Feeling The Effects Of Sin

Imam Ibn Hazm said about sins:

وفساد الرأي والعار والإثم لا يعلم قبحها إلا من كان خارجا عنها وليس يراه من كان داخلا فيهاالوجع والفقر والنكبة والخوف لا يحس أذاها إلا من كان فيها ولا يعلمه من كان خارجا عنها

‘𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀, 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝘀 : 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱, 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘂𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆, 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, & 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿: 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝘁. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝘁.’

[‘Rasail Ibn Hazm’, 1/349].

This is very true… sins have a bad spiritual odour to it, initially, our spiritual compass picks it up and we feel really bad … but if we keep sinning, we become accustomed to it… like someone who doesn’t shower very often … they get accustomed to their own bad smell, but others can smell how bad it is!

It’s the same with sins…. for example adultery … it becomes an addiction, like cocaine. People who commit adultery consider the sin lighter and lighter, every time they do it. The first time they did it, they feel really bad… afterwards, they get used to it.

They don’t realise how bad it is.

The only solution is not to start these major sins in the first place.Once you’re in it, it is a downward spiral to destruction.