Guarding the Inner Self - The Ten Commandments / 4

Renew the life of the heart with the Quran, so that the soul may find tranquility in faith. Recite it frequently, and seek its rain and clouds of forgiveness.

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.

Following songs that stir the passions brings one closer to indecencies. Whoever does any of this has disobeyed the command of Allah the Most High and has fallen into sin.

The Meaning of Inner Indecencies

The second stop is with the meaning of inner indecencies in His saying, the Most High: {And do not approach the indecencies, whatever is apparent of them and whatever is concealed}. Many of the exegetes have interpreted this as the major sins that are committed in secret, and this is a correct meaning. However, there is a subtle meaning that some have mentioned, which is that inner indecencies include the deeds of the heart.

Hypocrisy is an inner indecency. If you give charity and your intention is that people will praise you, or if you share a da'wah material on the internet, for example, and your intention is that people will point you out, then this is hypocrisy. Among the inner indecencies is also pride.

And let us note, brothers, that inner indecencies can sometimes be more sinful than apparent indecencies. Have you not seen the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him: "He will not enter Paradise who has an atom's weight of pride in his heart"?

Guarding the Inner Self

If we understand the meaning of {And do not approach the indecencies, whatever is apparent of them and what is concealed}, we understand what the scholars meant by guarding the inner self.

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his commentary on the name of Allah al-Raqib: "When the servant knows that his apparent and hidden movements are encompassed by Allah's knowledge, and he keeps this knowledge present in all his circumstances, it is incumbent upon him to guard his inner self from every thought and whim that Allah hates."

Repent from them as you repent from apparent indecencies, equally. And if your intention is sincere, Allah will help you with that and accept your repentance.

This topic, brothers, guarding the inner self from inner indecencies, is of the utmost importance. Because its possessor may appear to be pious, and people may point to him for his piety and asceticism, and people may praise him, and he may even be pious in his own eyes because he has avoided what many fall into of apparent indecencies, while he falls into inner indecencies of love for appearance, or dissatisfaction with the decree, or hatred for something of Allah's rulings.

We ask Allah to help us guard our inner selves and to purify us from the apparent and hidden sin. And let us remember the command of our Lord to us: {And do not approach the indecencies, whatever is apparent of them and what is concealed}.

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.