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

The continuity of committing sins would lead to a condition where the heart would no longer regard them as vile. They become a common practice, and so a sinner does not worry anymore about other people's comments. Some of the sinners even boast about their evil acts, informing others who did not previously know what they had done. They become extremely delighted when relating their sinful acts. These type of people are denied a cure and a way to repentance; for the Prophet ~ said: "All the sins of my followers will be forgiven except those of the Mujahirin (those who commit a sin openly or disclose their sins to people). An example of such disclosure is of a person who commits a sin at night, and although Allah has screened it from the public, then he appears in the morning, saying: 'O so-and-so, I did such-and-such a ( evil) deed yesterday.' He spent his night screened by his Lord (none knowing about his sin), yet in the morning he removed Allah's Screen from himself." 1 Every sin is inherited from an earlier nation which Allah ~ had destroyed. Homosexuality was inherited from the People of Lut ~' (as most of the people in his village were homosexuals). The cheating of the scales was inherited from the People of Shu'aib ~ ,. Spreading corruption and viciousness on earth was inherited from the rule of Pharaoh. Tyranny and arrogance was inherited from the People of Hud &JJI. A sinner is therefore assuming the form of one of these nations, which were enemies of Allah ~- Abdullah bin Imam Ahmad reported in the book, Az-Zuhd of his father, on the authority of Malik bin Dinar who said: "Allah ~ revealed to one of the Prophets of the Children of Israel tell his people: 'Do not follow the path of My Enemies; do not assume the form of My Enemies; do not board the ships of My Enemies; do not eat the food of My Enemies; thus they would become like My Enemies ." Abdullah bin Umar $> reported that the Prophet ~ said: "I was sent with a sword before the Hour, until Allah ~ is worshipped Alone, without associating any partners with Him. My provision was made under the shade of my lance, and disgrace was set on those people who oppose my command; and whoever copies the manner of a people, he is one of them."2