Spiritual Disease and Its Cure by Imam Shams-ud-Deen Muhammad bin Abi Bakr bin Qayyim AlJ awziyyah

Think of the punishments which Allah ~ has decreed for sins, and imagine that they may be applicable to yourself. This would certainly make you reconsider before committing any sm. Among the Punishments of Allah ~ are: sealing one's heart and ears, keeping a screen over one's eyesight, locking up one's heart, overturning one's heart and eyesight; making one's heart heedless of remembering Allah ~; the straying of one's heart away from the truth, and causing it to relapse. Indeed Allah ~ has said: ( Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind.)2 This is not the perceptible blindness of the eyes, but is rather, in reality, the complete blindness of the heart, which prevents it from perceiving the truth. (Allah forbid!) Allah ~ also punishes the sinner's heart by sinking it down to the lowest levels, without the sinner's awareness. He ~ turns the nature of such a heart into that of an animal, whereby the sinner acquires certain traits and characteristics of animals. This was the interpretation of Sufyan bin 'Uyaynah of the Verse: (There is not a moving creature on the earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, but are communities like you)3. He said: "Some of them assume the usual characteristics of lions, some of dogs, while others of pigs or donkeys, and so on." Allah ~ has likened ignorant (Muslim) people to donkeys, dogs or camels in different Verses of the Qur'an. Allah ~ screens the hearts of sinners from remembering their Lord in this world, and will screen Himself from them on the Day of Resurrection, as He ~ said: (Nay! But on their hearts is the covering of sins and evil deeds, which they used to earn. Nay! Surely, they (the evildoers) will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day.)4 Allah ~ punishes the sinner by turning his/her life into a cycle of hardship and distress in this world, in the grave and in the Hereafter. He ~ said: (But whoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur'an nor acts on its teachings), verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.)5 A life of hardship was interpreted as the punishment in the grave, but this Verse provides a more general meaning, in this context. In fact, Allah ~ punishes whoever turns away from His Reminder with a life of hardship and anxiety, even if he/she happens to be enjoying the blessings of this world, as his/her heart was suffering from the destructive symptoms of feeling isolation and disgrace, and having false desires. The heart and soul never feel serene unless they remember Allah ~. as He Alone is worthy of worship. Allah ~ grants a good life to whoever believes in Him and does righteous deeds; He ~ said: (Whoever works righteousness - whether male or female - while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. paradise in the Hereafter)1 Allah ~ has guaranteed for those people who believe and do righteous deeds, a good life in this world and a good compensation in the Hereafter; they are indeed truly alive in both worlds. He ~ also said: (For those who do good in this world, there is good, and the home of the Hereafter will be better; and excellent indeed will be the home of the pious)2 and (Seek forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him in repentance, that He may grant you good enjoyment for a term appointed, and bestow His Abounding Grace to every owner of grace)3 One of those who had tasted this grace said: "In this world there is a paradise like the one in the Hereafter; whoever enters it, has entered the Real Paradise, but whoever does not enter it, has not entered the Paradise in the Hereafter." The Prophet ~ had mentioned this Paradise, saying: "When you come upon the Pastures of Paradise feed on them." On being asked what the Pastures of Paradise were, he ~ replied that they were circles where Allah was remembered."4 Do not think that the Verse: (Verily, the pious believers will be in delight. And verily, the evildoers will be in the blazing Fire) 5 is specifically about the Last Day, alone; rather the first group are enjoying the grace in the three worlds; while the second group are suffering the punishment in the three worlds. There is no better grace in this world than that of having righteousness of the heart and soundness of the heart, along with knowledge of Allah ~' and devotion towards Him ~- Allah ~ praised Prophet Ibrahim ~ I saying: (Verily among those who followed his (Noah's) way was Ibrahim, when he came with a pure heart)6 A pure heart is that which is free of polytheism, hatred, miserliness and pride; that is free from any ailment, which might prevent one from devoting one's worship to Allah ~ Alone. The purity of the heart is accomplished when it is free of five things: polytheism, which contradicts the concept of the Oneness of Allah ~; innovation in religion, which contradicts the Sunnah of the Prophet ti; desire, which contradicts the Commandments of Allah i!M;; heedlessness, which contradicts the Remembrance of Allah ~; and passion, which contradicts sincerity. These five aspects are a cover from Allah ~' and each of them is branched into many more elements. Therefore, the Servant of Allah is desperately needs to ask Allah ~ to guide him/her to the Right Path, in terms of theory, practice and willpower. He/she may know the details of the Right Path, yet may ignore them; and whatever he/she knows, he/she may or may not be able to implement. Allah ~ guides to the Right Path by His Divine Decree, Commandments and Prohibitions. He ~ guides to His Right Path whomsoever He wishes, by His Mercy and Graciousness. But He ~ also removes from His Right Path, whomsoever He wishes, by His Justice and Wisdom. Allah ~ has prepared the Right Path for His Servants, and invited them to it as evidence from Him and a justice. He ~ has guided whomsoever He wants among them to take the Right Path as a blessing from Him. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah ~ will set up the Right Path for His Servants, which will take them to Paradise. He ~ will draw away from it whomsoever turned away from His Commandments in this world, but will help whoever observed His Commandments in this world to cross the Path. He ~ will grant those who believe in Him and His Messenger a light, which would shine ahead of them, and in their right hands, in the darkness of the Day of Gathering. You can picture the Day of Judgment before your eyes, and think of the Wisdom of Allah ~ in the two worlds, and then you come to the certainty that this world is but a land to be cultivated for the Hereafter. The status of people, with regards to their degree of happiness or misery, depends on the strength, of their belief in Allah and their performance of righteous deeds, in this world. Therefore, one of the greatest punishments for sins is the deviation from the Right Path, in this world and the Hereafter.