Dawwah, Muslim Etiquette
STRATEGIC WAYS TO OVERCOME THE SINS COMMITTED WHEN ALONE?
Oct
Do you find yourself persistently involved in various immoral acts or vices in your free time when alone in a corner of the room; watching illegal movies, listening to immoral conversations, harmful thoughts? And you have made several attempts to quit, but unfortunately, it ends in disappointment and depression while trying to leave the cycle of sin.
What the heck is the problem!? How about you take few moments to reflect?
Think about it, how would you feel as a Muslim [believer] who audaciously commits sins when you know that Allah[the Most Exalted] is watching?
As believers, we must be intentional in taking time to realize why we find ourselves committing those sins especially when alone. We should always beware of transgressing the sacred limits of Allah whenever we are and most especially when we are alone!
Allah says: “Allah is Ever-Watchful over all things.”
(Quran 33: 52)
Also, He [the Most Exalted] says:
Allah watches over all of His servants and keeps watch over all their affairs, secrets, and deeds. This should make us more aware of Allah’s rights over us and of our duty towards Him. “Surely Allah is Ever-Watchful over you.”
(Quran 4: 1)
Undoubtedly, we are not infallible. All humans fall into sin and no one is free from making mistakes and forgetfulness because it is part of human nature.
Thus, Allah’s Messenger [ﷺ] said:
“Every son of Adam are wrongdoers, and the best of the wrongdoers are those who repent.”
[at-Tirmidhi, 2499].
In another narration, Allah’s Messenger [ﷺ] said:
“By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if you did not commit sin Allah would do away with you and bring people who would commit sin then pray for forgiveness.”
[Muslim, 2749]
Meanwhile, the Most Merciful has opened the gate of repentance for us so that we can sincerely turn to Him every time we sin. He [the Most Exalted] says:
O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[surah Zumar:53]
Indeed Allah is The Most-Forgiving, The Most-Merciful, however making it a habit of sinning especially when you are alone in your room or apartment by adopting the above ahadeeth as pieces of evidence would destroy your good deeds as seen in the hadith, The Prophet [ﷺ] said:
“I certainly know people of my ummah who will come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds like the mountains of Tihaamah, but Allah will make them like scattered dust.” Thawbaan said: O Messenger of Allah, describe them to us and tell us more so that we will not become of them unknowingly. He said: “They are your brothers and from your people, worshipping at night as you do, but they will be people who, when they are alone, transgress the sacred limits of Allah.
[Ibn Maajah (4245)].
No believing Muslim or obedient servant of Allah would like to become insignificant in His sight. Thus, we are all encouraged to tend to our relationship with Him when we are alone, and He will surely grant us well-being before people. Nothing brings about the best quality in a person like the awareness that Allah is Ever-Watchful and that He knows everything we do; great and small, visible, and hidden. Remember Allah’s word in the Noble Quran when He says,
“Did they not know that Allah knows their secrets and their private conversations and that Allah is the Knower of the unseen?”
[surah Tawbah ayah 78]
Making a habit of sinning brings a person further away from Allah and weakens the eeman [faith]. Allah indicates those kinds of people as:
“…their hearts have been sealed by the sins they have accumulated”
(Qur’an 83:14)
Allah says that:
“you counted it a little thing, while with Allah it was very great”
(Quran 24:15)
Moreover, sins could be triggered due to some psychological causes such as ignorance, negative thinking, following one’s desire, and social-environmental influences [bad friends, access to the internet, your devices, etc.]
IGNORANCE
Sins could be triggered due to ignorance. In this case, we failed to be conscious of the dangers of disobeying Allah [the Most Exalted] especially we are alone in our rooms thinking that we are actually the only person hence forgetting that the Great Watcher is above watching. Sometimes we tend to overrate bad deeds. Imam Ash-Shafi’i was saying:
“Don’t ever look at the smallness of the sin you are committing, rather realize the magnitude of the One you are sinning against.”
FOLLOWING ONE’S DESIRE
Sometimes, some Muslims know that the action they are doing is wrong, and also know that they are sinning against the Almighty; yet they still do it out of weakness in controlling their own desires. It is in these matters that Allah speaks about in the Qur’an when He says:
Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire, and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah ? Then will you not be reminded??
(45:23)
SOCIAL-ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES: This is the kind of sin that is directly influenced by the time (free time) or place (when alone, with bad companions, or alone ) having access to the internet and other gadgets that may tempt us to commit sin. For instance, you fail to realize that when are alone you cannot take control of yourself by watching immoral movies on your phone or Tv or listening to false talks, music, etc., and sometimes you are not conscious that hanging out around with those who sin will increase our chance of sinning as well.
SOME OF THE STRATEGIC WAYS TO OVERCOME THE SINS COMMITTED WHEN ALONE ARE AS FOLLOWS
1.Admitting /Recognizing your mistakes; To overcome a problem is to recognize that it exists. Allah says:
“Verily, Allaah will not change the (good) condition of a people as long as they do not change their state (of goodness) themselves (by committing sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allaah)”
[Al-Ra’d 13:11]
2 Remove all triggers:
For instance, If you find yourself committing sins when you are alone, try to seek good company. And if it is your phone, limit your screen time or access to the internet
3 Reflecting
Reflecting upon the stern warning mentioned in the hadith of Thawbaan quoted above and fearing lest it apply to the one who commits those sins when he is alone.
4 Bearing in mind that Allah, may He be exalted, is always watching and sees the Muslim and whatever situation he is in. Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:It was narrated from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) that he used to recite these two lines of poetry, either to himself or to someone else:
Tafseer Ibn Katheer (6/219).
If you are ever alone, do not say I am alone; rather say I have One Who is watching me.
Do not think that Allah is ever unaware even for a moment, or that anything is hidden from Him.
5. Sincere Repentance to Allah
“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[surah Zumar:53]
And He said:
“And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterward seeks Allah’s forgiveness, he will find Allaah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[an-Nisa’:110]
And Allah’s Messenger [ﷺ]:
“Allah spreads out His hand at night to accept the repentance of the one who sinned during the day, and He spreads out His hand by day to accept the repentance of the one who sinned during the night, (and that will continue) until the sun rises from the west.”
(Muslim)
6. Remembering death and imagining if death were to come to him whilst he was committing that sin; how would he meet his Lord in that case?!
7. Remembering what Allah has prepared for His righteous slaves of Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, and thinking of the punishment of Allah, may He be exalted. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So, is he who is cast into the Fire better or he who comes secure on the Day of Resurrection?”
[Quran41:40].
Not making excuses or doubt Allah’s Mercy:
“If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall remit from your (small) sins, and admit you to a Noble Entrance (i.e., Paradise)”
(Quran 4:31).
8. Self-discipline
Controlling your own- desires and acknowledging your shortcomings is one of the first strategies in disciplining yourself. (self-control).
9. Keep good friends and good environment.
10. Always realizing the result of the sin.
11. And not being a candle – giving light to others and burning yourself.
May Allah forgive us our shortcomings, to protect us and you from sins and acts of disobedience make us be of those who see our mistakes and correct them, and of those who see other people’s mistakes and help them to corrections, and to help us to restrain our lower selves and evil inclinations).
Jazakhumullahu khayra.