Relying on the Mercy, Forgiveness & Generosity of Allaah

Many ignorant people rely on the Mercy, Forgiveness, and Generosity of Allaah (سُبحانه وتعالى), without following His Commands and Prohibitions, forgetting that He is severe in punishment, and that His Wrath will never be withheld from criminal (polytheist, sinning) people. So whoever relies on the Mercy of Allaah (سُبحانه وتعالى), while still insisting on committing sins is just stubborn.

Ma’ruf has said: “Hoping for mercy from the One (Allaah) Who you do not obey is but foolishness.”

Al-Hasan said: “Some people have been distracted by the hope of Allaah’s Grace, until they left this world without having made repentance. One of them said: ‘Verily, I have a good opinion of my Lord.’ He simply lied, because if he had a good opinion of his Lord, he would have perfected his deeds.”

Usamah bin Zayd (رضي اللّه عنـه) reported that he heard the Prophet (صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم) say: “A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and thrown in the (Hell) Fire, so that his intestines will come out, and he will go around like a donkey goes around a millstone. The people of the (Hell) fire will gather around him and say: ‘O so-and-so! What is wrong with you? Didn't you use to do good deeds and forbid us to do bad deeds?’ He will reply: ‘Yes, I used to order you to do good deeds, but I did not do them myself, and I used to forbid you to do bad deeds, yet I used to do them myself.’^[1]

Footnotes:
[1] Recorded by Al-Bukhari in the book, “Creation,” (chapter 10), Muslim in the book, “Az-Zuhd” (hadith 51), and Ahmad in his Musnad (5/205, 206, 209).

Source: Spiritual Disease and Its Cure, Ibnul Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (رحمه الله), pg.33