Thursday, January 19, 2017

Not a Moment in Hell -- Don't Take Sins Lightly

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Allah created Hellfire for disbelievers, hypocrites and disobedient people. Hell is an actual place, not a mere state of mind or a spiritual entity. Hell is real. The horror, terror, agony, pain, anguish, and punishment are all real. Hell is an ultimate humiliation and loss for disbelievers, hypocrites and disobedient people. Nothing is worse than it.

رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ مَن تُدْخِلِ ٱلنَّارَ فَقَدْ أَخْزَيْتَهُۥ ۖ وَمَا لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ ﴿١٩٢

Our Lord! Surely, whom You admit to the Fire, indeed You have disgraced him, and never will the wrongdoers find any helpers.
(Qur'an AleImran 3:192]
ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ أَيُّهَا ٱلضَّآلُّونَ ٱلْمُكَذِّبُونَ ﴿٥١﴾ لَـَٔاكِلُونَ مِن شَجَرٍ مِّن زَقُّومٍ ﴿٥٢﴾ فَمَالِـُٔونَ مِنْهَا ٱلْبُطُونَ ﴿٥٣﴾ فَشَـٰرِبُونَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْحَمِيمِ ﴿٥٤﴾ فَشَـٰرِبُونَ شُرْبَ ٱلْهِيمِ ﴿٥٥﴾ هَـٰذَا نُزُلُهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلدِّينِ ﴿٥٦

Then you erring ones, you that cried lies, (51) you shall eat of a tree called Zaqqum, (52) and you shall fill therewith your bellies (53) and drink on top of that boiling water (54) lapping it down like thirsty camels.' (55) This shall be their hospitality on the Day of Doom. (56)
[Qur'an Al-Waqi'ah 56:51-56]

Indeed, Hell is a blessing for people because it pushes us to protect ourselves against it. It is as if Allah is telling us, "You must enter Paradise." But if people want to be stubborn, then wait and see and they will be sorely sorry, to put it mildly.

It is extremely important to get your prayers, fasting and zakat in place, and as soon as you are financially and physically able, to not delay performing hajj. If you don't, nothing else is going to work for you. But once you get them in place, don't think that you have a one way ticket to Paradise. People and society also have rights on us and we must give them their due rights. We have to be acutely aware of the rights of Allah and His creatures or suffer tremendously to a point of no return.

We must leave disobedience and avoid sins, even minor sins and anything that could lead us to sin.

A sin we have committed is a grave mistake but if we realize this, the realization in itself is beloved to Allah, and Allah forgives those who sincerely repent.

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّـهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ حَسَنَـٰتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّـهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا ﴿٧٠

Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (70) And he who repents and does righteousness does indeed turn to Allah with [accepted] repentance. (71)
[Qur'an Al-Furqan 25:70-71]

However, when we commit even a minor sin, without even batting an eyelash, that is when we are in grave danger of earning the wrath of Allah. So regardless of whether a sin is big or small, we must always remember to turn to Allah and ask His forgiveness. The best du'a for this is: Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fa afwannee— “O Allah, indeed you love to forgive, so forgive me!”

There are three acts that are so grave that when a Muslim does one of them they are punished twice as much--associate partners with Allah (shirk), commit murder and involve in zina (adultery or fornication).
وَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ ٱللَّـهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ ٱلنَّفْسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّـهُ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا ﴿٦٨﴾ يُضَـٰعَفْ لَهُ ٱلْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِۦ مُهَانًا ﴿٦٩﴾ إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّـهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ حَسَنَـٰتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّـهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا ﴿٧٠

And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. (68) Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated - (69) Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. (70)
[Qur'an Furqan 25:68-70]
وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَـٰحِشَةً وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًا ﴿٣٢﴾ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلنَّفْسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّـهُ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَمَن قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا لِوَلِيِّهِ

And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way. (32) And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right...
[Qur'an Al-Isra 17:32-33]

Shirk is so grave that it puts you outside the fold of Islam. Shirk can come in many forms – from following and worshipping idols (statues, human or other creation) to something as simple as reading the horoscope section in the newspaper or showing off /riya' (hidden shirk). So we must be very careful to not even go close to any forms of shirk.
وَلَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ ٱللَّـهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتُلْقَىٰ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومًا مَّدْحُورًا ﴿٣٩

And, [O mankind], do not make [as equal] with Allah another deity, lest you be thrown into Hell, blamed and banished. (39)
[Qur'an Al-Isra' 17:39]

People should not take Hell lightly. Even the slightest detour into Hell is no small matter, a painful torment none of us will ever live long enough to experience it in this life. A moment in Hell is enough for a person to forget all the good times and pleasures he had in this life.

“One of the people of Hell who found most pleasure in the life of this world will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection and will be dipped into the Fire of Hell. Then he will be asked, ‘O son of Adam, have you ever seen anything good?’ Have you ever enjoyed any pleasure?’ He will say, ‘No, by God, O Lord.” [Muslim]

The Qur'an describes a scene where a person is outside the Hell and the breeze of Hellfire just brushes past his skin for a split second and the person says,” O Allah! it feels like I have been in the worst part of Hell!”

In this world, despite the worst of your loneliness, you could call on Allah. You could cry out to Him and make du'a. You could ask Him to forgive and mend your hardened heart. Mistake after mistake, sin after sin and a single heartfelt du'a and He would forgive you. Imagine not having made that du'a. In this dunya, you could call Him and He would respond. Imagine calling out in Hell but getting no response.

Protect yourself against the great calamity. Make a conscious decision to live Islam for the rest of your life. Armor yourself with the knowledge of Islam and be of those who say,

وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ ﴿٢٨٥ ...

And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination." [Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:285]

May Allah forgive our sins and save us from the punishment of the grave and the torment of the Day of Judgment and the punishment of the Hellfire. May Allah grant us patience and good in this life and the next. May Allah make us and our loved ones among the righteous. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.

And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.

Wassalaam

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