Safeguarding Our Seven Limbs From Sin's Testimony

Guarding the Seven Limbs From Sin

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the servants of Allah, who have chosen him. I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us commandments and prohibitions mentioned in the Qur'an, and as mentioned by Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, it is more difficult to give up sins rather than just to do good deeds. As is mentioned in the narration, Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned that abstaining from the prohibitions of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, abstaining from sins — then you will be amongst the most worshipful servants.

Because it is difficult to abstain from the prohibitions compared to just doing good deeds. Now Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has used sins — the word sin has been described in many different words in the Qur'an. But one specific word which is used commonly you will find is dhanbun.

Dhanbun is also the root of itself — dhanab refers to a tail. Because when a person commits a sin, the effects of that sin linger on with the person throughout the rest of his life. And the effects of that will become most apparent on the Day of Judgment, because the person will be punished for those sins.

The Seven Limbs and the Seven Gates of Jahannam

Sins themselves are related to different limbs. In different ahadith and in the Qur'an, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions the different sins which are attached to each limb. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala didn't leave it ambiguous — He specified which sins are attached with each limb. Each person has a different addiction. Each one of us has a different trial and test in giving up a certain sin. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us the ability and mentioned the different wa'ids and has mentioned different ways to give up different sins.

The ulema have mentioned that if you look into our body itself, sins are attached with mainly seven limbs. And that's why on the Day of Judgment these seven limbs will testify against us. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will seal the mouths, and the hands and the feet will testify. As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions in Surah Ya-Sin:

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will seal the mouths, so the tongue is not going to be speaking. What's going to happen is the hands are making the claim — what is this in Arabic? You call this a muddai, a person that is actually making a claim. So the hands are making the claim. Now if you make a claim, what do you need? You need proof and evidence. So the legs are going to testify against them. So it's not simply that the limbs are talking, but the other limbs will act as witnesses for what the person did.

And you obviously have the earth and the different things which we didn't imagine would testify against us on the Day of Judgment. And these limbs speaking — this is nothing far-fetched. One of the great scholars that passed away, Allama Anwar Shah Kashmiri rahimullah, who is a walking library, mentioned that in this time that we live in, it is easier to understand these ayaat because of the examples that we see.

At the time of Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and the mushrikun, they denied how in the world did Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam travel to Masjid al-Aqsa all the way to the 7th heaven. But now if you look at it, a flight to Masjid al-Aqsa from here is probably maybe 15 hours or something — it's very easy. But before, that was far-fetched. Just because something is far-fetched to understand does not mean that it's impossible.

And you look, for example, in this day and age — maybe 3 or 4 decades ago, you had tape recorders. You could record your voice. Something which is not living, which is considered as dead, doesn't have any ruh, any soul to it — but it can record your voice and replay it. And then fast forward maybe 2 or 3 decades ago, you have videos, video cameras that can replay everything. And now the quality of it is as if you're just watching yourself clearly — the resolution is completely clear. So when we're able to see this in this dunya now, this is just a reflection of what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed to us will happen on the Day of Judgment.

Imam Ghazali rahimullah has mentioned that in Surah Al-Hijr, when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions:

That Jahannam has 7 gates, or 7 layers, 7 tabaqaat. He mentioned that one of the hikmahs, one of the wisdoms behind this, is that it is linked with each sin of a human being — meaning each limb with which the sins are attached. If you go back to a human body, the limbs in which a person commits sins with are:

• The eyes
• The ears
• The tongue
• The stomach
• The private parts
• The hands
• The feet

Those are seven limbs in which a person commits sins with. We don't have time to elaborate on each one of the sins affiliated with each limb and the cures to that. But going over each one — each individual must analyze themselves as to which limb they commit sins with the most.

The Sins of the Eyes

In this day and age, many are afflicted with the sins of the eyes. When it comes to the eyes, you can draw an entire chart of how many sins are attached with each limb. It's not just a matter of casting lustful glances — be it the opposite gender, and in this day and age, sadly, the same gender. Lustful glances are impermissible, be it the same gender or the opposite gender, unless it is your wife, or a wife with a husband.

But aside from even lustful glances — looking down upon someone with the ayn ul-haqqara, with the eye of despising someone. Looking at those things by which attract you to the dunya even more. That's why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told Nabi sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — but in actuality He is addressing us:

Don't stretch your eye. What do you mean by "stretch"? It is mubalaghah — it is more eloquent, using the word madd rather than just saying nadhara, to look. Don't stretch your eyes out, longing for what We have given them of the dunya. Because if you're always looking at the dunya and comparing yourself to others, you're just going to have more love of the dunya come inside your heart.

Aside from lustful glances and always looking at the dunya, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us our eyes to ponder and reflect upon His creation — by which you understand the Creator Himself. You don't ponder in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Himself, but you ponder in the creation. That's why in the Qur'an, in many places it talks about looking at the makhluq, looking at the creation, looking at nature, looking at the tree, looking at the skies, the ocean, the camel, different animals — all things which a human being can't create. That is what the purpose of the eye is for. Looking at your parents with love, looking at your spouses with love, looking at your children with love. Not to commit sins with the eyes.

The Sins of the Ears

The ears are such that they don't have an automatic close button. If you see something you dislike, or see something that you're not supposed to look at, you can close your eyes immediately. But the ears don't have that. So that's why the ears are very important to safeguard.

In this day and age, music is so rampant — wherever you go, be it the gas station, be it a local grocery store, it is so rampant. And our ulema have said music was impermissible. Now recently people are coming up with fatwas saying it's permissible. There was a consensus — look at the previous ulema and all the Salaf as-Saliheen, amongst our great imams, be it even the four madhabs — that music was impermissible. There are effects which you won't even realize. Sometimes you might have just heard a song implicitly — you weren't intentionally trying to hear it. What happens is it gets stuck in your head, or gets stuck in your heart. You don't even try to memorize the lyrics or the tune of it, but automatically it's there.

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 4927; attributed to a statement reported from Ibn Mas'ud radiyallahu 'anhu)

Singing and music grows hypocrisy in one's heart, just as how water grows crops.

Listening to backbiting is also another sin affiliated with the ears. Listening to lies, listening to people curse — all these different sins affiliated with the ears are necessary to abstain from. And because we don't have an automatic stop button to close our ears, you have to avoid those environments. These are all funnels which lead to one's heart. The ears, the eyes, the tongue — they lead to one's heart and have an effect upon it.

The Sins of the Tongue

The tongue is one of the most dangerous limbs. Because the tongue — you won't get tired. You can talk for hours, 3, 4, 5, 6 hours, and you won't get tired. For someone watching something impermissible, you strain your eyes regardless. Your eyes get strained and you need a break. But when it comes to the tongue, the tongue doesn't have a break.

If you just look at the creation of our body itself, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has put two gates in the mouth — one is the lip and one is the teeth — to cover the tongue and make sure it doesn't speak carelessly. And the Prophet ﷺ mentioned that people are going to be thrown headlong into the fire because of what their tongues have:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2616; also reported in Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3973)

Because of what their tongues harvested — meaning the sins which their tongues committed in this dunya — that's going to be a source for people to be thrown headlong into the fire.

If you look at the tongue: backbiting, cursing, carrying tales, false rumors, insulting people. Imam Ghazali rahimullah has elaborated over 70 sins affiliated with the tongue. That's why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions in Surah Qaf that you have angels that are writing and are waiting — raqib — they're just anticipating when a person will say something, be it good or bad, to write it down.

That's why it's very important to contemplate before whenever someone speaks and utters anything. This tongue is a limb by which you enter into the fold of Islam. But at the same time, you can leave the fold of Islam with it. This tongue joins unions together — husband and wife together — when he says قَبِلْتُ. But at the same time, this tongue causes destruction amongst the family when they separate. This tongue can be the source of ruin for your children — when you're cursing your children, looking down upon your children, yelling at your children. And vice versa also — a child yelling at their parents. The tongue is a source of evil.

As I mentioned, we don't have enough time to elaborate on all the sins and the cures behind them, but one important thing is just to contemplate before we speak. In this day and age, if you're an introvert or you don't talk a lot, you're looked down upon. But that's not the asl — that's not the main basis of how our deen is. Because Nabi ﷺ would only speak when it was necessary. The asl is that you speak when it's necessary. The asl is not that you always speak and remain quiet every now and then. It should be the opposite — you remain quiet the majority of the time, and you speak when it's necessary, when it's good and there's some benefit for yourself or for others.

The Sins of the Hands

When it comes to the sins of the hands — striking someone, hitting your children, or vice versa, it happens now, children hitting their parents. Taking and stealing from someone. Taking wrong money, cheating someone. Those of us here that are merchants, selling items or selling cars — especially in the car business — don't cheat people. When you're selling an item, we have the fiqh of buyu', how you're supposed to explain all the uyub, all the defects of the item. If not, as it comes in the hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2079; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1532)

If you don't disclose the defects, then the barakah of the bay'ah is effaced — for the mushtari and the seller both. And you're taking money that is haram for you to consume because you're cheating and duping people. That is a sin — that's part of the sins which the hands commit.

The Sins of the Feet

When it comes to the sins of the feet or the legs — those sins include walking to impermissible places, which is not rare; it is actually quite common. Muslims going to clubs and impermissible places — your feet will testify on the Day of Judgment.

The Sins of the Stomach

Sins related to the stomach include eating impermissible foods, eating haram food, consuming riba — usury and interest — which is so common in this day and age. No matter how much you try to avoid it, somehow you still get caught up in it. The society and economy have become such that it becomes so expensive that one feels compelled to take interest. But remember — if you make sure that you are strict to the halal guidelines and always try to find a halal sustenance, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will make a way out for you.

The Sins of the Private Parts

When it comes to the sins regarding one's private parts, this is very common. Look statistically — forget about even Muslims. Premarital relations are very common. Two decades ago it wasn't so common. Before, none of that would happen before marriage. Now it's the opposite — if you're dating and nothing else happened before that, you're actually looked at as an outcast.

And our youth are involved in this. Our children are involved in this. Because we made it difficult for them to get married — with all these different criteria. Mawlana Shafi' Uthmani rahimullah, one of our greatest scholars, mentioned that in our deen, in our Shari'ah, anything which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala laid out strict guidelines for, people stood with those strict guidelines. Any place where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave leeway and there is a huge domain, you had all these innovations come about. And he gave the example of mahr — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala didn't specify a specific amount. Some madhahib say 10 dirhams, some have given leeway up to the couple's agreement. But because there was so much leeway, what happens? People are asking for $100,000. You have to give this car, you have to give that. They're expecting things before marriage. And all these different innovations and sins occur. Why? Because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala left it open to people, and people just messed it up.

So make it easy for your children to get married. Talk to them about these topics so that they abstain from these sins. If they're not involved in clear-cut zina, they're involved in pornography — which eventually leads to that also.

Conclusion

These are just a very, very brief summary of the sins which are connected with each limb. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give us the tawfiq to safeguard all of our limbs.

Announcements

All the brothers are requested to please stand up and make room so that we can pray our sunnahs insha'Allah. A few announcements insha'Allah. Please pass the donation boxes from left to right and donate generously. Sadaqah wards off calamities and draws the mercy of Allah. Nabi ﷺ has mentioned charity given during the day of Jumu'ah is greater in reward than any other day.

The Ahlus Salaam monthly seminar will be on Friday, January 13th after Isha. Topic: Breaking the Stigma — Addressing Addiction in the Muslim Community. Speaker is Dr. Ahmed, Assistant Professor at Stanford University. This will occur after Isha at 7:45 PM on Friday, January 13th.

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Weekly programs continuing: Team Fajr will resume from Saturday, January 14th insha'Allah. Bukhari Dars will be on Monday, January 19th. Tuesday's Tafheem program will resume on January 10th with Surah Al-Mu'minun insha'Allah. Our weekly Salawat gathering on Thursdays is continuing after Isha.

There is a request for Du'a-e-Maghfirah for the aunt of Tahir Sayyid who passed away in India. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive her of all of her sins and grant her a high status in Jannah.

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