Allah ~ aliwaumba wanadamu katika makundi mawili: Yeye ~ amewafanya wale wanaomtii wawe watu walioinuliwa sana, na amewafanya wale wanaomwasi wawe watu walioshushwa na kudhalilishwa, katika dunia hii na Akhera. Pia amewafanya wale wanaomtii kuwa watu walio na heshima zaidi, lakini wale wanaozikataa Amri Zake kuwa watu walio na aibu zaidi. Hili limeonyeshwa katika Hadith iliyopokewa na Abdullah bin 'Amru ~ ambamo Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Nimetumwa kwa upanga, kabla ya Saa, hadi Allah ~ aabudiwe Yeye Peke Yake, bila kumshirikisha na washirika. Riziki yangu imewekwa chini ya kivuli cha mkuki wangu, na fedheha imewekwa juu ya watu wowote watakaopinga amri yangu; na yeyote anayeiga mwenendo wa watu fulani, ni miongoni mwao." Mtu anapofanya dhambi, hushushwa hadi ngazi ya chini, na ataendelea kushuka hadi afike chini kabisa; lakini anapofanya tendo jema (kumtii Allah ~ katika Amri Zake na kutekeleza wajibu wake), ataendelea kupanda hadi afike daraja za juu kabisa. Katika kipindi cha maisha yake, mtu anaweza kupitia kupanda na kushuka, kulingana na asili ya matendo yake (mema au mabaya), hivyo atashushwa au atainuliwa kulingana na utawala wa aina moja juu ya nyingine. Hata hivyo, kauli hii isieleweke vibaya, kwa sababu kuna hali ambazo mtu anaweza kushuka umbali mkubwa kuliko ule kati ya mashariki na magharibi, kwa sababu ya kosa moja tu; kwa hiyo, hata akipanda daraja elfu moja juu, hilo halitamtosha. Kama ilivyopokewa katika Hadith, ambamo Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Mja wa Allah anaweza kutamka neno, bila kufikiria kama ni sahihi au si sahihi; anaweza kuanguka Motoni umbali sawa na ule kati ya mashariki na magharibi." 2 Je, ni aina gani ya kupanda inayohitajika katika hali kama hii? Kuanguka ni jambo lisiloepukika katika maisha ya mwanadamu, lakini kuna watu ambao kuanguka kwao ni matokeo ya hali ya kutojali, hivyo mara wanapojirudi, hurejea haraka katika kiwango chao cha juu, au hata cha juu zaidi, kulingana na ukali wa kuamka kwao. Lakini pia kuna watu ambao kuanguka kwao hufanyika kwa makusudi, wanapofanya dhambi, iwe ndogo au kubwa; kwa hiyo watu kama hao wanahitaji kurejea haraka kwenye toba safi na ya kweli. Wanazuoni wametofautiana kuhusu kiwango cha mtu baada ya kutubia dhambi yake: je, mtu hurejea katika kiwango alichokuwa nacho kabla ya kutenda dhambi, kwa sababu toba huondoa kila athari ya dhambi; au kwamba harejei katika kiwango chake cha awali, kwa sababu athari ya toba ni kufuta adhabu iliyostahiki kwa kutenda dhambi; na kiwango alichokikosa hakirudi moja kwa moja. Wanazuoni wamesema ni kama mfano wa watu wawili wanaopanda ngazi mbili zisizo na mwisho. Ikiwa mmoja anashuka hatua moja, kisha akaendelea kupanda, bila shaka yule aliyeendelea kupanda daima atakuwa juu ya mwingine. Shaykh Al-Islam alitoa hukumu inayokubalika kuhusu makundi haya mawili, akisema: "Baadhi wanaweza kurejea daraja lao la awali, lakini wengine hawawezi." Nasema: Hili linategemea kiwango cha ukamilifu wa toba, na hisia ya aibu, unyenyekevu na khofu ya Allah, ambayo dhambi imeipandikiza katika akili ya mwenye dhambi. Athari hizi zinaweza kumwathiri mwenye kutubu kiasi cha kumwezesha kufikia kiwango cha juu zaidi, na hata kuwa katika hali bora zaidi baada ya toba yake kuliko hali yake ya awali kabla ya kutenda dhambi. Mtu wa namna hii hunufaika sana baada ya kutubia dhambi, kwani imemfanya atambue hadhi yake, na imemsaidia kujinyenyekeza mbele ya Mola wake, akitafuta Rehema na Msamaha Wake, kwa njia ya unyenyekevu zaidi iwezekanavyo. Chochote neema alichopewa, angeona kuwa ni kubwa mno kwake (yaani hastahili kupokea neema kama hiyo); na chochote msiba uliomfika, angejiona anastahili msiba huo, kwa sababu angekiri kwamba Mola wake hajamwadhibu kwa kiwango sawa na kosa lake. Kwa hakika, adhabu anayostahili haingeweza kubebwa na milima, achilia mbali mwili wake dhaifu. Kukutana na watu mashuhuri baada ya kufanya kitendo kisicho cha maadili au cha aibu ni jambo la kukosa heshima sana, na linaweza kumpeleka mwenye dhambi katika hali ya aibu; sasa itakuwaje kukutana na Allah, Mwenye Enzi Kuu, Mmiliki na Mola wa mbingu na ardhi? Lau isingekuwa kwamba Rehema ya Allah inatangulia Ghadhabu Yake, na kwamba Msamaha Wake unatangulia Adhabu Yake, mbingu na ardhi vingekuwa vimetikisika na kuvunjika vipande vipande kwa sababu ya dhambi za waja Wake. Allah ~ amesema: ( Hakika Allah anazishika mbingu na ardhi zisiondoke mahali pake, na kama zingeondoka mahali pake, hakuna yeyote atakayeweza kuzishika baada Yake. Hakika Yeye ni Mvumilivu Mno, Mwingi wa Kusamehe.) 1 Allah ~ amemaliza Aya hii kwa kutaja Sifa Zake mbili: Mvumilivu Mno, na Mwingi wa Kusamehe; na tunapaswa kuelewa kwamba bila Uvumilivu Wake na Msamaha Wake, mbingu na ardhi visingebaki mahali pake. Allah ~ ametujulisha kuhusu namna isiyo ya shukrani na ya kumshirikisha ya baadhi ya waja Wake: ( Ambapo mbingu zinakaribia kupasuka, na ardhi inapasuka, na milima inaanguka kwa kuporomoka) 2 Allah ~ aliwatoa wazee wetu (Adam na Hawa ~ \) Peponi kwa sababu ya dhambi waliyoifanya, ya kumwasi Yeye. Alimlaani Iblisi (Shetani) na kumfukuza kutoka mbinguni na ardhini, na kutoka katika Rehema Yake, kwa sababu ya dhambi aliyoifanya (ya kutosujudu kwa Adam). Sisi, watu wajinga, tunajenga mlima wa madhambi, kisha bado tunatumaini kunufaika na neema za milele peponi, ilhali tunajua kwamba babu zetu waliondolewa peponi kwa dhambi moja tu. Mtu aliyetubu anaweza kupanda hadi nafasi bora kuliko alivyokuwa kabla hajatenda dhambi; lakini katika baadhi ya hali, dhambi yake inaweza kumshusha daraja na kudhoofisha azma yake, na hivyo uponyaji unaotokana na toba yake unaweza kumtia nguvu za kutosha kurejesha nafasi yake ya awali. Hili linahusu tu hali ya kushuka hadi kiwango cha dhambi; lakini ikiwa kushuka huku ni hadi jambo linalokiuka misingi ya imani yake, kama shaka, kutilia shaka au unafiki, basi ili kuinuka juu ya hali hii, kunahitajika kufanywa upya kwa imani yake (Uislamu). Mwenye dhambi yuko wazi kwa kila aina ya uovu kutoka kwa mashetani, kwa sababu maisha yake ya kidhambi yanawahimiza mashetani kumshambulia kwa aina mbalimbali za mateso; kwa kumdanganya, kumjaribu, na kumchochea kwa minong'ono yao ya kishetani, hadi awe mtumwa wa shughuli zake za kidhambi. Pia atakumbwa na madhara zaidi kutoka kwa mashetani wa kibinadamu, ambao wataendelea kumsengenya mbele yake na nyuma yake, na kila mtu katika maisha yake ya kijamii atamdharau, kwa sababu ya maisha yake ya kuchukiza na ya aibu. Mtu mmoja alisema mara moja: "Ninapomwasi Allah, naona hilo katika mwenendo wa mke wangu na mnyama wangu kwangu." (Hata wanyama hubadilisha mwenendo wao kwa mwenye dhambi, hadi atubu!) Mwenye dhambi pia atakabiliwa na adhabu ya mtawala, ambaye, ikiwa ni mwadilifu, atatoa adhabu inayofaa ya kisheria, aliyoiweka Allah ~. Mwenye dhambi anaongozwa na nafsi yake inayomtawala hadi kufikia hali ya kujiangamiza, kwa kuhisi analazimika kutii amri zake mbaya; ilhali kumtii Allah ~ ndiyo njia ya kuingia katika Ngome Yake salama. Hakika, kwa kumkumbuka Allah ~ , kutoa Sadaka, kuamrisha mema na kukataza maovu, mtu atalindwa dhidi ya msukumo wowote wa uovu. Hili ni kama mfumo wa kinga mwilini, unaopinga chochote kinachovamia mwili. Matendo mema na matendo mabaya ni mambo mawili yaliyo kinyume, yanayogongana kila wakati, kwa hiyo wakati upande wa mema unapoongezeka nguvu, upinzani wa mtu unakuwa imara zaidi; kwa maana Allah ~ huwalinda wale walioamini; na imani (iymani) hudhihirishwa kwa maneno na matendo. Kwa hiyo, kiwango cha upinzani wa mtu hutolewa kulingana na nguvu ya imani yake.

Allah~ created mankind two categories: He~ made those people who obey Him highly exalted, and made those who disobey Him lowly degraded both in this world and the Hereafter. He ~ also made those people who obey Him the most honoured people, but those who reject His Commandments the most disgraceful people. This is highlighted in the Hadith reported by Abdullah bin 'Amru ~ in which 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 up on any people who should oppose my command; and whoever copies the manner of a people, is one of them." Whenever a person commits a sin, he/she is cast to a lower level, and he/she would keep on descending until he/she reached the lowest bottom; but whenever he/she does a good deed ( obeying Allah's Commandments, and fulfilling his obligations), he/she would keep on rising until he/she reached the highest grades. During the course of his/her life, a person might experience ups and downs, with regards to the nature of his/her deeds (good or bad), so he/she would be cast according to the domination of one type over the other. However, one should not misunderstand this statement, because there are situations when a person might go down a distance larger than that between the east and the west, because of one single misdeed; therefore, even if he rises one thousand grades up, it would not be sufficient for him; as reported in the Hadith, in which the Prophet ~ said: "A Servant of Allah may utter a word, without thinking whether it is right or wrong; he may fall down into the Fire a distance equal to that between the east and west. " 2 What kind of rising is necessary in such a situation? Falling is inevitable in the life of man, yet there are people whose falling is the result of a state of carelessness, so once they come around, they quickly return to their high level, or to an even higher one, according to the sharpness of their wakefulness. But there are also people whose falling is made intentionally, when committing a sin, whether a minor or major one; therefore, such people need a quick return to a pure and truthful repentance. The scholars have differed regarding the level of a person after one repents from his sin; whether one returns to the level in which one was before committing a sin, by virtue of the fact that repentance wipes away all traces of the sin; or that one does not return to one's previous level, by virtue of the fact that the effect of repentance is in cancelling the punishment due for committing the sin; as for the level that one missed, one would not return to it directly. The scholars have said it is like the example of two men climbing up two never-ending ladders. If one goes down one step, and then carried on rising up, surely the one who kept on ascending would always be above the other. Shaikh Al-Islam gave an acceptable judgment regarding the two groups , saying: "Some may return to his previous grade, but others may not." I say: This is according to the degree of perfection of the repentance, and the feeling of disgrace, submission and fear of Allah, which the sin has caused in the mind of the sinner. These effects may influence the repentant enough to allow him/her to reach a higher level, and even be in a better position, after his repentance, than his/her previous position, before committing the sin. Such a person benefits a great deal after repenting from the sin, as it made him/her acknowledge his/her status, and helped him/her to submit before his/her Master, seeking His Mercy and Forgiveness, in the most humble way possible. Whatever blessings were bestowed upon him/her, he/she would then regard it as being too good for him/her (i.e. he /she is not worthily of receiving such a blessing); and whatever misfortune had occurred to him/her, he/she would see him/herself worthily of that affliction, because he/she would admit that his/her Master had not given him/her a punishment equal to his/her crime. In fact , the punishment he/she deserves could not be carried by the mountains, let alone his/her weak body. Meeting noble people after having committed an immoral or obscene act is very disrespectful but could lead the sinner to a state of shame; so what about having to meet Allah, the Supreme, Owner and Lord of the Heavens and earth? If it were not for the fact that Allah ' s Mercy precedes His Anger, and that His Forgiveness precedes His Punishment, the heavens and earth would have been shaken to pieces because of the sins of His Servants. Allah ~ has said: ( Verily, Allah grasps the heavens and the earth lest they should move away from their places, and if they were to move away from their places, there is not one that could grasp them after Him. Truly, He is Most Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.) 1 Allah ~ concluded this Verse by mentioning two of His Attributes: The Most Forbearing, and Oft-Forgiving; and we should understand that without His Forbearance and Forgiveness, the heavens and the earth would not have remained in their places. Allah ~ has informed us about the ungrateful and polytheistic ways of some of His Servants: ( Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins)2 Allah ~ removed our forbears (Adam and Eve ~ \) from Paradise because of the sin they had committed, in disobeying Him. He ~ cursed Iblis (Satan) and expelled him from the heavens and the earth, and from His Mercy, because of the sin he committed (in not prostrating to Adam). As for us, foolish people, we build up a mountain of sins, and still hope to benefit from the eternal blessings in Paradise, despite being aware of the fact that our forbears were removed from Paradise for a single sin. A repentant person could ascend to a better position than when he/she was before he/she had committed a sin; but in some cases, his/her sin could degrade him/her and weaken his/her determination, and so the healing from his repentance could strengthen him/her enough to regain his previous position. This only applies to the case where there is a descent to a sinful level; however, if this descent is to a matter which violates the basics of his faith, such as suspicion, doubt or hypocrisy, then, in order to rise above this, a renewal of one's faith (Islam) is required. A sinner is subject to all kinds of evil from devils because if his/her sinful life Demons are encouraged to assault a sinner with different kinds of suffering; by deceiving, tempting, and provoking him/her with their devilish whispering, until he/she becomes devoted to his/her sinful activities. He/she would also be subjected to more harm from the devils of mankind, who would keep on slandering him/her in his/her presence and absence, and everyone in his/her social life would look down upon him/her, because of his/her despicable and shameful life. One man once said: "When I disobey Allah, I see it in the conduct of my wife and my animal towards me." (Even animals change their conduct towards a sinner, until he/she repents!) A sinner would also be subjected to the punishment of the ruler, who if he were just, would give the appropriate legal punishment, ordained by Allah ~. A sinner is guided by his/her domineering self to reach a state of self-destruction, because he/she feels compelled to obey its evil instructions; whereas obeying Allah ~ is the way to enter into His Safe Fortress. Indeed, by remembering Allah ~ ' giving Sadaqah, enjoining good and forbidding evil one would be shielded from any evil inspiration. It is like the immune system, resisting any invading the body. Good deeds and misdeeds are two opposites in constant conflict, so whenever the good side increases in power, one's resistance becomes stronger; for Allah ~ defends those who believe; and belief (faith) is expressed in both words and actions. Therefore, the degree of one's resistance is given according to the power of one's faith.