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[winnie]

Salaama 3leykum Sheikh Nur.

 

 

Committing sins is a form of oppression and can bring about real harm to an individual's life. Sometimes the punishment can fall on the sinner indirectly, as you mentioned dhambi affecting a person's wealth, and family.

 

My question is, if an individual's sins can affect his/her family, does the affliction directly correlate to the sin committed?

 

I'll be more specific.

 

I learned a story recently by perusing one of my friends notes from an islamic lecture.

The story told of a very pious man (I think he was from the tabiyeen) whose son went on a trip. Whilst his son was away, a beggar came to the door for food. The daughter of the house served him and unfortunately, before leaving, the beggar man stole a kiss from the young girl.

When the religious man's son came back from the trip, he interrogated his son about whom he had kissed.

The boy, stunned, denied ever kissing anyone, and asked why his father would him ask such a thing.

The father replied: "A man came here, and stole a kiss from my daughter. I know I have not touched or looked at anything that is not halal to me, so this calamity is not from my actions, but from yours!" (or something to that affect).

The boy than finally admitted that he met a girl and kissed her during his travels.

The Sheikh who relayed this story was using it as an anecdote as how what goes around can definitely come back around.

 

My question in the face of such an anecdote is, does a person's sins make anyone in his family vulnerable, or is it only those he is responsible for, or those whom he lives with, or those he cares about the most... or is this one of Allah's secrets.

 

 

For example, a young man regularly drinks alcohol in his parents home; does his sin have the power to affect his parents because he lives with them, or because they are his parents? Does his parents actions in the face of this affect the repercussions as well? What if he moves out?

 

 

Also, on the day of judgement everyone is responsible for their own actions, and we will not be interrogated about other people's sins, but Id imagine we will be asked about our actions in the face of sin.

I am reminded of a hadith (please correct me if Im wrong) about the three stages of iiman. If one of us sees something wrong, we should stop it with our hands, if not than say something against it with our tongue, and still if that is not possible than to hate it in our hearts, and the last example being the weakest of iiman.

 

I guess I'll formulate that into a question.

Our we going to be asked about our actions (or inaction) in the face of sins?

[Nur]

Winnie sis

 

Very thoughtful qustions indeed!

 

Let us first lay the foundations:

 

1. Allah is just, always.

2. No person bears the burden of another, be it a family member, or an aquaintance.

3. A sin once committted has to be settled by either istighfaar ( request of forgiveness ), Tawbah, Sadaqah, of a punishment, either in this life at death time or next life.

 

Now, the story of " what goes around comes around " does not reflect that the girl was paying price of her brothers sin, she was a victim of a sinner, however she may have been influenced by Satan previously on her own as a sin begs another, just like how a good deed leads to another, in Surah Al Imran Allah SWT says" Innamaa istazzllahumu sheitaanu bibacdi maa kasabuu, wa laqad cafaa Allahu canhum " " Satan has caused them ( Companions) to commit a sin due to past sins they have committed" This concept shows that a sin if not settled can invite another up until it leads to Kufr, acaadanaallah minhaa.

 

But, if in a household, a pious person strives to protect his family from satan, Allah will protect that family, that house will be protected by the honor of the piety of that person " Wa kaana abuuhumaa saalixaa " " their father was a pious man". From the converse of this verse we can deduce that a sinner can EXPOSE his family to divine punishment ( As he lacks TAQWA, which literally means PROTECTION AGAINST PUNISHMENT ), which connects very well with your last observation that if we fail to enforce good behavior or fail to discourage bad behavior, (make amr bil macruf and nahy canil munkar), that evil will ultimately visit us at our own homes.

 

Good pious people ( Mutaqeen ) are protected in this life together with their loved ones, and in the next life, for that reason, its important that we always make sure that our loved ones are on the path of piety lest they drag us with them to the wrong side if we do not make baraa'a Disown them from their Kufr or sins. Allah SWT says " Wa amur ahlaka bi salaati wastabir caleyhaa, laa nas aluka rizqaa, naxnu narzuquka, wal caaqibatu lil TAQWAA " meaning " Encourage your family to observe prayers ( and all good deeds), and in doing so, be steadfast ( don't worry about livelihood ), We are not asking you to fetch for your own sustenance, We will sustain you, and the effort one makes to protect (their families from punishment) will have the most favorable ending " also Allah SWT says " Alladiina aamanuu wa attabact hum dhurriyatahum bi iimaanin alxaqnaaa bihim dhurrayatahum ", meaning: "Those who who accepted (the belief in Allah, The Messenegr, Angels, Scriptures, Messengers Day of Judgement, and Qadar ( Allah's overriding Foreknowledge of our choices), We join them with their descendants"

 

In conclusion : When we do good, our family can benefit from it as an honor from Allah to make us happy when we see our loved ones on the right track. On the other hand, when we commit a sin and fail to settle it, our failure will end our subscription to Allah's protection program and to our loved ones, so, if they do good, they will stay protected, if they don't, they will not benefit from other family members good deeds protection.

 

 

Wa Allahu Aclam

 

 

Nur

[Nur]

eNuri Opticians Customer Service Q & A

 

 

Q: Dear Nur, Why Allah doesn't punish me for my sins?

 

A: Dear Paesano; Like I have explained before in this thread, one does not just go free after committing a violation against Allah SWT, once a sin is committed, a red flag is tagged on your ears, not visible to you or people, but to angels who have a menu of punishments that fit that specific crime.

 

Extent and Severity of punishment for a sin is determined by:

 

1. Type and Weight

2. Timing.

 

 

First. The type of punishment a person is subjected to among others, is dependent on three main factors:

 

1. Level of knowledge (The higher the knowledge, the greater the weight of the sin)

 

2. Strength of the temptation (the weight of the sin is lighter at younger age, and gradually grows heavier as wisdom settles in through aging)

 

3. Premeditation / co-Location ( An impulsive sin / or being at the wrong location, wrong time, carries a lesser weight than a premeditated sin in which sinner made arrangements to be where a sin is committed)

 

 

Second. The timing a punishment is executed on a sinner

 

The timing of the execution of a punishment is dependent on two factors:

 

1. The Level of Iman

2. The Reserves of past good deeds

 

If the iman level was high prior to commission of a sin, and the sinner does not repent nor seek forgiveness ( Istighfaar), the punishment is delivered sooner and painfully. For a weaker iman , more time is given for repentance, and if the person has no iman at all, its usually commuted to the hereafter ( Laa dhanba bacdal kufr).

 

If the level of good deeds of a sinner is high, its more likely that his/her good deeds intercede and give him/her a respite, so that he/she can repent immediately.

 

If the person has no a reserve of good deeds, and his/her iman is very weak, the punishment will be in the form of corruption of perception ( Assamahum wa acmaa absaarahum), its also called Istidraaj, its a dangerous slippery slope state of Qaswatul Quluub, similar to being in the eye of a hurricane, it seems very calm just before it tears down an entire town.

 

 

So what are the causes of this PIA (Perception Impairment Ailment)?

 

According to Sheikh Ibnul Qayim, there are five drivers of Qaswatul Quluub:

 

1. Friends : too much hanging around and chatting with friends.

 

2. Procrastination : ( Tamanni ): putting off your duties toward Allah for later, or putting off repenting for later time.

 

3. Being passionate: about anything other than love of Allah SWT.

 

4. Too much food : Not enough blood left for the brain activities, blood resources always busy in digestion, which leads some Faaraxs to use a different head for thinking to find themselves conveniently in Nairobi's East Leigh Slum, away from their wives and Kids in Milwaukee.

 

5. Too much sleeping. Sleeping more than needed can impair mental alertness.

 

 

IshaaAllah, I will elaborate how the above can cause Perception Impairment Ailment or Qaswatul Quluub.

 

............ To be continued

 

 

Nur

[Nur]

The Genesis of Qaswatul Quluub

( The Corruption of Perception)

 

An e-Nuri Opticians Special!

 

 

When a Nomad is tempted to commit a sin, usually the driver is one of two:

 

1. Lack of Knowledge

2. Lack of Intelligence

 

 

Or Both at serious cases!

 

 

Let us say, a Nomad businessman confronts a Haraam deal that is too good to pass, specially after the economic down turn. Or a young Faarax who confronts an irresistible Xalimo at his local Uni.

 

If the Businessman goes ahead and takes that Haraam deal, believing that he will never get a better Halal deal than the one at hand, and thus he feels justified to take it. The driver of this sin is the first one: Lack Of Knowledge, ama ( Cilmi Xumo) . This Businessman doesn't know that Allah has guaranteed his sustenance and can provide Him a Halal sustenance if he forgoes this Haram deal.

 

If the young Faarax succumbs to his temptation while fully knowing that he can win this stunning Xalimo as wife if he holds his horses and goes about it the halal way. The driver to this type of Sin is Lack of judgment ( Caqli Xumo)

 

So, Two major drivers of Sins are:

 

1. Lack of Knowledge which leads to ( Corrupted Belief)

 

2. Lack of Intelligence which leads to (Poor Judgment)

 

 

Nur

 

 

2011 e-Nuri Inspirationals

Kuwa Iga Da' Yar, waa iga Dambi yar yihiin,

Kuwa Iga Da' Weyn, waa iga Ajar badan yihiin

Inspired By Sheikh Ibnul Qayyim Al Jawziyah

[Abu-Salman]

Are there not other reasons why so many otherwise "intelligent" and relatively knowledgeable people fall into sins?

 

I would suggest addiction or habits, peer pressure, alongside personal vulnerabilities etc.

Imagine an ethical young man with above average intellect but who is lonely and feel out of place,

odds are that this may leads him into things he would not have even thought about otherwise (eg, if happier or within his own environment etc).

Of course, we have also the prophet praying against poverty and debts, as these corrupt ethics sometimes (or having children inciting parents to cut corners etc).

 

Most surprising, and quite shocking, one can even find islamically learned men with at least an average "intelligence" indulging in some of the biggest sins as a matter of course (envying & backbiting, blaming whole communities selectively, inventing or exaggerating stories etc ); this is what I find the most abhorent of it all as I just can not see myself backbiting or resenting others's blessings to any similar extent (I actually even add "I think" or "it seems" to my harmless sentences on purpose, just to point out that I can not have the full facts or be totally certain).

 

In those latter cases, greater intellect and understanding may have helped just as much as more coherent and comprehensive ethical intelligence (both very crucial);

even kids could indeed internalise to talk exclusively about what one could be certain of and possess the full facts, while always wishing the best for eveyone, including those richer, happier etc than you...

[Nur]

Abu Salman bro

 

 

You write:

 

"Are there not other reasons why so many otherwise "intelligent" and relatively knowledgeable people fall into sins?"

 

Being intelligent is different than Intelligence. The latter is a quantity that can change with circumstances and under temptation, while being Intelligent, is a permanent attribute. Even Intelligent people make axmaq mistakes in their lives when they are under pressure, anger or greed. Which explains why some Wadaads or religious people act contrary to the Islamic Ethics or commit heinous sins.

 

Nur

[Abu-Salman]

Of course brother Nur, pressures of all sorts affect all of us, but is not ethics and Deen all about precisely keeping your principles in the face of these pressures?

 

Nobody is expected to smile and not steal if dying of hunger or keep high standards in the most extreme cases; however, most pressures routinely faced by most of us are often a convenient scapegoat and there would be little virtue in being honest and well-wishing in the absence of these very pressures at any rate...

 

PS: sorry to steer away a little the topic but I still find hard to come to terms with those who on one hand lecture on "Buluuqul Maraam" and on the other just go back to backbite even their own collegue, let alone others...

[Nur]

Abu Salman bro

 

Remember an old story I posted about a Chinese couple who delivered a black baby? they named their baby SUM SING WONG..... (Something wrong!)

 

When the wisdom in the books the wadaad reads is different than their actions, SUM SING WONG! they need to make tawbah and become students again, not teachers, humility heals.

 

 

Nur

[Manahel.fatima]

I think some time people stop thinking what they are doing that's why they start comiting sins.