FREEDOM FROM SIN

‫ين‬ ْ ‫ۚ َر ّبَنَا أ َ ْف ِر‬ ‫اءتْنَا‬

َ ‫غ َعل َْينَا َص ْب ًرا َوتَ َو ّفَنَا ُم ْسل ِ ِم‬ َ ‫َو َما تَن ْ ِق ُم ِمن َّا إِلَّا أ َ ْن‬
ِ َ‫آمن َّا ِبآي‬
َ ‫ات َرن ِّ ّـِبَا ل ّ ََما َج‬
Anta waliyyunaa fagfir lanaa warham-naa wa’Anta kahyrul-gaafireen.
You are our protector, so forgive us, and have mercy on us, and You
are the best among those who forgive.
Prepared by
HAJI MOHAMAD HANIM MOHAMAD ISA
In talking about sin another urgent question needs to be looked at. Why
and how do people fall into it? Knowledge of the causes and then of
managing them wisely with the intention of ultimately removing them is
one of the fundamental ways of overcoming the disease. There are both
general and specific causes of sin whether they are sins of the body or sins
of the heart. In this we will look at the general causes. Generally speaking
people fall into a particular sin as a result of mainly four causes:
• Lack of knowledge
• The influences of Shaytan
• The nafs or lower self
• Friends and peer groups
LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.

Lack of knowledge is the great shortcoming of humankind. Educational

systems of all types exist precisely to overcome this universal human
weakness. Quite obviously sins cannot be avoided if they are not known to
be sins. The beginning of right living or the pursuance of the good life
depends entirely on the degree of knowledge of the devotee. It has to be
remembered though that knowledge can be either acquired (kasbi) or
innate (fitri). Often people with a minutia of acquired knowledge feel
dissatisfied with their lives. This dissatisfaction sometimes has its source in
the innate knowledge of goodness and evil that every soul is inspired with.
As Allah, the Most High, says: "And by the Soul and its creation in perfect
proportion and balance, And the knowledge of evil and good He inspired into it."
[Surah al-Shams,(91)v 7-8].
Much of Islamic spirituality is geared to the awakening of that innate sense of
good and evil. But this innate understanding of good and evil is not enough.
Human nature is complex. Circumstance and upbringing can blind the fitrah.
Some scholars hold that it can even be changed and distorted. As a result all
of the well-known schools of spiritual development or tariqah (pl. turuq) as
they are known stipulate the acquisition of a basic knowledge of Islam before
higher instruction is given. And this, with good reason, to ensure that the
student has a firm foundation on which to develop. It is hoped of-course that
a basic knowledge of sin has been clearly described in the previous essays in
this series.
Learning and acquiring knowledge is obligatory in Islam. One cannot go to
the masjid everyday for the daily salah and neglect the important duty of
gaining more knowledge. The two must go together. Doing the one and
neglecting the other and still imagining that we are improving as Muslims is
one of the great delusions of our time. The Prophet, may the peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him said, "Seeking knowledge is an obligation on
every Muslim male and female"[Narrated by Bukhari]. In this hadith we have
one of the rare occasions where the Prophet (s), may the peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him, specifically uses the Arabic term " faridah" or
"obligation" mainly to underline the importance of knowledge.
SHAYTAN AND THE HEART

In order to explain in meaningful terms the

relationship between our heart and the
workings of Shaytan, Ibn Qudama compares
the heart to a fortress.

He says:
Know that the heart is like a fortress. The
Shaytan is the enemy who wants to invade
the fortress, own, and control it. And there is
no way to protect the fortress except by
guarding the entrances. The doors cannot be
guarded if we are ignorant of them and the
Shaytan cannot be repelled except through
knowledge of his routes of penetration. The
doors and pathways of the Shaytan are the
qualities of the slave and they are many.
[Mukhtasar minhaj al-qasidin, Abridgement of the path of
the seekers, Ibn Qudama, pg. 193-194].
Now the point of the author is that
Shaytan is able to influence us and work
his tricks of illusion and deception
precisely because we are not vigilant
enough and not knowledgeable enough
of our shortcomings and of our negative
qualities.
Take for example envy and greed. When
these shortcomings are stimulated for Every human being is gifted with
some reason. We become, for example, the light (nur) of insight. This
envious of the wealth, fame or insight however, is blocked and
knowledge of another individual, or we even seriously impaired if greed
become greedy for more worldly and envy gets the upper-hand over
possessions. The first thing that then us. Once this happens, once we fall
happens is the natural light (nur) of the victim to envy and greed and many
heart becomes dim. It must be other negative qualities – such as
remembered here that innately (bil- fascination with money, impatience,
fitrah) we are equipped to know the suspicion, bad-temper and so forth
Devil's ruse. - Shaytan comes into our hearts
and beautifies the actions that
result from these blameworthy
attributes.
Whether the actions we want to
take are haram or ugly in the
extreme, we will do them because
Shaytan makes them appear
acceptable to us. The result is we
adopt a sinful path while at the
same ironically thinking we are
living the good life.

Much of what we are still going to

discuss in this column is going to
deal with the crucial subject of self-
discipline and self-knowledge and
how these can be harnessed to
overcome the influences of Shaytan.
 The person who knows and comes to
THE NAFS realize the essential weakness,
(THE SELF) insignificance, powerlessness and
impermanence of himself (his nafs)
will realize and know the Strength,
Greatness, Power and Permanence
The Prophet, may the peace and of Allah, the Most High. In other
blessings of Allah be upon him, said in words one of the paths to knowledge
a tradition narrated by al-Bayhaqi , of Allah, the Most High, is honest
"Your worst enemy is your nafs within self-reflection and knowledge of the
you." In another tradition he, may the self (nafs). If this is true then the
peace and blessings of Allah be upon converse is equally true. The
him, is reported to have said, "We individual who is ignorant of himself
now return from the lesser jihad to the (his nafs) will be ignorant of Allah,
greater jihad, the jihad against the the Most High. These traditions and
nafs". Another hadith, about which meanings are adequate proof of the
Imam Nawawi expressed reservations importance of acquiring a good
and which Imam al-Mawardi in his working knowledge of the nafs, its
Adab al-dunya wa al-din argues is nature and ways of curing its
sound at least in its meaning, says, illnesses.
"He who knows himself knows his
Lord."
 In the Quran Allah, the Most High says, "O peaceful nafs (al-
nafs al-mutma’innah) return to your Lord, satisfied and satisfied
with. Enter into my jannah enter together with my slaves". In
another verse Allah, the Most High, revealed that Zulaykhah
said, "Surely it is the nafs (al-nafs al-ammarah bi al-su’) that
commands with evil". In Surat al-Qiyamah Allah, the Most High,
says, "Verily I swear by the the day of judgment and verily I swear
by the reproaching self (al-nafs al-lawwamah)."
Taken together these verses show the different phases and modes of the nafs. At
one level of development it is completely at peace and at another level it is fiery,
passionate and inciting. It drives one to cross the boundaries of good. In the other
verse Allah, Most High swears by the reproaching nafs or the conscience as we
would say today. In this surah the Day of Judgment and the conscience is
mentioned together and both of these realities we know play key roles in the
process of moral and ethical transformation.
What then is the nafs? Opinions have differed on this crucial issue. A good working
definition is given by Shaykh al-Kurdi, he says:
Know that the nafs is a divine subtlety and it is the ruh (human spirit) before it
entered and became connected to the body. And Allah, the Most High, created the
spirits before the physical bodies during which time it was near and close to Allah,
the Most High. When He ordered them to connect and be associated with the
physical body they perceived the world and became veiled from the Divine
Presence as a result of attachment to the physical world…
 To clarify all of this we have to bear in mind the following
points. Every one of us has basically two sides to him or her.
On the one hand is the physical body, which forms the subject
of modern medicine, and on the other hand there is the non-
physical side which psychologists and others attempt to
understand. Our non-physical self we know as our emotions,
our thoughts and feelings, our passions and desire even our
complexes. These non-physical elements we collectively refer
to as our "self".
The earlier and later scholars of tassawuf used
the term’s al-nafs al-insani (human soul) to refer
to our emotional and rational nature and the term
al-nafs al-hayawani (vital or animal soul) to refer
to the element that animates the body and gives
it perception. The vital soul is also the source
according to them of our passions and physical It acquires an outer
drives like hunger, anger and sex. Now the "nafs" dimension called the vital
according to al-Kurdi includes or comprises of soul (al-nafs al-hayawani)
both of these dimensions. It is one integral entity and an inner dimension called
also called the "ruh" or spirit when it is still in its human soul (al-nafs al-
pure state prior to creation. Once the "ruh" enters insani). Now as a result of
the body and gives it life it acquires a new these changes the "ruh" is
character. now called the "nafs".
As a footnote we must bear in mind that the word And as we are subjected to the
"qalb" or heart, is also often used to refer to our inner discipline of knowledge, salah, fasting
selves or our emotions, rationality and beyond. The
word "nafs" or self is also often used to refer specifically and other ‘ibadaat ‘ we gain mastery
to the outer vital soul or our passions and desires. and greater control over our selves. As
a result our thoughts and feelings are
In all of this it crucial to understand that
increasingly purified, deeper levels of
our passions and our desires, our thoughts
the "ruh" or "nafs" are uncovered or if
and emotions, if kept unchecked and
you will deeper functions of the mind
undisciplined and unpurified, are the most
are realized and awakened. Once the
important source of sin. Our thoughts and
passions quieted down and the
emotions can reach great and noble heights
inherent tendencies of the "ruh" start
only if we are able to free them from the
to emerge and awaken we have
incessant fire of our drives and passions.
progressed to the level of al-nafs al-
When we are dominated by our passions
and desires we are at the level of
mutma’innah or the peaceful self.
development called al-nafs al-ammarah bi
al-su’ or the evil self. In this condition our
passions determine the way we think and
feel and consequently act. The great vices
of pride, arrogance, envy, slothfulness, hate
and greed develop. This is the veil that
imprisons us and prevents the nur of the
Divine Presence from penetrating our
hearts and minds.
FRIENDS AND PEER GROUPS

The final general cause of sin we having a look at are the impact of social circles on
the direction people take in their lives. It is crucial that we look at this matter in a
balanced and mature fashion. Many parents we talk to have the tendency to place
all the blame of their child's misbehavior on the circle of friends. This is not entirely
correct, indeed in this kind of judgment we are denying our children their
independence and their sense of individual responsibility. The same points apply in
the case of the disgruntled wife towards her husband and vice versa. In saying this
we are not denying that the group has an impact.
The point here is that we have to look at both the
individual and the social circle. We need to work hard
on excavating and reviving our own spiritual
tendencies and on disciplining the rebellious elements
in our selves. We also have the added responsibility of
assisting our families to those same ends. Much of the
work starts in the family and on the relationships inside
the family. It amounts to denial to simply blame the
circle of friends for all the woes of the world. This
however is not the complete tale. It would be equally
short-sighted to ignore the influences outside the
family.
 Imam Ghazali, may Allah be satisfied with him, in his excellent
book " The beginning of guidance" recognizes that in addition to
basic requirement of being faithful to the commands of Allah, the
Most High, who we mix with and on what basis we mix with them
is fundamental to the spiritual life. Let’s start with a verse from
the Quran. Allah, the Most High says in Surah al-Kahf, verse 28:
And tie yourself to those who call on their Lord in the mornings and at
night seeking only His Face…
and towards the end of the same verse He, the Most High, says:
And do not follow (obey) those whom we closed off their hearts from
Our remembrance and who follow their own whims and desires…
It is clear from this verse that Allah instructs his Prophet (s),
may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and
consequently the entire Ummah to associate with others on the
basis of certain criteria. On the one hand we are instructed to
associate with the spiritually enlightened and on the other to
break ties with the spiritually dead. The word used in the verse
to connote spiritual blindness is "ghaflah". The meanings of this
term include the shortcomings of negligence, forgetfulness, and
intellectual blindness. It is also instructive to note that these
traits form the basis of the unrepentant sinful life.
So we are obliged to be In another tradition narrated by
discriminatory in the choice Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi, may
of our associations and that Allah be satisfied with them, the
for a very important reason. Prophet (s) said, "A man adopts
Both Imams Bukhari and the din of his close friends, so
Muslim, that the Prophet look carefully at the person you
(saw), said: befriend."
The example of a good A third tradition I want to cite
companion (jalis) and a bad here from the collections of both
one is like a perfume Bukhari and Muslim is one often
vendor and a blacksmith. not seen in this context and a
The perfume vendor either hadith I believe to be critical in
gives you something or you any discussion of companionship
purchase an item from him and friendship. Abu Hurairah,
or you receive a pleasant may Allah be pleased with him,
fragrance from him. The narrates that the Prophet (s)
blacksmith however either said, "Women are married for
burns your clothes or you their wealth, pedigree, beauty
acquire a bad smelling and din, go and marry them for
odour from him. their din and you will succeed."
 The lessons from these prophetic traditions are numerous. We
will consider a few relevant to the issue under discussion. It is
human nature to absorb to a degree the qualities of people we
respect, admire, and regularly associate with. This process of
absorption is effectively compared by the Prophet (s) to the way
perfume and the stench of the blacksmith’s shop or even the
smoke and smell of burning wood clings to one’s clothes.
It is also generally accepted that although temperament fails to
escape the laws of hereditary, environment can effectively
change and fundamentally modify those traits. If one is serious
about one’s spirituality and moral development and that of one’s
children we have to choose our friends and associates.
All of these sayings directly teach against passive friendships.
It’s not a good practice just to fall into a friendship or
companionship no matter how the person’s style or personality
impresses one. Suhbah or companionship is encouraged in
Islam. Friendship is to be valued and respected. They fulfil all
sorts of needs the individual might have. But all this goes with a
price. The central focus of a Muslim ought to be his din for the
simple reason that din is ultimately his vehicle of nearness to
Allah, the Most High.
This principle is given an interesting context in
the third hadith quoted earlier. After indicating
the common and largely materialistic motives of
the choice of partners, the Prophet (s) says, "Go
marry them for their din…". The reason for this,
Imam Nawawi in his Gardens of the Pious
indicates is precisely because our spouses are
our closest companions. And when the spouse is
strongly orientated towards the religious life we
should actively seek that companionship to
improve our own.
Ghazali however reminds us in his Beginning of
Guidance: Know that your Companion that
never leaves you whether you are travelling or
staying at home, asleep or awake, indeed in life
as in death is your Lord, Master, Owner and
Creator, and whenever you perform
remembrance of Him, He is your company. And
He, the Most High, has said so [Imam Ghazali is
referring to a hadith qudsi here], " I am the jalis
(someone who regularly sits with one) of the
person who remembers Me."
 And tie yourself to
those who call on
their Lord in the
mornings and at
night seeking only
His Face… al-khaf
:28

‫ط ََمم ُُعع أأََنْنْ ييََ ْْغغففِِ ََرر للِِي‬

‫ي‬ ْْ ََ‫ي أأ‬
‫ط‬ ‫ََووااللََّّ ِِذذي‬
‫ن‬
‫ي ييََ ْْوو ََمم الالددِّيِّي ِِن‬ ‫طييئئََتتِِي‬ ‫ََخ‬
‫خ ِِط‬
Rabbi
Rabbi hab
hab lee
lee hukmanwwa
hukmanwwa
alhiqnee bis-Saaliheen;
alhiqnee bis-Saaliheen;
O
O my
my Lord,
Lord, give
give me
me
wisdom,
wisdom, and make me
and make me
join
join the
the righteous,
righteous,

Thank you