Sins of the Heart

By Sharafa Mohammed, Co-Director of Social Media

Everyone knows what it means to sin. To sin is to do something wrong. To sin is to do what your Lord dislikes. To sin is to do what is against your Messenger (ﷺ)’s advice.

There are sins of the tongue which include lying, breaking a promise, backbiting, arguing, ascribing goodness to yourself, cursing, supplicating against one of Allah (SWT)’s creations, and ridiculing people. The sin of the stomach is eating the forbidden. The sins of the hands are using them to hit a Muslim, to receive unlawful wealth, to harm any of Allah (SWT)’s creations, or to ruin something placed in your care. The sin of the feet is to use them to walk toward what is unlawful. But what are the sins you must purify your heart from?

Envy

Envy is a form of miserliness, the excessive desire to save money. One who is stingy towards others with his possessions may be considered a miser by others, but one who chooses to be stingy with Allah (SWT)’s favors and treasures towards His servants is a greater miser. An envious person feels pain when Allah (SWT) grants wealth, knowledge, or other’s love to a person. An envier feels so much pain that he wishes Allah (SWT) would no longer favor that person, knowing that the same favor would not transfer to him. An envious person is in continuous torment and suffers punishment right up to his death because there are a multitude of people whom Allah (SWT) has bestowed knowledge, wealth, or esteem.

The prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), who described envy as a sickness, said, “Envy devours good deeds just as fire devours wood.” He also said, “None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.” True faith cannot be attained unless you wish for all Muslims to receive what you wish for yourself.

Ostentation

Ostentation is defined as a hidden form of attributing partners to Allah (SWT). It is a form of idolatry. Ostentation is when one displays his wealth with the intention of impressing people and attaining fame and veneration. It is like seeking the approval of other people rather than the approval of Allah (SWT), the only approval we should ever vie to receive. Loving fame comes from pursuing one’s natural tendencies. This is believed to destroy most people, for only people are capable of destroying themselves. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah (SWT) will reply to a martyr who fought in His path, but who showed off his deeds, with “You wanted it to be said that you were brave; it was said, and that is your reward.” The same will occur for a scholar, pilgrim (to Makkah), warrior, or reciter of the Qur’an who showed off his deeds. Doing a good deed with the intention of gaining fame or reverence makes that deed undertaken only out of regard for others, meaning it has no worth.

Conceit and Arrogance

Conceit is regarded as a disease in which a person looks at himself with honor and self-glorification but looks at others with low regard and disdain. It is when a person believes, when in other’s company, that no one is higher than himself. He seeks to be the top priority and take pride of place. When in a discussion, a conceited person dislikes being contradicted.

Arrogance can be exemplified by a person who, when being warned, insolently rejects a person’s advice yet advises and warns others aggressively. An arrogant person is one who believes he is better than one of Allah (SWT)’s creatures. It is important to understand that you are only virtuous if Allah (SWT) decides you are, which is unknown and depends on your state at death. Therefore, to assume that you are better than others is ignorant. Only Allah Almighty can judge others for we never know what truly lies in the hearts of people. We should attribute all of our blessings and curses to be from Allah (SWT) and we should never take credit for anything in this world as it all belongs to our Creator.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) once said “no one will enter Paradise in whose heart is a mustard-seed of arrogance.”

Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali says it best in The Beginning of Guidance, “The actions of these outer limbs are the result only of the qualities of the heart. So if you wish to protect your outward limbs, you must purify your heart, for that is the inner aspect of consciousness of Allah [S.W.T.].”

In conclusion, these sins are easy to fall prey to and they are not always the easiest to recognize, so we should constantly be checking ourselves and praying to the Most Merciful to keep us safe from such evils and to forgive us if we have committed any of these.