White Night Gold Dawn: narratives from the soul

Transcription: Losing the appetite for sins

An individual claims "in my heart there is much fear of Allah". He sheds a lot of tears yet he doesn't leave sins. This means fear is not there, for when fear is present a person turns away from such actions. Now you see, a snake is very beautiful in appearance, yet have you ever touched one? You may admire its exquisite design, its textured skin, but touch it and see what happens. Why do we flee from it? Because we fear it. We stay away from electricity, we run from snakes because we fear the negative consequences of them. Likewise, when the fear of Allah enters the heart, a person runs from sins because he understands the harm they may bring. One word is "huzn" and one is "khawf". "Huzn" refers to internal despair whilst "khawf" refers to external/outer despair. "Huzn" causes a person to lose their appetite. When a person is sad he doesn't feel like eating. When one's child passes away, the mother doesn't eat, neither does the father, saying, "We don't feel like it." When one incurs loss at work he doesn't feel like eating. When a student fails his exams he doesn't feel like eating. When a husband shouts at his wife and leaves, she doesn't feel like eating. So the point is, due to "Huzn" one loses their appetite, the saintly scholars write "Due to fear of Allah one loses the appetite to sin." Just like due to "Huzn" one leaves food, likewise due to "Khawf" one leaves sins. He avoids sins by his own accord. Imam Ghazali (ra) narrates, "The greatest scholar is he who becomes aware/conscious of the consequences of sins." We think a great scholar is he who gives profound lectures, this is not the case. Imam Ghazali (ra) states, "The greatest scholar is he who becomes aware of the harmful consequences of sins." Why? Because he will then stay away from sins, this is the sign of a great scholar.

[Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad]