Consequences of Major Sins - Shaykh Zakaullah Saleem

Khutbah Opening

وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

The Dream of the Prophet ﷺ — A Vision of Punishments

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, Imam Al-Bukhari has reported a hadith in the book of Al-Jana'iz on the authority of Samurah bin Jundub who says that it was the sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ that after leading Salatul Fajr he would remain in his place and he would keep himself busy in the remembrance of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram, and sometimes he would ask his companions if any one of them had seen any dream in the last night. Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, says if anyone would have seen any dream they would tell the Prophet ﷺ and the Prophet ﷺ would give the explanation and he would interpret that dream.

One day the Prophet ﷺ led Salatul Fajr and he asked the same question to his companions and no one replied saying that he had seen any dream. Then the Prophet ﷺ said: "Tonight I have seen a dream and I would like to tell you that dream." And then he told his companions: "I was asleep when two men came to me and they woke me up and they said, 'O Muhammad, let's go.' And they took me to a blessed and sacred land." As the Muhaddithin have said, this blessed land is the land of Jerusalem.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Jana'iz, Hadith 1386)

The First Punishment: The Man Whose Cheek Was Torn

He ﷺ went there along with these two men. Then he ﷺ says: "Over there I saw a person who was sitting down and there was another person standing beside him. The person standing beside him had an iron hook in his hand. He would insert that hook inside the mouth of the person who was sitting down and he would push it inside his mouth until it would reach to his jawbone, and then he would drag it and he would tear the side of his cheek all the way up to his back. Then this person would come on the other side and he would do the same on the other side of his cheek. And by the time he had torn off the other side of the cheek the first side of the cheek would become normal, and then this person would come on the right side again and he would repeat this action again and again." He ﷺ says: "I asked my two companions — these two men — who is this person? They said, 'Wait, let's move on, let's proceed.'"

The Second Punishment: The Man Whose Head Was Crushed

He ﷺ says: "Then we moved on and we came to see a person who was lying down on the floor flat, and there was another person standing beside him. He had a big stone or a piece of rock in his hand and he would crush and strike the head of the person who was lying down flat to the level that his head would be crushed completely. Then that stone and that piece of rock would roll away and this person would go to pick it up, and by the time he would come back his head would become normal, and this person would strike his head again and again and again, continuing to repeat this action." He ﷺ says: "I asked my companions — these two men — who is this? They said, 'Move on.'"

The Third Punishment: Men and Women Burning in a Pit

Then he ﷺ says: "We went and we came across a deep hole in the earth in which there was a fire kindled, and inside the hole there were men and women. They were burning and screaming." He ﷺ said: "Inside that hole, whenever the flame would come up these people would come up as well while screaming and crying and shouting, to the extent that they were about to come out of this hole, but then the flame would go down and would become quieter and these people would go again inside that hole. And these men and women — they were naked." He ﷺ said: "I asked these two men, my companions, 'Who are these people?' They said, 'Wait and move on.'"

The Fourth Punishment: The Man Drowning in a River of Blood

Then he ﷺ says: "We came across a person who was drowning in a river of blood. He was drowning in the river of blood and he was trying to come out of this river. And as soon as he would come closer to the bank of the river, there was a person who was standing by the bank of that river and he had gathered a large number of stones and he would strike this person with those stones and this person would go again into the midst of the blood river again, and he would continue drowning." He ﷺ says: "I asked my two companions about this person and they said, 'Let's move on.'"

The hadith continues, but I am going to stop here, and this is the topic of the khutbah today — to highlight the punishment and also the sins, the four major sins because of which these people were being punished.

Lessons from This Hadith

There are a number of lessons that we learn from this very hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ. One of them is that the dreams of the prophets are always true. The second one is that the Prophet ﷺ would interpret the dreams of his companions whenever they would see any dream and whenever they would tell him ﷺ about it.

Seeing a dream and interpreting a dream and explaining a dream — this is another separate topic — but one thing we need to keep in mind with regards to dreams, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam: if you see something good in a dream then the Prophet ﷺ has instructed us not to tell anyone except the person that you love the most or the person who has knowledge, the person who is well versed with the explanation and the interpretation of the dream, someone who has knowledge to interpret it in the right way. Otherwise do not tell anyone. And if the dream is not good and it leaves some kind of grief within your heart and you are upset, then in this case you should not tell anyone at all. This is one of the basic etiquettes of dreams.

These two people that took the Prophet ﷺ to the sacred land were two angels, as it is mentioned in some of the ahadith of Rasulullah ﷺ. And one of the lessons that we learn from this hadith is the punishment of the hereafter and the punishment in the barzakh. Barzakh is the life between the life of this dunya and the Day of Judgment and the next life — that is usually explained as a life in the grave — and this life of the grave is called the life of barzakh.

Barzakh linguistically means a barrier. Allah says in the Quran that those who passed away, those who leave this dunya — between them and the akhira there is a barzakh, a barrier, until the Day of Judgment, until the day they are going to be resurrected.

So this life of barzakh is a true life and it is part of our iman and belief and it is part of our aqidah to believe in the authentic ahadith of Rasulullah ﷺ that make the mention of the punishments of barzakh. And this hadith is one of those evidences.

The Four Major Sins

First Sin: Lying and Spreading False News

The first person who was being punished — the one having his cheek torn — he ﷺ said, as informed by the two angels Jibrail and Mikail, this was a person who used to make up a lie, and such a big lie that people would report on his behalf and the lie would reach all over the world. And this person who made up this lie would become very happy that "This is something that I have created, I have made up, and people are sharing it and reporting it on my behalf, on my authority."

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, lying in the religion of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram is one of the greatest and major sins, and unfortunately people have taken this sin very lightly nowadays. Especially with the widespread of social media and every person having Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and WhatsApp in their hands, people continue spreading lies without even having any courage to verify any news.

And the worst type of lie is when people make up something and they say "This is the hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ" — this is part of the religion — or people make up something and they say "If you share it you will get the reward in such and such a way." Rasulullah ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 110; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 3)

"Whoever makes up a lie on me — whoever says anything about me that I have not said, whoever says something about me or associates to me something that I have not said — then such a person should take his place in the fire of hell."

So my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, we need to be very careful when it comes to sharing messages and spreading news. Don't share any news until it is completely and fully verified, and especially, as I said, when it comes to something related to the religion of Allah, don't report it. And even as a true believer, as a Muslim, you should have courage. If someone has sent you a message in the form of a text or in the form of a video or audio, don't simply say "Someone told me and that person is trustworthy, that is why I am forwarding it." No — you have the duty to verify it. There is so much lying spreading out in social media nowadays, so be careful. If you spread lies then remember this hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ.

And while we are going through the month of March and in a few weeks' time we will be approaching the month of April — and we all know the 1st of April is known as the day of the fool — people make up lies on a very large scale, and unfortunately even the Muslims and the believers get involved in this major sin. So we need to be careful.

Second Sin: Neglecting Salatul Fajr Despite Knowing the Quran

The second person that the Prophet ﷺ saw in his dream — the one who was lying down and having his head crushed — the two angels Jibrail and Mikail informed the Prophet ﷺ that this was a person whom Allah taught and gave the knowledge of the Quran. He understood the Quran, he knew the Quran, he memorised the Quran — yet he would stay asleep from the obligatory prayer. Some of the narrations of this hadith mention that this person would stay asleep at the time of Salatul Fajr, particularly. The person who has the knowledge of the Quran and yet does not wake up for Salatul Fajr — this is the punishment of such a person. And during the day he would not act upon the Book of Allah. The wording of the hadith is that the Prophet ﷺ said he is going to be punished until the Day of Judgment — continuously, he will be punished until the Day of Judgment.

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, waking up for Salatul Fajr is very, very important and we all know the importance of Salatul Fajr. The Prophet ﷺ has classified Salatul Fajr as one of the biggest criteria between the believer and the munafiq. He ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 657; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 651)

"The heaviest of the prayers on the hypocrite are two prayers — Salatul Isha and Salatul Fajr." At the end of the day when you come back very tired from work and you do not want to pray and Shaitan continues whispering in your mind and you do not want to come to the masjid to join the congregational prayer — and even some people do not pray at all. And then Salatul Fajr — many of us have the excuse that "I am unable to wake up for Salatul Fajr" — why? Because "I cannot go to sleep early at night; it is my habit that I cannot go to sleep." And obviously if you cannot go to sleep before 12, 1, or 2 o'clock, then how would you be able to wake up for Salatul Fajr?

Rasulullah ﷺ used to dislike talking and being engaged in any kind of conversation after Salatul Isha. He would go to sleep straight after Salatul Isha, unless there was a religious talk — something about the religion of Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram, learning something. But again, the scholars have said: if you have experience that attending, for example, a particular lecture or circle or class — although you are trying to gain the knowledge of the religion of Allah — but because it is held after Salatul Isha and because of this very reason you cannot wake up for Salatul Fajr, then it is better to leave such a lecture, class, or circle and make the effort to wake up for Salatul Fajr, because Salatul Fajr is more important.

Third Sin: Zina (Fornication and Adultery)

Then the Prophet ﷺ said — when he saw those people burning in the hole, naked, screaming and shouting and crying — Jibrail and Mikail informed him ﷺ that these were the people who used to commit Zina, fornication, and they were the people who never repented to Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram and they never rectified their mistakes and their sins and they left this dunya without repentance.

Unfortunately, again in these times and this age, this fornication — Zina — has become widespread and the doors of the fitnah and the fahisha are wide open everywhere. And it has become very difficult for a normal person to stay away and to refrain from committing Zina. But if Shaitan has tricked you and you have committed this major sin, now you have the time to repent to Allah. Pay in mind that Allah has promised in the Quran, at the end of Surah Al-Furqan, when He made the mention of some major sins — one of them being Zina — He said:

Those who commit these types of major sins — they will be punished by Allah in all humility and their punishment will last for a long time. And then in the following ayah Allah says:

Except those who repent to Allah and they believe in Allah and they correct their actions — Allah has promised that out of His mercy and His love for such a person, Allah will change the sins of this person of the past into good deeds. So you have time now to repent to Allah Dhul-Jalali wal-Ikram.

And my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, when it comes to this major sin of Zina, if you study the Book of Allah you will find that Allah has revealed many verses in the Quran that instruct us to close and keep the doors and the ways leading to Zina shut. For example, Allah said in Surah An-Nur:

"O Muhammad ﷺ, tell the believers that they lower their gaze and they safeguard their chastity." And the same instruction is for women. And Allah also says:

"Do not come closer to Zina." That is why Allah has instructed and revealed the ayat in the Quran about Hijab — and the whole purpose of Hijab is to protect the society from falling into this major sin. And there are many other instructions of Rasulullah ﷺ as well.

Fourth Sin: Riba (Interest and Usury)

And the last person — the one who was drowning in the river of blood — Rasulullah ﷺ said this was the person who used to deal with Riba, with interest. Again, this is one of the major sins that people have taken very lightly, and people have made up so many excuses: "It's okay because I am struggling, so I need this type of loan, I need that type of mortgage, I have no solution" — and this and that.

But at the end of the day, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, no matter how many scholars have issued a fatwa regarding the mortgage or dealing with haram, with Riba, with finance, or whatever — at the end of the day, on the Day of Judgment you will be held to account before Allah with regards to your own actions. And on that day Allah is not going to excuse you because of the simple excuse that "I acted upon the fatwa of so and so." Rather, on the Day of Judgment Allah has mentioned in the Quran there are such people — they will say while burning in the fire:

"Woe to us — if only we would have obeyed Allah and His Messenger ﷺ." And these people are not going to benefit. So do not blindly follow anyone. Rather, look at the verses of the Quran and the ahadith of Rasulullah ﷺ and ask yourself whether the excuse you are making has any value — any value in the religion of Allah.

May Allah give us the ability to repent to Him and may Allah protect us and save us all from these major sins.

Who Will Be Punished on the Day of Judgment?

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, one of the lessons that we learn from this hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ is that people are being punished — and people will be punished even on the Day of Judgment — because of major sins. The people who are going to be punished on the Day of Judgment are going to be of two types.

The first: those who did not believe in Allah, those who associated partners with Allah, those who committed shirk and they died in the state of kufr and shirk and they never repented to Allah. Such people will remain in the punishment; they will remain in the fire of hell forever, because this is the decision of Allah:

Whoever commits shirk with Allah — Allah has made Jannah haram upon him and his final eternal abode is the fire of hell.

But there will be other people who never committed shirk with Allah — rather they were believers, they were Muslims, they were within the fold of Islam — but they continued committing major sins and they never repented to Allah and they died in this state. Again, this is very dangerous. Such people will be completely dependent on the will of Allah:

If Allah wants, Allah will punish such people in the fire of hell and eventually bring them out of the fire and they will be allowed their entry into Paradise. Or if Allah wants, He can accept any of the good deeds of that person and Allah can forgive all of his sins because of that small good deed. But at the end of the day their final abode is going to be Paradise. However, we do not have any guarantee whether Allah is going to forgive us without punishment or with punishment — so we need to try our best to stay away from all these types of major sins.

Final Advice: Learn About the Major Sins

With regards to major sins — there are many. Obviously the biggest and the greatest of the sins is shirk, associating partners with Allah. But there are many other major sins: lying is one of them, backbiting is also one of the major sins, cheating is a major sin, and there are many other major sins. I would recommend everyone that if you have time to explore YouTube, go to the YouTube channel of Greenland Masjid. A few years ago our respected Sheikh Abu Usama went through a book of Imam Al-Dhahabi called Al-Kaba'ir — Al-Kaba'ir means major sins. Go through those series of lectures so that you can understand the major sins and the severity of those major sins, and then you can try your best to stay away from these major sins.

May Allah protect us from all types of sins and may Allah give us the tawfiq and ability to repent to Him and to seek His forgiveness.