Ramadan Message 2008 - Day 22 (Sins)

“That Day shall you be brought to Judgment:
not an act of yours that you hide will be hidden.”
(Qur'an 69 Verse 18)

Anas said "You people do (bad) deeds (commit sins) which seem in your eyes as tiny (minute) than hair while we used to consider those (very deeds) during the life-time of the Prophet as destructive sins."

Why would Anas, a companion of the prophet (peace be upon him) make these statement to those early Muslims, the immediate generation of Muslims who met the companions but just narrowly missed the Prophet himself.

What could they have been doing to prompt this statement from Anas? Or were the companions very strict with life that they had no room for jokes and laugh?

Sins are of two kinds: doing something that is forbidden and not doing something that is obligatory. These are regarded as acts of "commission" or "omission". The companions are very watchful of both types of sins.

The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "When Allah intends good for a person, He makes his own soul a watcher over him." (Dailami, in Musnad al-firdaus) Therefore, they constantly scrutinise themselves because they are vividly aware of the implications of the Hereafter. Right before their eyes miracles had happened; so conviction was deep-rooted in their hearts.

Indeed, there are deadly sins. The Rasul (peace be upon him) said: “Associating partners with Allah and disobedience to parents,” (and sitting up from the reclining position, he continued), “and telling lies and false testimony; beware of it.”

He also noted that, "Three persons shall not enter the Garden: the one who is disobedient to his parents, the pimp, and the woman who imitates men.”

Once, he called his companions and said, “Avoid the seven destroyers.” The listeners asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, what are they?' He said, “Associating (partners) with Allah (shirk), magic, taking a life which Allah has made sacred except in the course of justice (the Official Court or Governmental decisions), devouring usury, appropriating the property of the orphan, fleeing from the battlefield, and slandering virtuous believing women who are indiscreet.' (Bukhari and Muslim.)

There are also major sins which people often overlook. The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) said, “He is not of us who seeks an omen or for whom an omen is sought, who divines or for whom divination is made, who practices magic or asks someone to practice magic for him.” (al-Bazzar)

Finally injustice to Allah’s other creations also amount to deadly sins in Islam. The Prophet (peace be on him) said, “A woman was sent to the Fire because of a cat. She imprisoned her and neither fed her nor set her free to feed upon the rodents of the earth.” (Bukhari.) Ibn 'Abbas also narrated that the Prophet (peace be on him) forbade that animals be made to fight each other, since people would goad animals into fighting each other until one of them was pecked or gored to death, or close to it. Ibn 'Abbas also reported that the Prophet (peace be on him) strongly condemned the castration of animals. (Bazzar)

Most of these deadly sins are regarded as entertainment in today’s world! Hasn’t the world become a deadly place?