The Evil of Desire and how it leads to Destruction

Have you seen him who takes his own lust (vain desires) as his ilah (god), and Allah knowing (him as such), left him astray, and sealed his hearing and his heart, and put a cover on his sight. Who then will guide him after Allah? Will you not then remember? — Qur’an 45[Al-Jathiya]:23

Photo by Alexis Fauvet on Unsplash

The story of our forefather — Adam (AS) was a beautiful lesson for humanity at large. Imagine how he was created by Allah and made to flourish in the garden of bliss. Along with his wife, Allah instructed them to enjoy the bounties of paradise without limitation except for a forbidden tree. They dwelled therein obeying Allah’s injunction until the chief deceiver Iblees whispered falsehood into their heart and led them astray. He told them things which their hearts desire and subsequently led to their expulsion. This was known as the first sin and ever after, the progeny of Adam continued to fall for desires.

The sad thing about desires is that it’s a form of mirage. A temporary enjoyment that is not lasting and often results into regret. The nature of man is that he craves for his desires: food, wealth, women and things that satisfy the flesh. He loves to be praised, protected and not humiliated. Like with our forefather Adam, shaytan comes to each of us whispering about our desires and how to satisfy them. We then listen to these negative thoughts and execute thinking it’s to our own advantage. However, unlike Adam who erred and sought forgiveness, many of his progeny forget repentance.

The evil of committing sins

It’s in the nature of mankind to sin as depicted previously. The evil of sinning is in its accumulation without repentance. The more you sin without sincere repentance, the worse you become as a human being. You keep telling lies until people recognize not a single word from you as true. Indecent scenes become a norm to your eyes until you no longer see it as obscure. This only affirms the words of the blessed prophet, Muhammad PBUH:

“Verily, when the servant commits a sin a black spot appears upon his heart. If he abandons the sin, seeks forgiveness, and repents, then his heart will be polished. If he returns to the sin, the blackness will be increased until it overcomes his heart. It is the covering that Allah has mentioned: No, but on their hearts is a covering because of what they have earned.” (Qur’an 83:14) — Tirmidhi

So indulging in sins without sincere repentance will only lead to doom. The lasting effect of this negative desire is that it kills three vital faculties of the body. It deadens your sound hearing. Likewise, it kills the heart and takes away mercy from it. Then ultimately, it obscures the sight from what benefits the soul as compared to what benefits the skin. After you have explored all your heart desires negatively, you are still at the mercy of Allah — The Most Merciful.

The Remedies

1. Self-assessment and reflection: Today, we live in a time of consumption for pleasure and personal satisfaction. We think more about ourselves and less for humanity. We need to often put ourselves to account before we are called for accountability. Self-reflection here is a thorough process of identifying where growth needs to take place from within. Knowing fully well the impact of such growth will bring about positive changes in our lives.
2. Observe your daily prayers with extra nawafil: Saying prayers appropriately at the right time is a great antidote to limiting desires. Allah affirms this: “Recite (O Muhammad SAW) what has been revealed to you of the Book (the Quran), and perform As-Salat (IqamatasSalat). Verily, As-Salat (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahsha (i.e. great sins of every kind, unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism, and every kind of evil wicked deed, etc.) and the remembering (praising, etc.) of (you by) Allah (in front of the angels) is greater indeed (than your remembering (praising, etc.) Allah in prayers, etc.). And Allah knows what you do.” — Qur’an 29[Al-Ankaboot]:45
3. Repent with your body and soul: There’s a difference between sincere repentance and mere utterances. Repentance comes with a remorseful feeling for the act committed. Followed by utterance of statements like astaghfirullah with the tongue. Then there comes a conscious effort not to return to the sinful act. In fact, the scholars recommend that one should shed tears out of humility and regret in hope for Allah’s forgiveness. It was mentioned that prophet Adam wept for 60 years seeking repentance for the sin that took him out of paradise. Allah forgave and bestowed mercy upon him and his wife.
4. Keep good company: Good friends will always remind you of Allah and help you do good deeds. You see them going to pray, you join. The bad guys on the other hand will incite you towards evil. You find him drinking liquor, he orders a bottle for you as well. This was well exemplified by Allah’s Apostle in the hadith below:
   On the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (radiAllahu anhu), the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:“The likeness of a righteous friend and an evil friend, is the likeness of a (musk) perfume seller and a blacksmith. As for the perfume seller, he may either bestow something on you, or you may purchase something from him, or you may benefit from his sweet smell. And as for the blacksmith, he may either burn your clothes, or you may be exposed to his awful smell.” — [Bukhari and Muslim]
5. Seek refuge with Allah: And always remember that the best source of refuge is with Allah. Nothing else can guarantee you calmness, happiness and peace of mind. And in several verses, Allah warned us against shaytan for he is surely a sworn enemy to man. So whenever shaytan comes to you with his evil whispers, seek refuge with Allah. A simple mention of Audhubillahi Mina shaytani rajeem works wonder. Allah says:

And if an interference of the Shaitan should cause you mischief, seek refuge in Allah; surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing. — Qur’an 41[Fussilat]:36

Do not despair of Allah’s mercy

And Allah the Most Gracious assures us of his endless mercy and forgiveness. He reminds us through this beautiful verse of the Quran thus:

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.” — Qur’an 39[Az-Zumar]:53

So let’s wrap it up with a quote from one of our righteous predecessor, an awesome illustration as narrated:

Abu Nuaym reported: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Whoever commits a sin due to desire, then hope for his repentance. Verily, Adam, upon him be peace, disobeyed due to desire and he was forgiven. And if a sin is committed due to arrogance, then fear that the perpetrator may be cursed. Verily, Satan (Iblees) disobeyed due to arrogance and he was cursed.”

Source: Ḥilyat al-Awliyā 10803

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