Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim

Al-hamdu lil-lah was–salatu was-salamu ^ala Rasulil-lah wa ^ala Alihi wasahbihi wa sallam

The prophet, salla-l-lahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said: Verily, there is one piece of flesh in the body when it is straightened, all the body is straightened. Further, if this piece became rotten, all the body becomes rotten- Verily, this piece is the heart (al-Bukhariyy and Muslim).

268. Question: What is insincerity in performing the good deeds(ar-riya’) الرياء ?

Answer: The prophet, salla-l-lahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said: Allah does not accept of the deeds other than those which are performed for His sake only and for acquiring His reward (Abu Dawud and an-Nasa’iyy). Insincerity (ar-riya’) is to perform the good deed for the sake of the people, i.e., for them to praise him. Such a deed nullifies the reward and the one who committed it has sinned.

269. Question: What is priding oneself in obeying Allah (al-^ujb)العجب ?

Answer: Al-^ujb in obeying Allah is to deem one’s worship as initiated by the individual in absence of recognizing the gratitude to Allah who enabled the slave to do it. Although, such a sin does not nullify the reward, the one who committed this deed is sinful.

270. Question: What is the meaning of al-’amn min makri-l-lah الأمن من مكر الله ?

Answer: Al-’amn min makri-l-lah is to continue committing sins relying on the mercy of Allah. Allah ta^ala said:

﴿فَلا يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ اللَّهِ إِلا الْقَوْمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ﴾

(al-’A^raf 99). The ayah states that it is haram to commit al-’amn min makri-l-lah.

271. Question: What is the meaning of despair of the mercy of Allah (al-qunut min rahmatil-lah) القنوط من رحمة الله?

Answer: Al-quntut min rahmatil-lah is to believe that Allah will not forgive the person due to the many sins that one committed. Allah ta^ala said

﴿قُلْ يَاعِبَادِي الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ﴾

(az-Zumar 53). The ayah encourages the sinners to not have despair of Allah’s mercy.

272. Question: What is arrogance (at-takabbur)التكبر ?

Answer: Arrogance is classified into two types. The first is to reject the truth said by someone while knowing that it is the truth, yet it is rejected because the one who said it is, e.g., young. The second is to humiliate others by looking down on them with haughtiness while considering his status high.

273. Question: Speak about envy الحسد .

Answer: Envy is to hate the grace that Allah granted the Muslim, hope for it to perish and be granted to him instead and to act in accordance with this feeling.

274. Question: What is hatredالحقد ?

Answer: Hatred is to conceal one’s enmity to the Muslim and act accordingly without disregarding this unfavorable feeling.

275. Question: Speak about al-manni-bissadaqah, i.e., reminding a person of the charity given to him المن بالصدقة .

Answer: Al-mannu-bissadaqah is to count his favor to the one who benefited from it. Also, it occurs when the donor mentions it to whom the receiver does not like it to be mentioned to. The donor does that with the purpose of breaking the receiver’s heart. Such a deed is unlawful and it nullifies the reward of the charity. Allah ta^ala said:

﴿يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تُبْطِلُوا صَدَقَاتِكُمْ بِالْمَنِّ وَالأَذَى﴾

(al-Baqarah 264). The ayah prohibits the believers from nullifying their charitable deeds by al-mann and harming others.

276. Question: What is persisting on sinning الإصرار على الذنب ?

Answer: Persisting on sinning is to intend in his heart to continue doing the sin such that his bad deeds exceeds his good deeds.

277. Question: What is to believe that Allah shall not forgive one and to think ill of Muslims سوء الظن بالله وبعباد الله ?

Answer: To believe that Allah shall not forgive him is when the Muslim confirms in his heart that Allah will definitely torture him because of the many sins he commits.

To think ill of Muslims is to attribute a bad deed to a Muslim without an acceptable proof.

278. Question: What is the judgment on being happy with a sin?

Answer: To be happy with a sin is haram whether the person did the sin or someone else did it.

279. Question: What is the judgment on betraying someone الخيانة ?

Answer: Betraying someone is haram. This occurs, for example, when the person says to someone: You are under my protection, but then he kills him or instigates someone else to kill him. Such a deed is haram even if it is done to a kafir.

280. Question: Speak about harming a Muslim deceptively (makr) المكر .

Answer: Harming a Muslim deceptively is to inflict the harm on the Muslim by lying and deceit. It is haram. The prophet, salla-l-lahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said which means: “Al-makr and deceit brings fire on one” (at-Tirmidhiyy).

281. Question: Speak about hating the companions, the Al of the prophet and the righteous Muslims.

Answer: Hating the companions is haram. The companion is the one who met the prophet, salla-l-lahu ^alayhi wa sallam, in a non-extraordinary way, believed in him and died as a Muslim. The Al of the prophet are his family relatives who are Muslims including his wives. The righteous Muslims are the God-fearing and pious like the scholars who implement the knowledge and others. It is haram to hate them.

282. Question: Speak about being a miser in paying what Allah made obligatory (البخل) , abstaining from paying what Allah made obligatory (shuhh الشح ) and having a strong desire to be rich in a bad and sinful manner (hirs الحرص ).

Answer: To be a miser in paying what Allah made obligatory is haram, such as to refuse to pay zakah after the person became obliged to pay it and has been able to. Extreme miser (shuhh) is haram. Al-hirs is to attach oneself to money and gather it without distinguishing whether it is halal or haram.

283. Question: Speak about breaching the rule of glorification regarding the things Allah made glorified and belittling what Allah rendered great.

Answer: Breaching the rule of glorification regarding the things which Allah made glorified is haram and belittling any of them is kufr. The one who belittles Paradise or Fire, e.g., commits kufr. If one did not belittle that thing, though, but did not recognize its rank as high as Islam has ordered, one does not commit kufr, but, nevertheless, it is haram.

We ask Allah to protect us, and Allah knows best.