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| Embellish themselves to perform evil deeds.[Illustration Only] |
On one occasion the illustrious Prophet (Muhammad Rasulullah
) while giving an account of his ascension to heaven observed: “In the next world I saw a group of men whose bodies were being cut into slices with pairs of scissors. I enquired from Gabriel (علیہ السلام ): ‘‘Who are these people ?’’ Gabriel replied, ‘‘These are the very same people who used to embellish their persons” (and came out to do evil deeds). Then I saw a well. This well-emitted foul smell and painful cries were coming out of it. I asked Gabriel (علیہ السلام ): ‘‘Who are these people?” Gabriel (علیہ السلام ) replied: ‘‘These are the women who used to embellish their bodies (fornication) and performed unlawful deeds.” Then I beheld some men and women who were dangling, hung from their breasts downwards. I asked, ‘“Who are these ?”’ To this Gabriel (علیہ السلام ) replied: ‘These are the people who reproached each other and indulged in backbiting”’ (Durr Manthur).
May the Magnificent Lord, out of His immense bounty, protect us from such things, for they entail severe punishment.
عن أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه مرفوعاً: «لما عُرِجَ بي مَرَرْتُ بقوم لهم أظْفَارٌ من نُحَاسٍ يَخْمِشُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَصُدُورَهُم فقلت: مَنْ هؤُلاءِ يا جِبْرِيل؟ قال: هؤلاء الذين يَأكُلُونَ لحُوم الناس، ويَقَعُون في أعْرَاضِهم!». [حسن] - [رواه أبو داود وأحمد]
Anas ibn Mālik (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Prophet (Muhammad Rasulullah) said: "During my ascent to heaven, I passed by a group of people with copper nails scratching their faces and chests. I asked: 'O Jibrīl, who are these?' He replied: 'These are the ones who eat the flesh of people (by backbiting) and slander them.'"
Meaning of this Hadīth:
When the Prophet (Muhammad Rasulullah) was taken up to heaven on the Night of Ascension, he came across a group of people who were scratching their bodies with their copper nails. He wondered at their state and asked Jibrīl: "Who are these people, and why are they doing this to themselves?" Jibrīl replied that those were the ones who used to backbite people and slander them.
Five Seemingly Commonplace Evil Deeds with Great Punishments.
When we think about evil deeds that lead to punishments in Islam, our minds may think about obvious ones like shirk (polytheism), murder, gambling, drinking alcohol, and so on, but these are not the only deeds that can bring punishment to a Muslim. Some evil deeds seem so normal, small, and insignificant that it becomes easy to forget or ignore the fact that some of these are major sins for which we can be severely punished.
I share five such deeds below.
Envying others.
It was narrated by Abu Hurairah that Muhammad Rasulullah said: “Avoid envy, for envy devours good deeds just as fire devours firewood.”
(Abu Dawood; acceptable)
Envy means to look at what other people have and wish that it were ours, or worse, wish that what they have is taken away from them. It is a disease of the heart and signifies a lack of contentment in what Allah has bestowed upon us. Envy is permissible only when it is towards a person whom Allah has granted knowledge and who teaches it to the people, and the person who has been granted wealth and uses it in the way of Islam.
It is so easy to fall into the trap of being an envious person these days, especially as social media amplifies the good things happening in the lives of people. You log onto Facebook or Instagram and you are flooded with vacation or wedding ceremony pictures from family and friends. If we are not careful, this is a way for envy to slowly start creeping in.
The best way to prevent envy is to practice contentment. Be satisfied with what you have and thank Allah (swt) so that He can give you more. This is much better than having our good deeds devoured by envy.
Oppressing others
Muhammad Rasulullah said: “Whoever has oppressed another person concerning his reputation or anything else should beg him to forgive him before the Day of Resurrection when there will be no money (to compensate for wrong deeds), but if he has good deeds, those good deeds will be taken from him according to the oppression which he has done, and if he has no good deeds, the sins of the oppressed person will be loaded on him.”
(Bukhari)
Oppression manifests in many forms: slander, bullying, cheating, or any exercise of power that is unjust to another person.
No greater loss will happen to a Muslim on Judgement Day than having no good deeds in their record. Even though our deeds alone cannot get us into Jannah (paradise) and we need the mercy of Allah , it is still extremely important to have good deeds that can speak for us.
Now imagine if a person had good deeds but they were taken away as payment to another person whom they have oppressed. It will be as if the oppressor never earned a good deed in his or her lifetime.
The other part of the punishment for oppressing another person is equally as critical as the first. If the oppressor has run out of good deeds, then some of the oppressed person’s sins will be added to that of the oppressor. Subhan’Allah! This will mean being punished for sins you did not commit because of a sin you may have considered unimportant.
Backbiting
Backbiting is an evil deed, and it is so common that we hardly notice when it creeps upon us. When the Prophet (sa) described backbiting to his Companions, he defined it as “talking about your (Muslim) brother in a manner which he dislikes” even if what you have said about the person is true.
(Muslim)
He also said that a backbiter will not enter paradise.
(Bukhari and Muslim)
How many times, in seemingly harmless conversations, have we talked about a person in a manner that would displease them if they were to learn of what we said? Looking at the punishment Allah has placed on this evil deed, there is no doubt that even though the deed may seem minor, it has one of the greatest punishments.
Showing off our good deeds
Muhammad Rasulullah warned us about showing off good deeds, saying: “He who acts to show off will be disgraced by Allah on the Day of Resurrection, and if someone does good deeds so that people (may hold him in high esteem), Allah will expose his hidden evil intentions before the people on the Day of Resurrection.”
(Bukhari and Muslim)
Admiration and praise from people should never be our reason for doing good deeds, giving charity, or helping others. If our good deeds happen to become public knowledge and people praise us for it, there is no harm in that. Otherwise, it is advised that one’s good deeds should remain between him (or her) and Allah alone. This is more rewarding, and it will protect a person from disgrace on the Day of Judgement.
Reminding people of your favours
If someone has ever done you a favour and won’t stop talking about it, you know the feeling of embarrassment that comes with it. Apart from concealing your good deeds from people’s knowledge, it is also important to not rub your generosity or favours into people’s faces. This is a sign of arrogance that is frowned upon.
Rasulullah said that Allah will neither speak with nor look at a person who reminds people of what he or she has given them. (an-Nasa’i; sound) If Allah has placed you in a position to be of assistance to another person, use that as a means of earning reward, not as a means of receiving punishment.
Openly sinning in Islam
Speaking about your sin and flaunting it openly in front of your friends is prohibited in Islam, and is a major sin. It is one of the ways of spreading immorality among Muslims, encouraging evil and tempting others to do similar things. It also means that one does not take sin seriously and regards it as insignificant and that the sinner is damaging his own reputation and exposing his honour to the slander of others. Islam seeks to put people off from doing such things in the strongest possible terms, as in the following Hadith:
Abu Hurayrah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “All of my Ummah will be forgiven except those who sin openly. It is a part of sinning openly when a man does something at night, then the following morning when Allah has concealed his sin, he says, `O So and so, I did such and such last night,’ when all night his Lord has concealed him and the next morning he uncovers what Allah had concealed.”
(Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 5721 and Muslim, 2990)
On this basis, we advise you to repent sincerely, and if you are tested with any kind of sin, do not speak openly of it or brag about it. You should be aware of the greatness of the One against Whom you are sinning, seek forgiveness for your sin, weep for the error of your ways and adhere strictly to the path of Allah. Beware of despairing of the mercy of Allah. If you adhere properly to the religion of Allah, you will have glad tidings of goodness in this world and in the Hereafter. We ask Allah to help us and you to do that which He loves and is pleased with. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
Your despairing of the mercy of Allah is not permissible, because of the following evidence:
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):And He says (interpretation of the meaning):
It was reported from Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah spreads out His hand at night to accept the repentance of those who committed sins during the day, and He spreads out His hand during the day to accept the repentance of those who committed sins during the night. (He will continue to do this) until the sun rises from the West.”
(Narrated by Muslim, 2759)
Allah enables us to refrain from all kinds of evil deeds, major and minor. Amin!
Amina Salau is a freelance writer who is passionate about women’s issues in Islam
Allah/ Rasulullah / علیہ السلام /رضي الله عنه /رَحِمَهَا ٱللَّٰهُ /Muhammad Rasulullah
https://hadeethenc.com/en/browse/hadith/4229
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/3365/sinning-openly-in-islam#does-allah-forgive-sins
https://hadeethenc.com/en/browse/hadith/4229
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