Refraining from Ones Desires - Sheikh Abdul Hadi Al-Omri

Refraining from One's Desires

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. He sent him with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. The best hadith is the Book of Allah, and the best guide is the guide of Muhammad.

Brothers and sisters, Alhamdulillah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has created us in the best manner, and guided us to the best religion of Islam, and made us from the best ummah of the last and final messenger, Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made us and our souls capable of doing good and bad actions, and we can think about positive and negative elements.

The Human Capacity for Good and Evil

As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in Surah Ad-Dahr (Al-Insan):

Indeed, We have guided the human being, and he can choose either to be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala or ungrateful. If someone can defeat the negative elements within them, they can hope to achieve success.

As in Surah Yusuf, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says regarding when the wife of al-'Aziz moved towards Nabi Hazrat Yusuf alayhi salatu wassalam:

She started towards him — Nabi Hazrat Yusuf alayhi salatu wassalam — and if he had not seen a sign from his Lord, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he would have fallen. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protected His Nabi Hazrat Yusuf alayhi salatu wassalam. But the point made is that we have a combination of good and bad desires. One can defeat the bad desires and control himself, so he can get help and support from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So always there is like a competition between good and bad desires — we can choose one of them.

Keeping Company with the Righteous

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala ordered the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam to spend time with those who engage in good activities, and not with those who are arrogant and disbelievers. As in Surah Al-Kahf, verse 28, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Keep yourself attached to those who call on their Lord all the time, seeking His pleasure day and night. In this verse, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says those who follow His commands and engage in doing righteous good deeds — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's mercy and help will be with them, because these are the people who have defeated their negative desires.

The Companion Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b and His Wish for Jannah

According to hadith, one day the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said to the companion Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b al-Aslami — who used to serve the Prophet — that if you want to ask me for anything, then do so. Mashallah, the companions used to target jannah, paradise. Then quickly his response was: "I am asking to be with you in paradise." The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, "Do you want to ask anything else?" He replied, "No, only jannah, paradise." So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, "If you want to be in paradise, then you have to help me with extra non-obligatory prayers, and by this Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will be pleased with you."

(Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 990)

The way of thinking of the companions was very different from ours. What training did the companions receive? As soon as the Prophet said, "If you want to ask for something, ask for it," the companion said, "I have one desire — I want to be with you in Paradise." The Prophet said, "Ask for something else," meaning something worldly. The companion said, "No. If I get that, I don't want anything else. What can be a greater blessing than Paradise?" Then the Prophet, seeing his desire, said that if this is your desire, then you should take care of yourself with nawafil — because through these extra prayers you will reach Allah and your desire will be fulfilled.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam has suggested here that if you want to enter paradise, you need to control your evil desires and please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with non-obligatory prayers in addition to obligatory prayers. Because in nawafil — in sadaqah, in recitation of Quran, in dhikr and salat — we will be closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Cause of Corruption in Society

There are many people who complain about the current circumstances these days — mass destruction, rapid spread of fitna, and growth of evil activities in individual and society, local, national and international, everywhere. So people are asking: why this fitna? Why this evil in every place? The Quran already stated the reason for this. Everybody wants to overcome these problems, but without dealing with the reality. As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in Surah Ar-Rum, verse 41:

Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of the evil which men have done, and so We will make them taste the fruit of some of their doing so that they may turn back from evil. So whatever we are doing, that will be a reflection. If we look around us, we will understand that as individuals, and in our family and society, how much we are engaged in bad and evil activities every day — trying to please ourselves, regardless of what means and resources we use for that pleasure.

The Quran is a Mirror, Not a History Book

If we study deeply the Quran-e-Karim, we will come across many previous nations, their corruptions, and their punishment by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as a result of what they did. But unfortunately, we are reading the Quran-e-Majid as a book of blessing only, and not to take guidance from it. We are reading the Quran to get only reward, but we are not ready to get guidance from the Quran-e-Majid. Or perhaps we think that those nations mentioned in the Quran-e-Majid are a matter of the past — they have gone — and it does not relate to us today.

We need to remember: the Quran is a book of guidance. Guidance for me. Guidance for you. Guidance for scholars. Guidance for all sheikhs. The Quran-e-Majid is not a book of history. If Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions a nation, it is an example for us — to learn from these stories, for us to analyze that situation and the punishment, and to remember the punishment that was given for that nation.

Whenever we read about any nation — 'Aad, Thamud, Lut, Shu'ayb, etc. — we have to stop for a while to apply it on ourselves. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions some nations, for example in Surah Al-'Ankabut, and then concluded that We have punished each of them because of their bad deeds and sinful life.

The Quran is like a mirror for us. If we read anything in the Quran, we should remember that it applies to us as well. The Quran is not a book of history — just reading about the nation of so-and-so and then forgetting it. No. The Quran is like a mirror. Whenever we are reading, we have to apply it on ourselves.

Lessons from the Nations of the Past

The Nation of 'Aad and Thamud — Arrogance

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions the nation of 'Aad and Thamud and their problem. Their problem was proudness and arrogance. They did not bother about the guidance of the prophet of the time and said they were strong enough to face anything, and no one can defeat them. They used to say, "There is no one stronger than us on earth, so we can face any challenge." Because of this attitude, they refused to believe in the oneness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and in the teaching of the prophets of the time. So the punishment of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala came upon them. The people of 'Aad were destroyed totally because of their attitude — they were flying in the air, colliding with each other. Who can face Allah's punishment? And then Thamud were also destroyed by a terrible sound — such fearful voices that their hearts were torn and they were finished.

The Nation of Lut — Unnatural Desires

Another great prophet, Lut, and the problem of his nation was unnatural sexual desires. They left the right ways that Allah has told them and went to satanic ways to fulfill their desires, and they refused to accept the teaching of the prophet of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Then what happened? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala punished them with a painful torment. As in Surah Hud, verse 82:

And when Our command came, We turned the town upside down and rained upon it stones of clay, layer upon layer. Now people are trying to make this legal. One whole nation was destroyed because of this illness — punishment, and that too a very humiliating punishment. They were killed, and after their destruction, their existence was not tolerated on earth. The earth itself was trampled — as if to say, your existence cannot remain on earth.

We should all understand that a whole nation, because of this disease, was given such punishment. Today, if some people are trying to give a legal status to marriage of a man with a man and a marriage of a woman with a woman — giving them the same rights as are given to husband and wife — we should stop and think.

The Nation of Shu'ayb — Fraud and Deception in Business

Another prophet, Shu'ayb, and the nation of Shu'ayb — they were engaged in cheating, fraud, and wrong dealing in people's transactions, and they refused to follow the instruction and guidance of the prophet. So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala punished them. As mentioned in Surah Ash-Shu'ara, verse 189:

They rejected him and the punishment of the day of overshadowing gloom came upon them. Flames of fire were thrown at them, and there was an earthquake, and they were finished with fearful voices. Nowadays people in business deceive others and think they are smart. A whole nation of Shu'ayb was infected with this disease and received a very painful punishment. We should read Surah Ash-Shu'ara, verse 189, and see how painful the punishment was.

There are many other nations as well. So if we ponder over these nations — just a few of them as examples — and look at their problems and how they were punished for their wrongdoings, and if we apply this to the current situation today, we will find that all these problems and wrongdoings are among us today as well, just as they were in the past. So we have to remember their punishment — how they were destroyed by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's order. The Quran is a mirror. Whenever we read it, we have to apply it on ourselves.

The Impact of Sins on Our Lives

No doubt the impact of our sins will be seen on our personal and collective lives. We will be distanced from the straight path and the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala if we engage in evil activities.

Missing the Friday Prayer

For example, by missing the Friday prayer deliberately, a black spot is formed on our heart, and if this continues, then the heart becomes covered with black spots and sealed from the hidayah of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But unfortunately, many of our respected brothers and sisters don't bother about Salatul Jumu'ah, about the Friday prayer. Those who think it is a small sin should think about how great the loss is.

Alcohol

Similarly, there is the problem of intoxication. As the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam mentioned, ten types of people will be cursed — including those who are directly or indirectly engaged in making, selling, buying, serving, and drinking of alcohol.

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 3674; also reported in Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3380)

But unfortunately this disease is among our society. If you go around our areas you can be witness to this. We can understand the problems caused by alcohol by looking at the incidents around us, and the number of people ending up in prison because of this disease. The one who was cursed by the Prophet, the one who was forbidden by Allah — if we make him lawful, will there be blessings? Will there be goodness in our society?

Riba (Interest)

Also the problem of riba, interest, usury — this will crash a society, an individual's life, as well as the collective. Because riba, my brothers and sisters, interest — this is considered as a war against Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wasallam. As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Allah made interest unlawful. We tried to make it lawful for ourselves. If you think that you are capable enough to fight and win against Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, then you can go and deal with riba. And we see today the issue of recession — this riba here in Europe and everywhere in the world. A wise man will never involve himself in things that are forbidden by Allah and His Messenger.

Unlawful Earnings and the Rejection of Du'a

Sin has a direct impact on our good deeds, and also our supplication will not be accepted by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. For example, someone earning by unlawful sources — his supplications will not be accepted. As in hadith, the Nabiy Kareem sallallahu alayhi wasallam said about a person surrounded by hardship, difficulties, and problems, who raises his hands saying, "O Allah, help me! O Allah, help me!" — but his du'a, his supplication, will be rejected. Why? Because according to hadith, his clothing is from haram, his blood is from haram, his flesh is from haram. How will Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept his du'a?

(Sahih Muslim, Book 12, Hadith 2214)

We have to think for a while about our sources of income — whether this is from haram or from halal. If it is from halal, then alhamdulillah, be thankful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But if it is from haram, we have to abstain from it. Otherwise our prayer, our supplication, our efforts will be null and void — we don't get any reward, and it will not be accepted by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Path to True Success

So we can see the need to stay away from all types of evil and bad deeds, and the importance of having control over our desires. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Indeed, he who will be successful is he who purifies himself. And as in the Quran, read in many verses — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says if you want to be successful, then you have to purify yourselves. And if you want to get jannah, this is the way. So we have to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We have to control our desires and negative elements, and we have to engage in good deeds and righteous good things, because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will be pleased with them.

Real success — here and in the hereafter — is for the person who controls his desires, fears Allah, and does righteous good deeds. Allah made both ways — good and bad — and gave the ability to do both. The best people are those who keep their bad self in control and follow the desires of the Shari'ah and raise the Shari'ah.

No doubt the impact of our sins will be seen on our personal and collective lives. We will be kept away from the mercy of Allah if we engage in evil. May Allah give us tawfiq and the ability for understanding, teaching of Islam, and following the best guidance. May Allah enable us to understand and act. Ameen.