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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Heart's Captivation and Imprisonment by Sin

 

The
Heart's Captivation and Imprisonment by Sin


By Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim

From Al-Jawab al-Kafi1





He (rahimahullaah) said: 

 

And among its effects is that the disobedient
(sinner) is constantly in the shackles of his Shaytaan and the prison of
his shahwa (desires) and the chains/fetters of his hawaa (whims). So he
is a captive, one who is imprisoned and who is tied up.
 

There is no captive in a worse state than
the one who is captivated by his worst enemy and there is no prison which
is tighter than the prison of hawa and there is no bond/fetter more strong
than the bond of desire.

How, then, will a heart which is captivated,
imprisoned and fettered travel unto Allaah and the Home of the Hereafter.
How will a person take a single step forward when the heart is bound and
harmful things approach it from every direction. The harmful things approach
it to the extent that it is tied up [i.e. imprisoned by its desires and
whims..].

The example of the heart is like the example
of a bird. Every time is ascends it becomes distant from the harmful things
and every time it descends the harmful things hurt it. In a hadeeth there
occurs that Shaytaan is like a wolf to people. Just as when a sheep has
no protector and is in between many wolves, they are quick in causing damage
and injury; likewise the servant who does not have guardianship from Allaah,
then his wolf [i.e. his desires, whims etc.] is to him a predatory animal.

[Thus] there is no escape for the servant
from having protection from Allaah. Taqwaa is a safeguarding for him and
a strong shield between himself and the punishment of this world and the
Hereafter.

Every time the sheep is close to its shepherd
it is more safe from the wolf and every time it becomes distant from its
shepherd it is closer to destruction. So its sanctuary is when it is close
to its shepherd because the wolf takes the lonely one from the flock and
this is the one which is the furthest one of the flock from the shepherd.
The basis of all of this is is that every time the heart is distant from
Allaah the harmful things are quick in approaching it and every time it
is close to Allaah the harmful things become distant from it.

Remoteness from Allaah has levels/degrees,
some of which are more severe than others. Heedlesness distances the servant
from Allaah and some acts of disobedience are greater than some acts of
heedlesness. Some innovations are greater than some acts of disobedience
and some things from Hypocrisy and Shirk are greater than all of what has
preceded.

 

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