The Effects of Sin and Its Evils

Key Points

1. Prevention from Knowledge

   • Knowledge is a light that Allah casts into a person’s heart, not merely memorization.
   • Imam Malik told Imam Shafii: “I see that Allah has cast in your heart a light, so do not darken it with sin.”
   • Sin prevents the heart from receiving divine light and insight.
   • Imam Shafii’s memory weakened after seeing a woman’s ankle, illustrating sensitivity to sin.
   • Famous quote from Imam Shafii:
     • “I complained to Waki’ about my weak memory, and he guided me to the leaving of sins. He told me that knowledge is a light, and the light of Allah is not given to a sinner.”

2. Prevention from Provision (Rizq)

   • Hadith: No soul shall pass until it's completed its Rizq and lifespan.
   • Prophetic advice: Have Taqwa (fear of Allah) and seek Rizq beautifully, without resorting to prohibited means.
   • Sin can prevent a person from acquiring their due provision.

3. Feeling Distant from Allah

   • Sins create a sense of strangeness and discomfort in worship and proximity to Allah.
   • Increased sinning distances the sinner from the sweetness of faith.
   • Important Reflection: “If you feel distant from Allah, ask yourself who moved.”
   • Allah is closer to those who move closer to Him.

4. Feeling Distant from Righteous People

   • People avoid overly righteous company and vice versa.
   • Concept: Believers may inherently dislike sinners due to Allah’s influence on their hearts.
   • Story: A person avoided by the believers due to committing sins secretly.

5. Difficulty in Affaires

   • Quran: “Whoever fears Allah, He makes their affairs easy.”
   • Sins block facilitation and ease in personal and worldly matters.
   • Story: A disheveled traveler’s Dua is not accepted because of allegiance to Haram.

6. Weakening of Heart and Body

   • Sin weakens both physical and spiritual capacities.
   • Story: Fatimah and Ali’s request for a servant and the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) prescription of Dhikr instead, which strengthens the body.
   • Practical example: Brotherhood’s strength attributed to constant Dhikr during physical activities.
   • Observation: Muslim achievements and expansion attributed to spiritual strength and sinlessness.

7. Shortened Lifespan

   • Sin extracts the blessing and productivity from a person's life.
   • Quality, not quantity, of life is diminished by sins.
   • Saying: Considered alive truly during moments of remembrance of Allah, heedlessness is not real life.

8. Sins Leading to Other Sins

   • Sins tend to accumulate and lead to committing more sins, such as lying covering other sins.
   • Story: Kab Bin Malik's contemplation of lying to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) due to his initial sin.

9. Insignificance in the Sight of Allah

   • Sinful behavior may lead to becoming insignificant to Allah.
   • Quote: What Abu Darda witnessed in Cyprus and his reflection on the insignificance of those who disobey Allah.

Practical Guidance

• Daily Devotion: Regularly invoke: “O Allah, make Imaan beloved to us and beautify it in our hearts and make hated to us disbelief, transgression, and disobedience.”
• Importance of Seeking Forgiveness: Regular repentance can prevent the adverse effects of sins.

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