By Imaam ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah rahimahullaah

Taken from Al Jumuah, Vol 8 Issue 4

(Courtesy of bintsuleman89)

While thousands of Muslims are killed all over the world, and while tens of thousands are imprisoned and tortured for calling to the path of Allah and for enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, most Muslims remain remarkably silent and have no worry except for the material things of life. Their hearts have been filled with the love of this life and the forgetfulness of the Hereafter.

Allah says in the Qur’an: “You will indeed find them, of all people, most greedy of life, even more than those who do not believe in Resurrection. Each one of them wishes he could be given a life of a thousand years. But the grant of such life will not save him even a little from due punishment. For Allah sees well all that they do.” (Al Baqarah, 2:96)

Many Muslims today have become so much attached to their life that their desire is to dwell among their family, house, money and commerce. They have forgotten that matters of the Hereafter should come before matters of this life and that we must strive to follow the orders of Allah, not just those we find easy and convenient to follow. Some Muslims today claim that it is better to perform extra prayers and extra fasting rather than enjoin the good and forbid the evil or defend the lives of weak Muslims. Such people would even blame the Muslims who strive to perform these obligations.

This is what Ibn al-Qayyim had to say about such people: ”The Shaitan has misled most people by beautifying for them the performance of certain voluntary acts of worship such as voluntary prayers and voluntary fasting while neglecting other obligatory acts of worship such as enjoining the good and eradicating the evil, to the extent that they do not even make the intention of performing them whenever they are able to. Such people are considered by the scholars to be on the bottom of the scale of religion: For the essence of our religion is to perform what Allah ordered us to do. The one who does not perform his obligations is actually worse than the one who performs sins. Anyone having some knowledge about the revelation of Allah, the guidance of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, and the life of the companions would conclude that those who are pointed at today as the most pious people are in fact the least pious. Indeed, what kind of piety is there in a person who witnesses Allah’s sanctities being violated, his religion abandoned, the Sunnah of His Messenger shunned, and yet remains still with a cold heart and a shut mouth’ Such a person is like a dumb Shaitan! In the same way the one who talks falsehood is a speaking Shaitan. Isn’t the misfortune of Islam due only to those who whenever their life and food are secure, would not care about what happens to the religion? The best among them would offer a sorry face. But if they were challenged in one of the things their heart is attached to like their money, they would spare no efforts to get it back. These people, besides deserving the anger of Allah, are afflicted with the greatest calamity without even knowing it: They have a dead heart. Indeed the more alive a person’s heart is, the stronger its anger for the sake of Allah and the more complete his support to Islam and Muslims.” (A’alaam al-Muwaqqi’een, volume 2, page 176).

Undoubtedly your feelings of regret for missing out on this blessing is a very good sign. You should note that the Muslim can accustom himself to weep for fear of Allaah, by doing the following:

1 – Making yourself feel fear of Allaah.

This weeping is the fruit of beneficial knowledge, as al-Qurtubi says in his commentary on the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“And they fall down on their faces weeping”

[al-Isra’ 17:109]

This is an eloquent description of them and praise for them. It is the duty of everyone who acquires knowledge to reach this level, so that when he hears the Qur’aan he is filled with fear and humility.

In Musnad al-Daarimi it is narrated from Abu Muhammad that al-Taymi said: Whoever is given knowledge and does not weep, he deserves not to have any knowledge, because Allaah has described those who have knowledge; then he recited this verse.

Al-Jaami’ li Ahkaam il-Qur’aan, 10/341-342.

2 – Reading the Qur’aan and pondering its meanings

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad to them): Believe in it (the Qur’aan) or do not believe (in it). Verily, those who were given knowledge before it, when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in humble prostration.

108. And they say: Glory be to our Lord! Truly, the Promise of our Lord must be fulfilled.

109. And they fall down on their faces weeping and it increases their humility”

[al-Isra’ 17:107-109]

“Those were they unto whom Allaah bestowed His Grace from among the Prophets, of the offspring of Adam, and of those whom We carried (in the ship) with Nooh (Noah), and of the offspring of Ibraaheem (Abraham) and Israel, and from among those whom We guided and chose. When the Verses of the Most Gracious (Allaah) were recited unto them, they fell down prostrate and weeping”

[Maryam 19:58]

It was narrated that Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to me: “Recite the Qur’aan to me.” I said: “O Messenger of Allaah (s), shall I recite it to you when it was revealed to you?” He (s) said: “I like to hear it from someone else.” So I recited Soorat al-Nisa’ to him, and when I reached this verse – “How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness against these people?” [al-Nisa’ 4:41] – he (s) said: “That is enough for now.” I turned to him and saw his eyes were streaming with tears.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5050; Muslim, 800.

3 – Knowing the greatness of the reward for weeping, especially when one is alone.

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (s) said: “A man who weeps for fear of Allaah will not enter Hell until the milk goes back into the udder, and dust produced (when fighting) for the sake of Allaah and the smoke of Hell will never coexist.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1633; al-Nasaa’i, 3108; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.

“until the milk goes back into the udder” is a metaphor for it being impossible, as in the verse where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “and they will not enter Paradise until the camel goes through the eye of the needle”
[al-A’raaf 7:40]. Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi.

And it was narrated that he said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are seven whom Allaah will shade with His shade on the day when there will be no shade but His: a just ruler; a young man who grows up worshipping Allaah; a man whose heart is attached to the mosque; two men who love one another for the sake of Allaah, meeting and parting on that basis; a man who is called (to commit sin) by a woman of high status and great beauty and he says, ‘I fear Allaah’; a man who gives in charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand is doing; and a man who remembers Allaah when he is alone and his eyes flow with tears.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 660; Muslim, 1031.

Weeping when alone is singled out because being alone is a time when the heart tends to become harder and there is a stronger motive to commit sin, and it is farthest removed from the possibility of showing off. So if a person strives to do this, and makes himself feel the greatness and might of Allaah, and his eyes flow with tears, then he deserves to be beneath the shade of the Throne of the Most Merciful on the Day when there will be no shade but His shade.

4 – Thinking about your situation and your boldness in committing sin, and fearing to meet Allaah in such a state.

One of the righteous people used to weep night and day, and something was said to him about that. He said: “I am afraid that Allaah will see me committing sin and will say: ‘Go away from Me for I am angry with you.’” Hence Sufyaan used to weep and say: “I am afraid that my faith will be taken away at the moment of death.”

Ismaa’eel ibn Zakariya described Habeeb ibn Muhammad, who was a neighbour of his. He said: “Every evening I heard him weeping and every morning I heard him weeping, so I went to his wife and said: ‘What is the matter with him? He weeps in the evening and he weeps in the morning!’ She said to me: ‘By Allaah, when evening comes he fears that he will not live till morning and when morning comes he fears that he will not live till evening.’”

The salaf used to weep and grieve a great deal.

When Yazeed al-Raqaashi was criticized for weeping a great deal and it was said to him, “If the Fire had been created exclusively for you, you would not weep more than this,” he said: “Has the Fire been created for anyone other than me and my companions and brothers among the jinn and mankind?”

When ‘Ata’ al-Sulaymi was asked: “What is this grief?” he said: “Woe to you! Death is close at hand, the grave is my house, on the Day of Resurrection I will stand and my path is over a bridge across Hell, and I do not know what will become of me.”

Faddalah ibn Sayfi used to weep a great deal. A man entered upon him when he was weeping and said to his wife: “What is the matter with him?” She said: “He says that he wants to undertake a long journey and he does not have proper provision for it.”

One night al-Hasan woke up weeping, and he disturbed the other people in the house with his weeping. They asked him what was the matter and he said: “I remembered a sin that I committed and I wept.”

It was narrated that Tameem al-Daari (may Allaah be pleased with him) recited this verse (interpretation of the meaning): “Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds” [al-Jaathiyah 45:21] and he started repeating it and weeping until morning came.

Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to weep intensely, and it was said to him: “Why are you weeping?” He said: “I do not know what is ahead of me – Divine pleasure or divine wrath.”

Sa’d ibn al-Akhram said: I was walking with Ibn Mas’ood and he passed by the blacksmiths, who had brought a piece of iron out of the fire. He stood and looked at the molten iron and wept.

5 – Making yourself feel regret and feeling that you have fallen short in your duties towards Allaah.

The tears of the repentant at night quenches thirst and cure sickness, as the Shaykh of the Mufassireen, Abu Ja’far al-Tabari, said in his commentary on the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“Do you then wonder at this recitation (the Qur’aan)?

60. And you laugh at it and weep not”

[al-Najm 53:59-60]

Do not weep at the warnings contained therein to those who disobey Allaah, when you are people who commit sin, “Wasting your (precious) lifetime in pastime and amusements (singing)” [al-Najm 53:61] – you are heedless of the lessons and reminders contained therein, turning away from its verses.

Jaami’ al-Bayaan ‘an Ta’weel Aayi al-Qur’aan, 27/82.

6 – Weeping out of fear of a bad end.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by al-Hijr (the land of the people of Thamood) he said: “Do not enter the dwellings of those who wronged themselves, lest what befell them befall you, unless you are weeping.” Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) covered his head and walked quickly until he had left the valley.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3380; Muslim, 2980.

Al-Nawawi included this hadeeth in a chapter entitled “Weeping and feeling fear when passing by the graves of the wrongdoers and the places where they were killed, and expressing one’s need of Allaah, and being careful not to be negligent in that.”
Riyaadh al-Saaliheen, p. 373.

7 – Listening to moving speeches and lectures that will soften the heart.

It was narrated that al-‘Irbaad ibn Saariyah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who was one of those who used to weep, said: “The Messenger of Allaah (s) delivered a deeply moving speech at which our eyes began to overflow and our hearts melted.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2676; Abu Dawood, 4607; Ibn Maajah, 42; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.

May Allaah help us and you to do that which our Lord loves and is pleased with him

[Video by sister Laila Nasheeba, http://sunnahfollowers.net]

A hard hearted person remains indifferent when he does not perform some good deeds and misses those times of worship that have more reward in them. A person with a sick heart does not react to the needs of Muslims by making supplications, giving charity, or offering assistance. He does not care if his brothers and sisters are afflicted by a hardship in any part of the world such as being overwhelmed by the enemy, being persecuted, or being stricken by disasters. A believer feels pain for the believers, just as the body feels distress over what is troubling the head. A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain, fearing it might fall upon him, while a sinner sees his sins as a fly passing over his nose, so he gets rid of it with his hand. A person sick at heart belittles small deeds of righteousness. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Do not belittle any small act of kindness even if it is to pour water from your bucket into the vessel of the one who asks for it or to talk to your brother with a cheerful face.” and “One who removes a stone from the way has a good deed written for him, and one for whom a good deed is written shall enter Paradise.” Although this article uses ‘he’ in discussing symptoms, it applies to both Muslim male and female and to other peoples.

1. Commits Sins

2. Heart is Hardened

3. Performs Acts of Worship Poorly

4. Lack of Tranquility

5. The Qur’ân Has No Effect Upon Him/Her

6. Negligent in Remembering Allah

7. Shows Indifference when Commandments of Allah are Violated

8. Loves Gatherings and Talking

9. Arrogance

10. Stinginess and Greed

11. Falls into Doubtful Matters

12. Belittles Good Deeds

13. Does Not Care About the Affairs of Muslims

14. Deprived of the Friendship of Brothers

15. Shows Grief and Fear When Afflicted by a Hardship

16. Disputes and Argues Unnecessarily

17. Attachment to Worldly Life

18. Lacks the Etiquette of the Qur’ân and Sunnah

The disease of an ailing Imân has many symptoms, which include:

Committing Sins

Some people insist on committing the same sins over and over again. As a result, repugnance of sins is slowly withdrawn from their heart to the point that they commit these sins openly as described in this Hadith:

“All of my followers will be forgiven except those who commit sins openly. Such is the case of a man commits a sin at night and Allah had his sin concealed till the morning comes. But, he says openly: ‘O so and so, I did such and such yesterday.’ Allah had covered his sin, but he uncovered the veil of Allah from it.” (Related by Al-Bukhâri).

Hardening of the Heart

The person reaches a stage where he feels that his heart has turned into a solid rock that is not affected by anything. Allah says:

“And yet, after this, your hearts hardened and became like rocks, or even harder.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:74).

A hardened heart is not affected by anything – even seeing people die and attending funerals would not move it. The person with a hardened heart may even carry a corpse and bury it, yet, he walks in the graveyard as if he were strolling between pine trees!

Performing Acts of Worship Poorly

Such a person remains absent-minded during prayers and while reciting the Qur’ân. He also does not contemplate upon the meaning of the supplications he is making. As a result, he recites them in a monotonous tone void of any reflections. He does not think for a moment about the value of these supplications. He forgets that:

“Allah does not accept the supplication from an inattentive, heedless heart.” (Related by Al-Tirmidhi).

His acts of worship are reduced to hollow movements with no spirit behind them. Allah describes the hypocrites:

“And they do not remember Allah but little.” (Al-Nisâ’, 4:142).

A hard hearted person remains indifferent when he does not perform some good deeds and misses those times of worship that have more reward in them. His lack of interest to earn rewards is obvious. Delaying Hajj when he is capable of performing it, missing congregational prayers in the Masjid, and even the Jumu’ah prayer are a few examples of this. The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam [pbuh] said:

“People will continue to withdraw to rows behind the first one until Allah puts them in a back place in Hell.” (Related by Abû Dawud).

Furthermore, he does not feel remorse if he misses obligatory duties and does not try to perform the different Sunnah prayers or invocations that he misses. He ignores them, convincing himself that they are only Sunnah!

Lack of Tranquillity

His breast gets tightened, his mood changes, he feels as if he is carrying a heavy load, and he becomes annoyed quickly because of minor things. He gets pestered by the behavior of the people around him and he does not forgive them easily. He harbors malice towards fellow Muslims over insignificant issues. The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam has described Imân to be forgiveness: ” Imân is patience and forgiveness.” (Related by Al-Tirmidhi). In another Hadith, the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam described the believer in the following manner:

“He makes friends and is befriended and there is no goodness in (one who) does not make friends or is not befriended.” (Related by Al-Tirmidhi).

Verses of the Qur’ân Have No Effect Upon Him

The promises, warnings, commands, prohibitions, and descriptions of the Day of Judgment do not make his eyes flood with tears, or his heart quiver, or his soul shiver. Consequently, he gets bored and tired when he listens to the recital of the Qur’ân!

He is Negligent in Remembering Allah

This simple act of devotion becomes heavy upon him to the point that when he raises his hands in supplication, he hastens to fold them up quickly to conclude it. He is not eager to repent to Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, and to make invocations to Him for his needs. Allah describes the hypocrites:

“And when they stand up to pray, they stand with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allah but little.” (Al-Nisa’, 4:142).

He Does Not Get Angry When the Commandments of Allah Are Violated

This is because the glowing light of honor in his heart has been extinguished and as a result, his limbs have become numb to repudiate evil. So he does not bother to enjoin good or forbid evil. This is due to a weak heart as indicated by the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam:

“Temptations are presented to the heart, one by one. Any heart that accepts them will be left with a black stain, but any heart that rejects them will be left with a mark of purity, until the hearts become one of two types: a dark heart that has turned away and become like an overturned vessel, and a pure heart that will never be harmed by temptation for as long as the earth and the heavens exist.” (Related by Muslim).

So the desire of enjoining good and forbidding evil disappears from a sick heart. Good and evil are the same to it. Rather, the person may even be happy to hear about the corruption that is being committed on earth. His unfortunate soul forgets that the sin upon him is the same as the sin upon the person who witnessed the evil and approved of it, as the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said:

“When a sin is committed on earth, the one who witnessed it and hates it is like one who was absent from it, and the one who was absent from it but was pleased with it (after he found out about it), it is like he witnessed it.” (Related by Abû Dawud)

Since being pleased with the sin is a deed of his heart, it makes the sin upon him equal to the sin of the one who witnessed it.

He loves to be in Gatherings and be Engrossed in Talking

He tries to impose his views on others and likes the discussion to center around him. Gatherings in which idle talk takes prominence are considered like slaughter houses from which the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam warned us when he said:

“Watch out for the slaughterhouses (meaning) gatherings.” (Related by Al-Bayhaqi).

He is Arrogant

He likes people to stand up for him when he enters to meet them because feeling great gratifies his diseased soul. the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said:

“The one who is pleased that the slaves of Allah stand up for him, then let him be assured of his place in the Fire.” (Related by Al-Bukhâri in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad)

Mu’awiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan entered upon two companions of the Prophet, Ibn ‘Amir stood up and Ibn Zubayr sat down. Seeing this, Mu’awiyah said to Ibn ‘Amir: “Sit down, because I heard the Messenger of Allah say:

‘The one who loves that another man stand up for him, then let him rest assured of his sitting place in the Fire.”‘ (Related by Abû Dawud).

A similar example is that he will get angry at a person who applies the Sunnah and starts shaking hands with people on his right hand side. Also, when he enters a gathering, he is not satisfied unless someone else, already sitting, gets up so that he may,sit in his place despite the fact that he is forbidden to do so by the Prophetsallallahu alayhe wa sallam:

“Let not a man make another one stand for him then sit in his place.” (Related by Al-Bukhâri).

Stinginess and Greed

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has praised those who spend their wealth for good causes and at the same time blamed those who are miserly. In the Qur’ân Allah has praised the Ansar for the way they gave preference to the Muhajirun (Muslims who migrated from Makkah) over themselves:

“But they (Ansar) give them preference over themselves even though they were in need of that (the booty). And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful.” (Al-Hashr, 59:9).

Allah has clarified that the successful ones are those who protect themselves against stinginess. Without doubt, weakness of Imân is born from stinginess as the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said:

“Imân and covetousness can never come together in the heart of a slave.” (Related by Al-Nasa’i).

Concerning the dangers of stinginess and its effects upon one’s soul, the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam explained it to be:

“Beware of covetousness, because the ones before you perished because of covetousness. It induces them to be miserly so they became misers and it induced them to break the ties (of kinship) so they broke it and induced them to commit sins so they committed sins.” (Related by Abû Dawûd).

A greedy person also has a weak Imân. He scarcely spends anything for the sake of Allah even if he is called to donate in charity when his Muslim brothers are hungry and afflicted by hardships. There is nothing clearer in this matter than the Book of Allah:

“Behold! It is you who are called to spend freely in Allah’s Cause: but even among you are such as turn out to be niggardly! And yet, he who acts niggardly in Allah’s Cause is but niggardly towards himself: for Allah is Rich, and you are poor. And if you turn away from Him, He will cause other people to take your place, and they will not be the likes of you.” (Muhammad, 47:38)

He Falls into Doubtful Matters

When he performs an action, he does not ask if it is an act of righteousness, but rather will it earn him any sin or not. This is exactly what the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam informed us of:

“But he who falls into doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all about grazing therein. Truly, every king has a sanctuary, and Allah’s sanctuary is His prohibitions.” (Related by Muslim)

When such people ask for a fatwah (Islamic ruling) about something, and find out that it is forbidden, they do not give up. They want to know how severe the prohibition is. How many sins does he earn if he commits it? He is not concerned to stay away from evil and sinful deeds, rather he is inclined to take the first step towards haram things by belittling the burning effects of sins which run him the risk of committing haram, and remove the screen between him and the sin. This is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said:

“Know that some people from my Ummah will come on the Day of Judgment with good deeds like the white mountains of Tihama, but Allah will make them scattered dust.” Thawban said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, describe them to us, so that we may not be one of them without knowing it!’ He said, “They will be your brothers, and from your people, and they will take from the night as you do (meaning prayers, etc.), but they are a people who, when they were alone with the prohibitions of Allah, violated them.” (Related by Ibn Majah).

So, you will find him engulfed in forbidden things without any protection or shielding, and this is more evil than the one who commits them but with some reluctance. These people commit sins with ease as a result of their ailing Imânand do not see their act to be an evil one. This is how Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud radhiallahu anhu described the way a believer and a hypocrite perceive sins:

“A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain, fearing it might fall upon him, while a sinner sees his sins as a fly passing over his nose, so he gets rid of it with his hand.” (Related by Al-Bukhâri).

Belittling Good Deeds

There is lack of concern on the part of the sick at heart to perform small deeds of righteousness contrary to what the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam has taught us when he said:

“Do not belittle any small act of kindness even if it is to pour water from your bucket into the vessel of the one who asks for it or to talk to your brother with a cheerful face.” Related by Ahmad.

So, acts that appear to be minor should not be underestimated. Hence, meeting a fellow Muslim with a smiling face and removing trash and dirt from the Masjid – even as little as a straw – entails great rewards. It may be that a small deed becomes a reason for the forgiveness of major sins. Allah thanks His slave for these small deeds and forgives him.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said:

“Once, a man saw the branch of a tree in the middle of a road. So, he said, ‘By Allah, I will remove this from the path of the Muslims so they may not be hurt.’ For this action, he was put in Paradise.” (Related by Muslim).

Mu’adh Ibn Jabal was once walking with someone. He removed a pebble from the way. The man asked Mu’adh why he did that. Mu’adh answered him: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhe wa sallam say:

“One who removes a stone from the way has a good deed written for him, and one for whom a good deed is written shall enter Paradise.’” (Related by Al-Tabarani).

Not Caring About the Affairs of Muslims

A person with a sick heart does not react to the needs of Muslims by making supplications, giving charity, or offering assistance. He does not care if his brothers are afflicted by a hardship in any part of the world such as being overwhelmed by the enemy, being persecuted, or being stricken by disasters. It is enough for him that his conditions are good! This is because of his ailing Imân; A believer is the opposite of that as described by the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam:

“A believer feels pain for the believers, just as the body feels distress over what is troubling the head.” (Related by Ahmad).

He is Deprived of the Friendship of Brothers

The Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said:

“Two persons who became friends for the sake of Allah do not separate except because of a sin committed by one of them.” (Related by Al-Bukhâri in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad).

This is a proof of the evil effects of sins: it breaks the ties of brotherhood. This alienation that a person finds between himself and his brothers is sometimes the result of a decline in Imân which results from committing sins. So the love others have for him dwindles.

Showing Grief and Fear When Afflicted by a Hardship or When in Difficulty

Such a person is often found to be shaky in offering obligatory duties, unbalanced, absent minded, lost, and fidgety. He is not able to face reality with unwavering limbs and a firm heart. All of this is due to ailing Imân.

If the Imân were strong, he would have been firm and faced the greatest of hardships with strength and steadfastness.

Disputing and Arguing Unnecessarily

Much engagement in these habits hardens the heart as the Prophet said:

“A people never went astray after being upon guidance except through disputes.” (Related by Ahmad).

So, argumentation without proof and proper intention takes one away from the Straight Path. These days, most people argue falsely and without knowledge or guidance. It is enough for them to leave this bad habit after knowing what the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam said:

“I guarantee a house in the outskirts of Paradise to the one who gives up arguing even if he were on the right side.” (Related by Abû Dawud).

Attachment to Worldly Life

He is so materialistic that he feels anguish when something of this life, like wealth, honor, status, etc, is taken away from him. He feels as if he has been injured badly because he did not get what others did. His feeling of injury becomes stronger and he feels rejected on seeing his Muslim brother get something of this world which did not reach him. Envy takes root in his heart so he wishes that this bounty be taken away from his brother. This is what the Prophet sallallahu alayhe wa sallam warned us against:

“Never can Imân and envy come together in the heart of a slave.” (Related by Al- Nasa’i).

His Speech is Void of the Etiquette of the Qur’ân and Sunnah

The signs of Imart are absent from him. You will barely find in this person’s speech quotations from the Qur’ân, or Sunnah, or the sayings of the early pious generations of Muslims. These are some of the symptoms of a weak faith. By becoming aware of the symptoms, one has made the first step towards the remedy.

[Source: http://Islaam.net]