From among the
punishment of sins is that they blind the insight and discernment of
the heart. Sins extinguish the light of the heart and obstruct the
pathway to knowledge. They keep the basic ingredients of guidance
hidden from the individual. When Imaam
Maalik met ash-Shafi’ee, he noticed that he possessed certain
characteristics. He (Maalik) said, “I see that Allaah the Most High,
has cast a light upon you, and you do not extinguish it with the
darkness of disobedience.”
This
light (within the sinner) continues to weaken and fade away as the
darkness of disobedience grows stronger until the heart becomes
jet-black. How many destructive situations do such people fall into
without knowing what has happened? He is like the blind that ventures
into the night, along a path filled with danger and peril. Oh, what a
great pity! Oh, how quick the ruin!
As these layers of darkness (resulting from sin) grow stronger,
their effects pour out from the heart onto the limbs. Then the face is
covered with a blackness (whose density) is according to the frequency
and increase of the sins. Eventually, at the time of his death, the
darkness appears in the grave.
The Prophet (salallaahu ‘alayhie wa sallaam) said:
“إن هده القبور ممتلة على أهلها ظلمة، وإن الله ينورها يصلاتي عليهم”
“Indeed
these graves spread a darkness over their people. Allaah provides light
for the graves with my prayers for the people.” Saheeh Muslim (no. 956)
Finally, on the Day that the servants are gathered, the faces of
the sinners are held high and made visible as the assembled onlookers
watch these faces become black as coal. Oh, what a punishment! A
punishment to which there is nothing in the entire world that is
comparable to it. How much less is the portion of the unfortunate
servant who labors endlessly, during a duration that is only a moment
in a dream?
Transcribed from: Sins and their Punishments || Ibn ul-Qayyim (rahimahullaah)
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