Self-justification: The Whispers of Satan
 

Abit long but good read. Which excuse do u use??

Self-justification: The whispers of Satan

"At least I'm better than others"
"I will change in the future"
"I'm not ready for it yet, it's too difficult to change"
"As long as I'm pure inside. Allah will forgive me"
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A Muslim who grows up in Western society learns how to think and act in a
way alien to Islam. Although often brought up in a Muslim household some
Muslim youth are unfortunately swayed by the rotten fruits of Western
society, drugs, alcohol and illicit relationships. They are tempted by
these rotton fruits and end up in a downward spiral growing further away
from Islam every day.

Initially the Salah (prayer) is performed now and again, then restricted
to Friday and then only to Eid. The degrees to which people go into
committing haram differ and everyone knows someone who they perceive as
worse than themselves and better than themselves. One of the worst mental
diseases that people have is that of self-justification, it is one of the
key issues that allow people to drift away from Islam justifying this to
them every step of the way. Initially they may have the occasional joint,
then it becomes a regular habit and they move on to harder substances to
increase the high. Even though Muslims feel guilty when committing overtly
haram actions like drinking alcohol, taking drugs or engaging in haram
relationships with the opposite sex, eventually the guilt wears off and
they begin to justify these actions to themselves.

We must realize that self-justifying an action will not make
it Halal and doesn't remove the inevitable reality of standing in front of
Allah (SWT) on the Day of Judgment, with nothing except
our deeds. It is the Western concept of individualism that breeds the
mentality of pure greed and selfishness where people even steals and
backstabs their own families to achieve their sick version of enjoyment.

Types of Self-Justification:

There are different types of excuses or self-justifications
which individuals carry. People normally carry a combination of them.
Some of the most common types of self-justifications that people hold are
the following:

"At least I'm better than others"
"I will change in the future"
"I'm not ready for it yet, it's too difficult to change"
"As long as I'm pure inside. Allah will forgive me"

At least I'm better than others:

The individual who holds this idea looks at the extreme actions of people
which they consider as 'bad' such as stealing from Muslims, rape or eating
pork and compare their own actions to them. They feel reassured that they
are better than those who undertake those actions. When they commit haram
or neglect the Islamic duties (fara'id) they think to themselves that at
least they are not like others, at least they perform some actions of
Islam. If they take drugs they say, "at least I don't drink alcohol". If
they have haram relations with the opposite sex they say "at least I have
the intention of marriage".

When involving in haram contracts they believe, "at least I don't steal".
If they miss the obligatory Salah they justify it to themselves
by thinking, 'at least I pray on Friday'.
By extending their logic you could say, 'at least an alcoholic doesn't eat
pork'. The problem with this argument is, who defines what type of
behavior is bad and what is good? Allah (SWT) is the one
who defines the good actions from the bad actions. Allah (SWT) views the Halal actions as good and all the haram actions as evil.
So in the sight of Allah (SWT) missing Salah, being
rebellious to your parents, eating pork, rape, socializing with non related
members of the opposite sex, homosexuality, taking intoxicating drugs,
drinking alcohol and adultery are all haram and from the munkaraat (evil)
actions that lead to the hellfire.

"I will change in the future"
This notion is commonly held by many youth. They believe
that they will change in the future when they become older; they will
settle down, get married, have children, go to Hajj, kiss the black stone
and begin practicing Islam. This excuse allows them to justify the haram
to themselves.
It if was as simple as that, everyone can act as they please
with the hope of changing someday in the future. How many of us know of
young people who have died? How many of us know of cases where boyfriend and girlfriend have died in car accidents?
Muslims and non-Muslims alike can agree that the most
definite thing in life is death. If this is the case, how can we act as if
we are going to live forever?
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to
Abdullah bin Umar (ra): "If you awoke in the morning, do not speak to
yourself of the evening, and if you the evening, do not speak to yourself
of the morning. Take from your life for your death, and from your health
for your illness, as you, oh Abdullah, do not know what your name will be
tomorrow." (Bukhari).

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:
"The clever one is he who disciplined himself and worked for what is after
death,a nd the feeble one is he who followed his desires, then made (vain)
prayers to Allah".

Allah (SWT) says; "Say: The Death from which
you flee will truly overtake you: then will you be sent back to the Knower
of all things secret and open: and He will tell you (the truth of) the
things that you did!" (TMQ Al-Jumu'a : 8).
Besides the inevitable reality of death, do we believe that
Allah (SWT) will accept our good deeds in the future
whilst we committed haram during our youth? Do we think that performing
Salah and avoiding the evil temptations in our old age when it easier to do
so will grant us Jannah?

"Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "O my Lord!
Send me back (to life), in order that I may do well in that which I have
left behind!" - No! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is a
Partition until the Day they are raised up. Then when the Trumpet is
blown, there will be no more kinship among them that day, nor will they ask
of one another! Then those whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, they are
the successful. And those whose scales (of good deeds) are light, they are
those who lose their own selves; in Hell will they abide" (TMQ Al-Muminun:
99-103).

I'm not ready for it yet, it's too difficult to change:

The true meaning, behind this excuse is that people don't
want to leave the haram they're committing. They have got so used to their
lifestyle that they can't perceive it any other way. The thought of waking
up for Fajr Salah, having to continuously study Islam or not 'chilling'
with the opposite sex is too much for them. There are obvious
contradictions in their behavior; many of them will spend a lot of time on
things they enjoy whether its playing computer games, physical training,
sports or 'looking good'. In reality these people are lazy when it comes
to Islam, they may spend so much effort in fitting in with the crowd and
keeping up with the latest trend yet they are not willing to spend effort
in staying away from the fire of hell and attempting to gain Jannah
(Paradise) and the pleasure of Allah (SWT).
We need to realize that in order to become Islamic
personalities we have to live our life according to the objective that
Allah (SWT) has set ofr us. Why is it that many work hard
when it comes to their exams, yet pay little attention to the true exam of
life? Allah (SWT) didn't create us for play.
Life is not all about ease and acting like spoilt teenagers who have
everything done for them. All of us have the capacity to become Islamic
personalities, Islam wasn't revealed for angels, it was revealed for human
beings. Allah (SWT) says:

"Allah does not place a burden upon a person except that which he is
capable of" (TMQ al-Baqarah: 282).

How can one then argue that following Islam is too difficult? Whoever
believes this should look at the example of converts to Islam who
completely transforms their behavior and may even face hardship from their
families. If they can change why can't we? If we look to the example of
many of the Sahabah (raa) they used to be the worst of people and then
became the best of people. Take the example of Umar bin al_khattab (raa),
he was a man that wanted to kill the Prophet (SAW)
and who had even buried his two daughters alive. When he embraced Islam he
became the best of people. Ibn Abbas (raa) said that the Prophet
(SAW) said: "There is no Angel in the heaven that
does not respect Umar and there is no Satan on the earth but that he is
afraid of Umar".
Umar (raa) was neither Prophet nor angel; he was a person like us. This
type of complete transformation of personalities is not restricted to the
companions of the Prophet (SAW). There are many
examples from Muslims in our own communities in the West who used to be
notorious criminals, drug dealers and alcoholics and who became active
Islamic personalities working for the return of Islam when they received
the Islamic Da'wah.
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "People are like mines of silver and gold; the best of them
in the days of Ignorance (jahilliyah) are the best of them in Islam when
they attain knowledge" (Muslim).
As long as I'm pure from inside, Allah will forgive me:
The fact that someone has this delusion proves that they are
not pure from inside because they carry this corrupt notion, which
contradicts islam. Being 'pure inside' not only means believing in Islam,
it also means practicing it. What is the point of the Quran and the Sunnah
of the Prophet (SAW) if Allah (SWT)
is going to enter everyone into Paradise without accounting them
for their deeds? Believing in this idea allows people to gamble their life
away. It will be too late to change on the Day of Judgment, when everyone
will be worried about themselves to the extent that the Prophet's of Allah
like Adam as), Musa (as) and Isa (as) will be worried about themselves.
When the earth will narrate the actions that we performed on it and our own
body will speak to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'aala) about what we did whilst
alive. Every single action small or large will be accounted on that day.
"So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom, shall
see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see
it" (TMQ al-Zalzalah: 7).
The forgiveness of Allah (SWT) is not
achieved with false prayers, whilst continuing to disobey His commands.
Allah (SWT) says,
"Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds,
until death faces one of them, and he says: 'Now I repent' nor of those
who die while they are disbelievers. For them have we prepared a painful
torment" (TMQ An-Nisa: 18).

Self-Justifications: Whispers of Satan:
Even though many don't realize it, using self-justifications to follow our
own desires instead of following the commands of Allah (SWT) is directly following the footsteps of Satan. As Allah (SWT) said:
"Did I not enjoin on you O you children of Adam that you should not
worship Satan; for that he was to you an enemy avowed?" (TMQ Ya-Seen: 60).
"O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of the Satan (devil)" (TMQ
An-Nur: 21).
How can we be believers in Islam if we abandon its rules and follow the
Satan instead?
The Prophet (SAW) said, "No one of has real Iman
(Belief) until his desires conform to what I cam with".
We must avoid the whispers of Satan. So every time we feel lazy in
praying the Salah, we should know that this is from the Satan. Every time
we are about to answer back in a rebellious way to our parents, we should
know this is from the Satan. Every time we get the temptation of
committing haram with the opposite sex, we should know that this is from
Satan. Every time we are about to neglect our duty to Allah (SWT) or perform an action that will anger Him (SWT),
we should know that this is from the Satan. The Prophet (SAW) said, "Satan reaches everywhere in the human body as blood
reaches in it"
"Satan only seeks to breed animosity and spite among you by means of
intoxicants and gambling and to keep you from the remembrance of Allah and
from Salah; will you not then desist?" (TMQ Al-Ma'ida:91)
We should seek refuge from these whispers of Satan as Allah (SWT) taught us in the Quran:
"Say: I seek refute with the Lord of Mankind. The King of mankind. The
God of mankind. From the evil of the sneaking whisperer. Who whispers in
the breasts of mankind. From among the Jinn and the men" (TMQ An-Nas: 1-6)
Many of the youth would not undertake some of their haram actions in front
of their parents due to embarrassment or fear, then how can they perform
these actions whilst Allah (SWT) sees everything they do?
We should fear Allah (SWT) and be embarrassed in front of
Him.

It was reported in the Sahih (authenticated) narration of When Jibreel
(as) asked the Messenger (SAW) about Ihsan
(perfection), he said,
"To worship Allah as if you see him, and if you do not see him, then he
surely sees you".

Be true to yourself
Self-justifications allow people to continue living their
lives like animals, even though they know deep down that the path they are
following is incorrect. Even after all the late night parties,
relationships, drugs, fast cars, music and alcohol many feel an inevitable
uneasiness or discontent. This feeling doesn't easily go away; some learn
to live with it while it eats away at their conscience while others decide
to use their mind and start thinking about Islam; the only thinking man's
belief that provides tranquility.

(Abdul-Hamid Jassat & Forid Miah)