The Sins

“My father would say, ‘There is nothing more destructive to the heart than sins. The heart falls on sins and remains that way until sins subdue it and then it turns upside down.’”

“About the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘What has made them remain so patient in the fire?’ (2:175) The Imam said, ‘What has made them so patiently do something that they know will lead them to the fire?”’

“No vein is injured, no failure takes place, no headache or illness occurs but because of the sin. This is mentioned in the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘Whatever hardship befalls you is the result of your own deeds. Allah pardons many of your sins.’ (42:30) The Imam then said, ‘Allah forgives more than what He punishes for.’”

“No failure ever takes place in the life of a servant (of Allah) except because of sin and that which Allah forgives him for is much more.”

“Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) has said, ‘You must never show your teeth (smile) when you have committed disgraceful deeds and never feel safe from misfortune to strike you due to (your) sinful deeds.’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Seek refuge with Allah from His striking you at night or during the day.’ I (the narrator) asked him, ‘What is Allah’s striking?’ The Imam said, ‘It is Allah’s punishing for sins.’”

“All sins are intense and severe. The most severe is that which increases flesh and blood (consumption of unlawful foods). Sins are either forgiven or one is punished for and paradise is only for the clean ones to enter.”

“A servant (of Allah) commits a sin it causes a serious reduction in his means of living.”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Condemned and condemned is one who worships Dirham and Dinar, condemned and condemned is one who is blind (toward the truth). Condemned and condemned is one who carries out carnal relations with animals.’”

“I heard abu la’ far (a.s.) saying, ‘Stay away from insignificant sins because there is demand for them. One of you will say, ‘I sin and ask forgiveness.’ Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, ‘It is We who bring the dead to life and record the deeds of human beings and their consequences (of continual effects). We keep everything recorded in an illustrious Imam (leader).’ (36:12) Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, in the words of Luqman, has also said, ‘My son, Allah keeps the records of all the good and evil deeds, even if they are as small as a grain of mustard seed, hidden in a rock or in the heavens or the earth. Allah is subtle and All-aware.’” (31:16)

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘The sin deprives the servant (of Allah) of sustenance.’”

“A man commits a sin and it moves sustenance away from him and he (Imam) read this verse of the Holy Quran: ‘. . . when they swore to pluck all the fruits of the garden in the morning, (68:17) without adding, "if Allah wills" (18). A visitor (destruction) from your Lord circled (destroyed totally) around the garden during the night while they were asleep.’” (68:19)

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘When a man commits a sin a black dot appears in his heart. If he then repents, the dot will disappear, if he commits more sins it will increase until it will take over his heart and he then will never have salvation.’”

‘‘When a servant (of Allah) prays, his prayer is supposed to be answered within a short or a longer time. The servant (of Allah) commits a sin and Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, says to the angel not to answer his prayer and deprive him; he is subjected to My anger and he deserves deprivation from Me.”

“I heard abu Ja’far (a.s.) saying, ‘The amount of rain each year is the same but Allah sets it as He wills. When a people commit sins, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, reduces their share of rain in that year and diverts it to other places such as open lands, oceans and mountains. Allah makes the beetles suffer in their hiding places by means of stopping the rain fall in that area because of the sins of those who live near by while He has created ways for it (beetles) to move away where sins are not committed.’ The Imam then said, ‘Learn a lesson, O people of reason.’”

“A man commits sins and he is deprived of the prayer at night. The bad deed runs quicker (in a destructive way) into its owner than the sharp knife into the flesh.”

“One who thinks to commit a sin, must not commit it; perhaps a servant (of Allah) commits a sin and the Lord, the Most Blessed, the Most High, finds him in that condition. He will say, ‘I swear by my Majesty and Glory that I will never forgive you thereafter.’”

“It is a responsibility for Allah to expose the house wherein sin is committed, to the sun to cleanse it (subject it to ruination).”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘A servant (of Allah) may become imprisoned for a hundred years because of one of his sins. He will see his spouses enjoy blessings in paradise.’”

“In the heart of every servant (of Allah) there is a white dot. When he commits a sin a black dot appears in the white one. If he repents the black dot goes away, but if he continues committing sins the black dot enlarges until it covers the white dot and when the white dot is covered the person thereafter does not return to good things as Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, ‘In fact, their hearts are stained by their deeds.’” ( 83 : 14 )

“Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) has said, ‘Do not show your teeth (smile) if you have committed disgraceful sins. Do not feel safe from misfortunes if you have performed evil deeds.’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘My father has said, “Allah has made a firm decision not to take away the blessing that He has granted to a servant of His until he commits a sin that subjects him to misfortune.’”

“Once a man asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘ . They said, “Lord, make the distances of our journeys longer.” They did injustice to themselves. . . .’ (34:19) The Imam said, ‘They were a people who lived in towns that were attached to each other, and they could see each other. There were canals with flowing water and large properties. They did not appreciate the favors of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, and changed the manners in their souls, the comfort that Allah had granted them, thus, Allah changed the blessings they enjoyed. Allah does not change the conditions of any people until they themselves change their manners in their souls. Allah sent upon them a huge flood that drowned their towns, destroyed their homes and properties. Allah changed their gardens into two gardens that had only bitter fruits, tamarisk and a few lotus trees and then Allah said, “This was how We recompensed them for their ungratefulness and thus do We recompense the ungrateful ones.’” (34:17)

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Allah does not take away the favor that He grants to a servant as long as he does not commit a sin that may subject him to losing Allah’s favor.’”

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, sent a prophet to his people and inspired him to tell his people that the Lord says, ‘There has not been any inhabitants of a town or people who obeyed Me and lived happily and then changed from the condition that 1 loved to what I disliked, but that 1 also changed their condition from what they liked to what they disliked. There has not been any inhabitant of a town or a house who disobeyed Me and were suffering hardships. They then changed their condition from what I disliked to what I loved, I also then changed their condition from what they disliked to what they loved. Tell them that My favors come before My anger. Do not despair of receiving My favors; sins are not much greater to Me to forgive. Tell them not to subject themselves stubbornly to My anger and do not consider My friends insignificant; when angry. My striking is insurmountable and no one of the creatures can withstand it.’”

“Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, sent revelation to one of the prophets that said, ‘When I am obeyed I become happy. When I become happy I grant blessings and there is no end to My blessings. When I am disobeyed I become angry, when I become angry I condemn and My condemnation reaches seven levels (generations).’”

“You may feel afraid of a king because of your disobeying him. You must avoid it if you can and do not continue in such condition.”

“No pain is more painful to the heart than sins and there is no fear more intense than fear of death. Past experience is enough material for thinking and death is more than enough a preacher.”

“I heard al-Rida (a.s.) saying, ‘Whenever servants commit such sins that they had not committed before, Allah creates a new misfortune against them of which they had no knowledge.’”

“Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, ‘When a person who knows Me commits a sin, I subject him to the troubles from one who does not know Me.’”

“Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has an announcer who announces every day and night, ‘O servants of Allah, hold and stop committing sins and disobedience to Allah. Had it not been for the presence of grazing animals, breastfeeding children, bent down old people among you, torment would have definitely been poured down upon you and you would have been battered severely.’”