Vices and bad deeds

Vices and bad deeds

Vices, bad deeds, major sins and minor sins are so many that these few pages are not enough to show them all as they have been mentioned in the Qur'an and the traditions.

In this chapter, we are going to explain the matters concerning these things as examples in the same way as we have talked about the good deeds and morals in the previous chapters and we refer the readers to the famous books of tafsir and Hadith.

Adorning oneself with good morals and purifying the inward from the vices changes one into a perfect man who will get the happiness of this life and the afterlife.

The main part of good morals causes the Divine mercy come down like the rain and causes man to enter the field of the Divine contentment whereas the main part of the vices and bad deeds causes to bring down the wrath of Allah and makes the personality of man disappear and brings him the Divine wrath and the eternal torment.

According to the Qur’anic verses Paradise, on the Day of Resurrection, will be the reward of the good deeds that man do in the worldly life and Hell will be the reward of the bad deeds. In other words the good deeds will be as bricks and materials of construction in Paradise whereas the bad deeds will be as tools of painful punishment in the afterlife.

We should seize the little opportunity in our worldly life and our short old to do good deeds and to avoid bad deeds to be safe from the painful punishment, to save ourselves from the eternal torment in Hell and to enter into Paradise to enjoy the eternal bliss of the Beloved.

Lying

Lying or every speech that is opposite to the reality is something ugly and obscene and it is one of the incitive means of the Satan.

The Qur'an in many verses considers lying as one of the major sins and declares that a liar deserves the wrath and curse of Allah. The Qur'an has threatened the liars and the rejecters of severe torment.

The Qur'an has mentioned the Christians of Najran who had come to argue with Prophet Muhammad (s) in Medina. The Prophet (s) had invited them to perform mubahala[1] to show them that they were liars and they deserved the curse of Allah.

Yes! The sin of lying is too heavy and great to a degree that a liar deserves to be cursed and driven out of the mercy of Allah.

“…then let us be earnest in prayer, and pray for the curse of Allah on the liars.” Qur'an, 3:61

Allah the Almighty mentions in the Qur'an the bad features of the hypocrites among which is the feature of lying and He witnesses on it;

“…and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are surely liars.” Qur'an, 63:1

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘It is a great treason that you talk to your brother and he believes you whereas you tell him lies.’[2]

Imam Ali (s) has said, ‘Beware of lying because it is the lowest of morals and it is a kind of obscenity and a kind of meanness.’[3]

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘The greatest of sins is a lying tongue.’[4]

Ameerul Mo'mineen (s) has said, ‘If a person tells one a lie, the angel will go one mile away from him because of the foulness he does.’[5]

Imam al-Baqir (s) has said, ‘Allah the Almighty has made locks for evil and made the intoxicating drinks as the keys of these locks but lying is eviler than drinking.’[6]

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘Lying is a door from among the doors of hypocrisy.’[7]

Accusation

How ugly it is when someone pollutes the reputation of a man or a woman before people and ascribes vices to them! How ugly it is when someone accuses an innocent person of a sin that he has never committed just for selfish motives, personal desires and satanic incitements! How ugly it is when someone disgraces the honest and respectable peoples, defames and dishonors them!

Accusing innocent and chaste people is one of the ugliest deeds and worst morals.

“And whoever commits a fault or a sin, then accuses of it one innocent, he indeed takes upon himself the burden of a calumny and a manifest sin.” Qur'an, 4:112

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘He, who slanders a believer or accuses him of what he is innocent of, Allah will stand him on a hill of fire on the Day of Resurrection until he repents of what has accused that believer of.’[8]

Imam as-Sadiq (s) has said, ‘Whoever slanders a believing man or a believing woman or accused him/her of what he/she is free from Allah will imprison him on the Day of Resurrection in a clay of khabal until he will repents of what he has accused of.’ He was asked what the clay of khabal was and he said, ‘It is pus that comes out of the vaginas of the prostitutes.’[9]

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘Slandering an innocent person is heavier than mountains.’[10]

Backbiting

Among the vices and the very bad morals is to speak ill of someone behind his/her back.

Backbiting is to mention some features of an absent person that if he knows they are mentioned before the others, he will be angry and uncomfortable.

Backbiting is one of the major and heavy sins and committing it causes one’s heart to be polluted with darkness and consequently it (the heart) will be deprived of the Divine light and mercy.

The Holy Qur'an has prohibited people from backbiting strongly and compared one who backbites the others to one who eats the flesh of his dead Muslim brother.

“…nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? But you abhor it; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah…” Qur'an, 49:12

The Prophet (s) has said to Abu Tharr, ‘O Abu Tharr, beware of backbiting for it is worse than adultery!’ Abu Tharr said, ‘O messenger of Allah, what is backbiting?’ The Prophet (s) said, ‘To mention your brother with what he hates.’ Abu Tharr said, ‘O messenger of Allah, even if he has what is mentioned about him?’ The Prophet (s) said, ‘Know that if you mention him with what he does not have, you slander him.’[11]

Ameerul Mo'mineen (s) has said, ‘He, who listens to backbiting, is like the backbiter.’[12]

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘He, whose Muslim brother is backbitten before him and he can defend him but he does not defend him, will be failed by Allah in this life and the afterlife.’[13]

Scorning and mocking

Mocking at the others and scorning them are very ugly deeds and major sins. How often that someone mocks and scorn another one who may be one of the saints or the sincere servants of Allah!

The Qur'an has forbidden people strongly from mocking at each other.

“O you who believe! let not (one) people laugh at (another) people perchance they may be better than them, nor let women (laugh) at (other) women, perchance they may be better than them…” Qur'an, 49:11

The Prophet (s) has said about mockers, ‘The gate of Paradise will be opened for a mocker and it will be said to him, ‘Come on!’ He will come with his griefs and distresses and when he will about to come in, the gate will be closed before him.’[14]

The mockers and scorners will face the result of their ugly deeds and will get their painful reward on the Day of Resurrection.

The Prophet (s) has said, ‘Do not scorn anyone of the Muslims because the little of them are great near Allah.’[15]

He has also said, ‘It is enough evil for the son of Adam to scorn his Muslim brother.’[16]

Oaths

Some people, in order to reach their material aims, take firm oaths and swear by Allah and so their oaths become as a kind of indignity, dishonor and violation of the sacredness of Allah the Almighty. The Qur'an says,

“And make not Allah, by your oaths, a hindrance to your being righteous and observing your duty unto Him and making peace among mankind. Allah is Hearer, Knower.” Qur'an, 2:224

The Prophet (s) has said to Imam Ali (s), ‘Do not swear by Allah whether true or false without necessity and do not make Allah as an obstacle to your oath for Allah does not mercify or talk to whoever swears by His name falsely!’[17]

Imam as-Sadiq (s) has said, ‘He, who takes an oath and he knows that he swears falsely, challenges Allah the Almighty.’[18]