Bad consequences of sins whose the worst one is remotness from Allah

اَللّهُمَّ عَظُمَ بَلائي وَأَفْرَطَ بي سُوءُ حالي، وَقَصُرَتْ بي أَعْمالي وَقَعَدَتْ بي أَغْلالي

O Allah my tribulation is tremendous, my bad state is excessive, my acts are inadequate, and my fetters have tied me down.

The above-mentioned phrases are the requests of a patient of sins, a captive of disobedience and material wants before an experienced Omniscient physician. The Merciful physician has invited the patient Himself, out of beneficence, to cure him of his tribulations and free him of his material desires.

The Meaning of ‘bal¡' (tribulation)’

The insightful servants have suggested several meanings for the word ‘tribulations:’

1. Sins

It has been said that “tribulations” are the sins, which are the greatest misfortunes. Wrongdoing is a dangerous illness that, unless one repents and returns to Allah, compensating for his past deeds, it can lead to the spiritual death of his heart. When one’s heart dies he would lose touch with the Almighty, which leads to eternal atrocity and being away from Allah’s Mercy.

The Fourth infallible Imam, al-Sajj¡d (a.s), at the beginning of Mun¡j¡t al-T¡'ib¢n (supplication of the repented) has mentioned this fact:

وَأمَاتَ قَلْبِي عَظِيمُ جِنَايَتِي.

My great crime, that is my wrongdoing, has caused my heart to die.

Ab£-Dharr al-Ghif¡r¢, a disciple of Prophet Mu¦ammad’s was asked: “What illness do you suffer from?” He answered:

أشْكُو ذُنُوبِي.

I suffer from the illness of sin.

An Important Question-Answer

Am¢n al-Isl¡m al-±abars¢, in the great exegesis book “Majma` al-Bay¡n”, explaining about the Qur’¡nic chapter al-W¡qi`ah narrates: `Uthm¡n Ibn `Aff¡n visited `Abdull¡h Ibn Mas`£d while he was sick, before his death. He asked `Abdull¡h: “What do you suffer from?”

`Abdull¡h answered: “My sins.”

`Uthm¡n asked: “What do you desire?”

He replied: “My Lord’s Mercy.”

`Uthm¡n asked again: “Do you want me to call a doctor to visit you?”

“The real Healer has cured me,” answered `Abdull¡h.

`Uthm¡n asked him again: “Do you want me to pay your portion from Muslims’ treasury?”

`Abdull¡h replied: “You did not pay it when I needed it, do you want to pay it now that I don’t need it anymore?”

`Uthm¡n stated again: “Let me pay it to your daughters instead.”

But `Abdull¡h said: “My daughters don’t need it either. I have recommended them to recite al-W¡qi`ah chapter, because I heard from the Prophet (s.a) that anyone who recites al-W¡qi`ah every night would never suffer from poverty.”

A Dialogue with Uways al-Qaran¢

The great Iranian poet, ‘Attar, narrates from Hurm Ibn Hayyan in his “Tadhkirat al-Awliy¡’ “, who said: “When I heard that Uways al-Qaran¢ has reached the intercession position, I desired to see him. I came to K£fah and looked for him until I found him getting ablution. He Asked me: “O Ibn Hayyan! What has brought you here?” I said: “The tendency to befriend you.” He answered: “I don’t think that one, who befriends Allah, befriends anyone except Him.” I told him: “Give me a piece of advise me!” He said: “O Ibn Hayyan! When you fall asleep, consider death under your pillow, and when you get up, consider it in front of yourself. Do not pay attention to the smallness of your sin; rather pay attention to Allah’s greatness, before whom you have committed sin. Because if you consider your sins small, it is as if you consider Allah small!”

2. Remoteness from Allah’s Closeness

It has also been said that the great “tribulation” may be remoteness from Allah’s closeness; the position that is obtainable by belief, good deeds, and good morality. This position contains Allah’s pleasure and would lead to accompanying the prophets, martyrs, and the pious in the Hereafter.

Those who are always far from this position would eventually reach a position in which there are Satans and savages, but no humanity, belief, good deeds and morality. That is a place where human does nothing but oppression, wrongdoing, transgression, and immorality. Those who are always seeking the nearness position, on the other hand, benefit from Allah’s especial blessings; hence they engage in worshipping the Almighty and serving His servants, in a joyful and blissful state. In this engagement, they have no job but as a sincere servant, and no desire but reaching Allah’s nearness. Their hearts continuously gain blessing from Allah and leads it to all aspects of their beings.

Joseph, the truthful, seeking the route to Allah’s nearness, turned his diminutive house in Kan’an into a sincere worshipping and serving position. At the very beginning of this spiritual route, he dreamed of the future, seeing his high position. He made the dark deepness of the well his prayer place. He made the palace of Egypt’s king, which was a falling place for Zulaykha (Potipher’s wife), his rising place to piety. He also turned the prison into a worshipping place for himself and a guidance place for others. He performed wisely and trustworthily as the treasurer of Egypt and sincerely served Allah’s servants as Egypt’s king. He thus reached the position of Allah’s nearness.

3. Ignorance

It has been said that “tribulation” means ignorance, which is the root of all difficulties, deprivations, and eternal misfortune. The Commander of the Believers (a.s), in a tradition about ignorance, states:

اَلجَهْلُ دَاءٌ وَعَيَاءٌ.

Ignorance is a kind of illness and disability.[1]

اَلجَهْلُ أدْوَأُ الدَّاءِ.

Ignorance is the most severe illness.[2]

الجَهْلُ مُمِيتُ الأحْيَاءِ وَمُخَلِّدُ الشَّقَاءِ.

Ignorance kills the alive and perpetuates misfortune.[3]

الجَاهِلُ لاَ يَعْرِفُ تَقْصِيرَهُ وَلاَ يَقْبَلُ مِنَ النَّصِيحِ لَهُ.

The ignorant does not recognize his own fault and does not accept the advice of the benevolent.[4]

الجَاهِلُ مَيِّتٌ وَإنْ كَانَ حَيّاً.

An ignorant person is dead, though he is apparently alive.[5]

الجَاهِلُ صَخْرَةٌ لاَ يَنْفَجِرُ مَاؤهَا، وَشَجَرَةٌ لاَ يَخْضَرُّ عُودُها، وَأرْضٌ لاَ يَظْهَرُ عُشْبُهَا.

An ignorant person is like a rock which does not flow water, a tree which does not bear a green leave, or a ground that does not grow a plant.[6]

Imam `Ali (a.s) addresses Allah in one of his supplications this way:

أنَا الجَاهِلُ: عَصَيْتُكَ بِجَهْلِي، وَارْتَكَبْتُ الذُّنُوبَ بِجَهْلِي، وَسَهَوْتُ عَنْ ذِكْرِكَ بِجَهْلِي، وَرَكَنْتُ إلَى الدُّنْيَا بِجَهْلِي.

I am an ignorant person, who disobeyed You because of his ignorance, committed sins, forgot Your remembrance, and got interested in the material world.[7]

Bad State

By bad state it is meant bad improper morality that is one of the worst problems. The insightful people believe it is the most severe cover, which deprives human from understanding the truth, gaining blessings and Allah’s nearness, seeking His way, conceiving Qur’¡nic teachings and the traditions, and Allah’s countenance.

كَلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ عَنْ رَبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَمَحْجُوبُونَ.

Surely on that Day they (the sinners) will be covered from the Mercy of their Lord. (83:15)[8]

The Almighty has stressed the importance of purifying the soul from vices and adorning it with virtues more than any other duty of humans. After swearing for eleven times in His Qur’¡n, the Almighty has stated the eternal luck and salvation of the purified servants and disappointment of the sinners:

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا. وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسَّاهَا.

He will indeed be successful who purifies it (the soul). And he will indeed fail who corrupts it. (91:9-10)

Human’s bad moral state leads to moral blindness, remoteness from the truth, deafness to the call of Allah and His prophets, and lack of awareness of Allah’s Mercy. The Messenger of Allah (s.a) said:

خِصْلَتانِ لاَ تَجْتَمِعَانِ فِي مُسْلِمٍ: البُخْلُ وَسُوءُ الخُلُقِ.

A believer does not possess two attributes; stinginess and bad morality.[9]

Imam `Al¢ (a.s) stated:

لاَ وَحْشَةَ أوْحَشُ مِنْ سُوءِ الخُلُقِ.

No fear is more frightening than bad temperedness.[10]

سُوءُ الخُلُقِ شَرُّ يَقِينٍ.

Bad-temperedness is the worst companion.[11]

The Messenger of Allah stated as well:

إنَّ العَبْدَ لَيَبْلُغُ مِنْ سُوءِ خُلُقِهِ أسْفَلَ دَرَكِ جَهَنَّمَ.

In fact a servant reaches the farthest position in Hell from his bad-temperedness.[12]

Inadequacy of Acts

If one wants to reach prosperity, spiritual perfection and eventually Paradise, he must act in accord with the Qur’anic verses and the traditions of Prophet’s Household. He must also observe the necessary conditions like perseverance, sincerity and desire in order to be able to reach perfection.

If one’s acts are devoid of understanding, perseverance, and desire, and not in accord with Allah’s will, and if they are done with dullness, insincerity, stinginess, jealousy, and pride, how can they cause human to reach salvation and get free of misfortunes?

The Commander of the Believers, despite having unique spiritual resources, called out Allah, in his prayers at nights:

آهِ مِنْ قِلَّةِ الزَّادِ وَبُعْدِ السَّفَرِ وَوَحْشَةِ الطَّرِيقِ.

Ah betides the limitation of resources, the farness of the destination and the fear from the way![13]

It is necessary to study about the worshipping of Allah’s favorite servants to know about their perseverance, desire, and sincerity in serving Allah, and thus get motivated to serve and worship Allah, out of desire. This way, our hearts become illuminated and we get to seek Allah’s way to experience spiritual life.

The martyr, Qazi Nur Allah Shushtari has narrated in his book “Majalis Al-Mu’minin” that Uways al-Qaran¢ said at some nights: “This is the night for genuflection.” And he spent all that night in genuflection. Some other nights he said: “This night is for prostration.” And he spent the night only in prostration. Someone told him: “How do you have the ability of such long worshipping at nights?” He answered: “Do you think the nights are long? I wish all the world was but one night, so that I could spend it all in one prostration!”

The Restrictive Fetters

The insightful servants and the seekers of truth explaining about the phrase “My fetters have tied me down,” have stated:

Perhaps “my fetters” means the sins and especially major sins that restrict human being and tie him down. The sins prevent human from worshipping and serving Allah, depriving him from His blessings. An evidence of this is an important tradition narrated from Am¢r al-Mu’min¢n, `Ali (a.s):

Someone told Imam `Ali (a.s): “I used to perform the night prayers and Nafilas, but I can no longer do so.” Imam (a.s) said:

أنْتَ رَجُلٌ قَدْ قَيَّدَتْكَ ذُنُوبُكَ.

You are a person, whose sins have become his fetters, tying him down and preventing him from night worshipping.[14]

There is another possibility that “the fetters” are useless entertainments and activities, which prevent human from paying attention to more important real purposes. In a tradition from the Messenger of Allah (s.a), this is mentioned:

مِنْ حُسْنِ إسْلاَمِ المَرْءِ تَرْكُهُ مَا لاَ يَعْنِيهِ.

One of the good things a Muslim observes is his leaving activities that are of no use to him.[15]