The ONLY means of rectifying EVIL

Imaam Ibnul Qayyim (رحمه الله تعالى) said:

"Whoever ponders upon the state of affairs of the world will find that every affair of rectification is due to Tawheed, singling out Allaah in worship and obedience to His Messenger (Muhammad). And every evil in the world, trial, affliction, scarcity (in livelihood), being overpowered by an enemy and other than that is due to (our) opposition to the Messenger and call to other than (the way of) Allaah and His Messenger. 

Illness Removes Misdeeds

Ibnul Qayyim al-Jawziyyah رحمه الله تعالى

Jabir bin Abdullah (رضي الله عنه ) narrated that the Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) asked a woman why she was shivering. She answered it was because of fever and cursed the fever. The Messenger of Allaah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said:

“Do not slander fever, because it takes away many wrong actions, just as the blacksmith’s bellows remove dross and impurities from iron.”

                                            [Sahih Muslim]

It is Allaah’s favour upon you to have your sins erased from your account while you are still alive. Purification becomes excessively more difficult with each step of existence after death. Everybody has sins they need to get rid of. Illness wipes out sins from a person’s account and purifies their record of deeds in the same way that a blacksmith’s furnace purifies metal from its impurities.

The ILL Effects of Sins

 

ONE: The prevention of knowledge: Knowledge is a light which Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى throws into the heart and disobedience extinguishes this light.

Imâm Shaafi’ee (رحمه الله) said:

“I complained to Wakee’ about the weakness of my memory, so he ordered me to abandon disobedience. And informed me that the knowledge is light. And that the light of Allaah is not given to the disobedient. ”

TWO:  The prevention of sustenance: Just as Taqwaa brings about sustenance, the abandonment of Taqwaa causes poverty. There is nothing which can bring about sustenance like the abandonment of disobedience.

THREE: The prevention of obedience (to Allaah): If there was no other punishment for sin other than that it prevents one from obedience to Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى then this would be sufficient.

FOUR: Disobedience weakens the heart and the body: Its weakening the heart is something which is clear. Disobedience does not stop weakening it until the life of the heart ceases completely.

FIVE: Disobedience reduces the lifespan and destroys any blessings: Just as righteousness increases the lifespan, sinning reduces it.

SIX: Disobedience sows its own seeds and gives birth to itself until separating from it and coming out of it becomes difficult for the servant.

SEVEN: Sins weaken the hearts will and resolve so that the desire for disobedience becomes strong and the desire to repent becomes weak bit by bit until the desire to repent is removed from the heart completely.

EIGHT: Every type of disobedience is a legacy of a nation from among the nations which Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى 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’ayb, seeking greatness in the land and causing corruption is a legacy of the People of Pharoah and pride/arrogance and tyranny is a legacy of the People of Hud. So the disobedient one is wearing the gown of some of these nations who were the enemies of Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى.

What are the BENEFITS of abstaining from SINS???

Imâm Ibnul-Qayyim رحمه الله

“If there were nothing in abstaining from sins and disobedience except establishing honour, preserving dignity, keeping nobility, protecting the wealth that Allaah has made a means of rectifying the dunya and aakhira, loving the creation, maintaining speaking among them [the creation], rectifying the material life, tranquility in the body and strength of the heart;

Also goodness of the soul, bliss of the heart, opening of the heart, peace from the frights of the evildoers, relief from worries and depression, strengthening of the soul that could possibly be subdued, preservation of the light of the heart that can be extinguished by the darkness of disobedience, the opening of a way out when the evildoers and sinners apply pressure.

Also ease of subsistence from whence was never conceived, ease of that which is difficult for the heads of sin and disobedience, ease of [further acts of] obedience, ease of acquiring knowledge, the good praise of the masses, the abundant making of dua for those who abstain, the sweetness  their sublime face has in the hearts of the people and their support and protection of them [those who abstain from sins] if they are harmed or oppressed or slandered by those who slander.

Exercising Patience - Ibnul Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Every person has to exercise patience in order to face difficulties, whether he does so willingly or unwillingly. The noble person exercises patience willingly, because he realizes the benefits of patience, and he knows that he will be rewarded for his patience and will be criticized if he panics. He is aware that if he does not have patience, panicking and impatience will not help him to regain missed opportunities, and will NOT  take away things he dislikes. Whatever is decreed and is qada’ wa qadr cannot be prevented from happening, and whatever is decreed not to happen cannot be made to happen. So an attitude of impatience and panic actually causes harm.

A wise man said: “A man with wisdom as soon as adversity appears does that which a foolish man does after a month (i.e. he resorts to patience)”.