Sins, The Biggest Calamity in One’s Life

There is no doubt for the believer that there is not a single aspect in one’s life but the Quran has for it the optimal guidance. Is it not that the Ayat of the Quran have been perfected by Allah (swt), the All knowing, the All Wise? – “This is a Book whose verses are well perfected and then fully explained. It is from the One ˹Who is˺ All-Wise, All-Aware” (11:1).

Among the blessings of the guidance of the Quran is attaining the satisfaction and the assurance of the soul, as a result of rejoicing over the glad tidings revealed in the Quran. One of the most hopeful Ayat in the Quran, that blows into the soul the feeling of joy and happiness, is the following Ayah: “Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful'” (39:53).

However, there are those who do not feel any joy when reading such an Ayah. They just read words with empty hearts, completely heedless of the magnitude of its message! Such an unmindfulness indicates that these people are strangers to the Quran, which make them to be deprived from the blessings of its guidance. Indeed, the latter’s guidance benefits only those who have an attentive heart and heedful ear.

The solution to help one correct him/herself and follow rightfully the path of guidance is to attain a level of Iman (faith) in which one would believe sincerely that the accumulation of sins is the worst calamity ever in the life of a human being. How would it not be, when sins are the obstacle standing between the servant and the pleasure of his/her Creator? – “Whoever turns away from it (the message) will surely bear the burden ˹of sin˺ on the Day of Judgment, suffering its consequences forever. What an evil burden they will carry on Judgment Day!” (20:99-100). Only when one attains a hightened level of Iman will he/she be able to greatly rejoice in Allah’s promises revealed in the Quran and reap the blessings of its guidance.

To check whether one has attained this level of Iman or not, one has to watch his/her reaction after committing a major sin! It should make one feel suffocated, fearing that Allah (swt) would not forgive him/her. In fact, Allah accepted the repentance of those who remained behind in the expedition of Tabuk after fifty nights of their begging for forgiveness. “And ˹Allah has also turned in mercy to˺ the three who had remained behind, ˹whose guilt distressed them˺ until the earth, despite its vastness, seemed to close in on them, and their souls were torn in anguish. They knew there was no refuge from Allah except in Him. Then He turned to them in mercy so that they might repent. Surely Allah ˹alone˺ is the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful.” (9:118). So, sins are truly the biggest calamity in one’s life, unless Allah would forgive them.

To be able to rejoice the glad tidings of the forgiveness of all sins, stated in the Ayah above, as well as all the good news in the Quran, one has to regard sins, as Abdullah [Ibn Mas'ud] said: "The believer sees his sins as if he were sitting at the base of a mountain, fearing it might collapse on him. But the wicked person sees his sins like a fly that landed on his nose; he brushes it away like this, and it flies off.”

In order for the believer to attain the level of Iman in which sins are perceived as being a great calamity in one’s life, he/she has to be mindful and watchful over observing the fear of Allah (swt) in every aspect of life. That is how sins will be contained and forgiven. Take the example of the following Hadith: “When the child of Adam wakes up in the morning, all the limbs humble themselves before the tongue and say: ‘Fear God concerning us, for we are dependent on you. If you are upright, we will be upright, but if you deviate, we will deviate.'”

Next, the believer has to have one single goal that would administrate and direct all other goals. This goal is to make the Hereafter one’s main concern. One would be then rich in the heart and able to rejoice over the glad tidings of the Quran. It is narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever makes the Hereafter his concern, Allah will place richness in his heart, bring his affairs together, and the world will come to him submissively. But, whoever makes this world his concern, Allah will place poverty before his eyes, scatter his affairs, and nothing of this world will come to him, except what has been decreed for him."