye
2- The ear
3- The stomach
4- The tongue
5- The private part
6- The hand
7- The foot
I. Protecting the Eye
As for the eye, it has been created for you only so that you can find your way by it in the darkness, to use it for help in (acquiring) needs, to look with it at the wonders of the dominions of the Earth and the Heavens, and so that you’ll take a lesson from the signs found in them.
So protect it from three or four things:
1- From using it to look at one who is not forbidden in marriage (mahram)
2- Or (from looking) at an attractive image lustfully
3- Or using it to look at a Muslim with the eye of disdain
4- Or (from using it to) become acquainted with a flaw in a Muslim
II. Protecting the Ear
As for the ear, protect it from giving attention to innovation (bid’ah), backbiting, vulgarity, indulging in falsehood (baatil), or the mention of peoples’ bad characteristics (masaawi).
For verily, it was created for you to hear Allah’s word (kalaamullah) – Exalted in Highness, the Sunnah of Allah’s messenger – may Allah bless and grant him peace, the wisdom of His friends (auliyaa), and to reach by the acquisition of knowledge to the permanent kingdom and everlasting bliss.
So when you turn its attention to one of the undesirable things (makaarih), what was for you is turned against you, and what would have been the cause of your success becomes the cause of your destruction.
So this is the epitome of loss. And don’t think that the sin (of the ear) applies specifically to the speaker to the exclusion of the listener. Because (it is stated) in the report that: “The listener is a partner to the speaker. And he is one of the two backbiters.”
III. Protecting the Tongue
As for the tongue, it has been created for you merely to make ample mention of Allah – Exalted is He, to recite His book, to give direction to Allah’s creation by it to His way – Exalted is He, and to manifest by it what is in your heart concerning the necessities of your religion (deen) and your secular life (dunyaa).
So when you use it for other than the purpose it was created, you have shown ingratitude for Allah’s blessing regarding it – Exalted is He. And it is the most dominating of your limbs over you and over the rest of creation.
And nothing turns people over in the Fire on their snouts except for the harvests of their tongues. So seek victory over it with all of your strength so that it doesn’t turn you over into the depths of Hell (Jahannam). And in the report (it states):
“Verily, a person will utter a comment to make his companions laugh, and he will fall by way of it to the bottom of Hell for seventy autumns” and in another version “Verily, a person will utter a comment that he doesn’t consider any harm with to make people laugh. And he will fall by way of it farther away than the sky.” [Reported by Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah, and Haakim]
A martyr was killed on the battlefield during the time of Allah’s messenger – may Allah bless and grant him peace, and someone said, “Congratulations to him! Paradise!” So Allah’s messenger(SAW) said, “How do you know? Perhaps he used to speak about what didn’t concern him, and (maybe) he was stingy with what would not enrich him.”
So guard the tongue from eight things:
1. The First is Lying (kadhib):
So guard your tongue from it in seriousness and in jest. And don’t habituate your self to lying in jest so that it calls you to lie in times of seriousness. And lying is one of the mothers of all major sins.
In addition, once you are known for that, your trustworthiness is eliminated, your words are denied, and eyes undervalue and hold you in contempt.
And if you’d like to know the ugliness of lying that comes from yourself, just reflect on the lying of others, your soul’s aversion to it, your disdain for its doer, and your disgust of what he has brought forth. And do likewise with all of the flaws of your self. For surely you don’t know the disgustingness of your flaws from yourself. Rather, (you know them) from others (who point them out to you).
So whatever you feel disgust for from others, then others inevitably feel disgust for it from you. So don’t be content with that for your self.
2. The Second is Breaking the Promise
Then beware to promise a thing and not keep it. Rather, your good treatment to people should be a deed without a word. Then if you are compelled to promise, then beware to break (it) unless it is out of inability (to do so) or an emergency.
For indeed that is one of the signs of hypocrisy and despicable conduct. He (The Prophet) said – may Allah bless and grant him peace,
“Three things: Whoever possesses them, he is a hypocrite even if he prays and fasts: 1- The one who when he speaks, he lies, 2- when he promises, he breaks (it), and 3-when he is entrusted (with something), he betrays.”
3. The Third is Guarding the Tongue from Backbiting
Backbiting is worst than fornicating while being a Muslim as narrated in a hadith related by Ibn Hibbaan in Ad-Du’afaa where Rasoolillah(SAW) said “Beware of backbiting. For indeed backbiting is worst than illicit sexual intercourse.” And the meaning of backbiting (gheebah) is that you mention a person with what he dislikes were he to hear it. So you are a wrongdoing backbiter even if you are truthful.
And beware of the backbiting done by the pseudo-scholars who are guilty of showing off (riyaa). It is for you to make your intention known without explicitly saying so. You’d say something like: “May Allah correct him. What he did has hurt me and saddened me. So we ask Allah to set us aright as well as him.”
For indeed this is combining between two evil acts:
1- The first of them is backbiting, since the understanding was conveyed through it.
2- The other is self-praise (tazkiyatun-nafs) and extolling it with (the implicit indication that it experiences) difficulty and (it possesses) righteousness.
However, if your intent from saying “May Allah correct him” is prayer, then pray for him in secret. And if you are grieved because of him, then the sign of it is that you don’t desire to disgrace him or to make his flaw public knowledge. And in publicly showing your grief resulting from his flaw is making his flaw public knowledge.
And sufficient of a deterrent for you from committing backbiting is His (Allah’s) statement: "And let none of you backbite others. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother while dead? You would abhor it."
Allah has compared you to one who eats the flesh of carrion (dead animals). So how fitting it is for you to seek safety from it!
And there is a matter that would prevent you from backbiting the Muslims were you to reflect upon it. It is for you to look in yourself (and ask) if it has an open or hidden flaw? Do you commit sin in secret or publicly?
So when you realize that from yourself, then know that his inability to become innocent of what you ascribed to him is just like your inability (to do so). And his excuse is just like your excuse.
And just as you wouldn’t like to be humiliated and have your faults mentioned he also wouldn’t like it.
So if you shield him, Allah will shield your faults from you. And if you disgrace him, Allah will grant authority to sharp tongues over you who will rip apart your honor in the temporal world (dunyaa). Then He will disgrace you in the Afterlife in the presence of all creatures on the Day of Resurrection.
And if you’ve looked to your interior and exterior and didn’t find in them any flaw or imperfection in your religious practices (deen) or secular affairs (dunyaa), then know that your ignorance of the flaws of your self is the most disgusting form of insanity. And there is no flaw worst then insanity.
And if Allah were to desire good with you, He would make you see the flaws of your self. So your viewing yourself with the eye of satisfaction is the epitome of your stupidity and your ignorance!
Then if you are correct in your view, then thank Allah (SWT) – for it. And don’t adulterate it by making explicit mention of peoples’ flaws and rinsing your mouth with their honor. For indeed that is one of the greatest of all flaws.
4. The Fourth is Arguing, Disputing, and Debating People about Speculative Theology (Kalaam)
For indeed in it is an abuse of the one spoken to, an ascription of ignorance to him, and an attack on him. And in it is an extolment of the self, a praise of it by (ascribing to it) greater intelligence and knowledge (than the one being addressed). In addition, it is disturbance of life.
For indeed you never argue with a fool except that he does you harm, and you never ague with one of strong intelligence (haleem) except that he despises and resents you.
And he (the Prophet) said – may Allah bless and grant him peace, “Whoever abandons argumentation when he is wrong, Allah will build for him a house in he suburbs of Paradise. And whoever abandons argumentation when he is right, Allah will build for him a house in the height of Paradise.”
And it isn’t proper that Satan dupes you and says to you: “ Manifest the truth and do not be compromised in it.”
For indeed Satan is always attracting the insane to evil in the guise of good. So don’t be a point of laughter for Satan, so that he makes a mockery of you.
So manifesting the truth is done with he who accepts it from you. And that is by way of giving sincere advice in secret, not by way of disputation.
And sincere advice has a description and a form. It requires kindness. Otherwise, it becomes humiliation. And its bad become greater than its good.
And whoever mixes with the seekers of knowledge (mutafaqqihah) of this age, arguing and disputing becomes an outstanding part of his disposition, and silence becomes difficult for him, because the scholars of mischievousness (‘ulamaa as-soo) have presented to them (the idea) that that is what is virtuous, and that the ability to refute and debate it is what one should be praised for.
So flee from them in the same way that you would flee from a lion. And know that argumentation is the cause of hatred with Allah and with the creation.
5. The Fifth is Self Praise
Allah(SWT) says, "So do not praise yourselves. He is more knowing of he who is god-conscious" [Surat An-Najm: 32]
It was said to one of the wise men, “What is disgusting truthfulness?” He said, “A person’s praise of his self.”
So beware to become accustomed to that. And know that that detracts from your stature with people, and guarantees that you are hated with Allah. So when you want to know that your extolment of yourself does not add to your stature with others, then reflect on your peers when they extol themselves with virtue, status, and wealth, and how your heart condemns it from them, how your nature finds difficulty with it, and how you launch blame against them when you leave them. Then know that they too at the time that you are praising yourself they launch blame against you in their hearts at the present, and they will express it openly with their tongues when they leave you.
6. The Sixth is Damning (People)
Beware to damn anything of what Allah (SWT) – created, be it an animal, food, or a specific human being. And do not express certainty in your testimony against any of the People of the Qiblah about (an accusation you make against them of) polytheism (shirk), or hypocrisy (nifaaq). For indeed the one acquainted with secrets is Allah (SWT).
So don’t enter between the servants and Allah (SWT). And know that you, on the Day of Resurrection, it will not be said to you, “Why didn’t you damn So and So? And why did you remain silent about him?” Rather, even if you didn’t damn Iblees (Satan) your entire life and if you didn’t occupy your tongue with his mention, you won’t be asked about it. And you won’t be demanded of it on the Day of Resurrection. But when you damn any one of Allah’s creatures, you’ll be demanded (of it). And don’t launch blame toward anything of what Allah has created. For the Prophet(SAW) would never criticize bad food. Rather, whenever he had the appetite for something, he ate it. Otherwise, he left it alone.
7. The Seventh is Praying Against the Creation
Guard your tongue from praying against any one of Allah’s creatures (SWT). And if he wrongs you, then entrust his affair to Allah (SWT). For in the hadeeth (it reads), “Verily the one who is wronged will surely pray against his oppressor until he repays him. Then the oppressor will have favor with him that he will demand from him on the Day of Resurrection.”
Someone used his tongue to assail Al-Hajjaaj (The Oppressor). Then one of the Salaf said, “Verily Allah will exact vengeance for Al-Hajjaaj from he who thwarts him with his tongue just as he will exact vengeance from Al-Hajjaaj for those he has wronged.”
8. The Eighth is Joking With, Making Fun of, and Mocking People
Guard your tongue from it in seriousness and jest. For indeed it spills out the fluid of the face, removes respect, produces unsociableness, and pains hearts. And it is the starting point of obstinate quarrelling, anger, violent break ups, and it plants resentment in hearts.
So do not joke around with anyone. And if they joke with you, then don’t respond to them. And turn away from them until they indulge in a different conversation. And be of those who when they pass by idol talk they pass by nobly.
So these are the gathering grounds of the defects of the tongue. And nothing helps you against it except for withdrawing (‘uzlah) and maintaining silence unless it is to the extent of necessity.
And Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq (RA) used to place a rock in his mouth to prevent it from speaking without need, and he would point to his tongue and say: “This is what has brought me to all water-troughs.”
So take safety from it. For surely it is the strongest reason for your destruction in the temporal world and the Afterlife.
WCS
