Many Muslim got effected from 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 including drugs, alcohol,illicit relationships and Ignoring Allah Order. They are tempted by these rotten fruits and end up in a downward spiral growing further away from Islam every day.
Initially the salah 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 intellectual diseases that people have is that of self justification, it is one of the key issues that allows people to drift away from Islam justifying this to themselves 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 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 steal and back stab 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, its 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 say, “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 a homosexual isn’t a rapist’ and ‘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 and begin practicing Islam. This excuse allows them to justify the haram to themselves.
If it 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 ibn ‘Umar (ra) :
“If you awoke in the morning, do not speak to yourself of the evening, and if you reach 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 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, and the feeble one is he who followed his desires, then made (vain) prayers to Allah.”
Allah (swt) said,
“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 is 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 good 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-Mu’minun: 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 behaviour; 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 and the pleasure of Allah (swt).
We need to realise that in order to become Islamic personalities we have to live our life according to the objective that Allah (swt) has set for 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 transform their behaviour 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 (ra) they used to be the worst of people and then became the best. Take the example of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra). He was a man that wanted to kill the Messenger of Allah (saw) and who had even buried his two daughters alive. When he embraced Islam he became the best of people.
‘Umar (ra) was neither a prophet nor angel; he was a person like us. This type of complete transformation of personalities is not restricted to the companions of the Messenger of Allah (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 (call).
Abu Hurayrah 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]
This hadith means that no matter how far away from Islam we are, we all have the potential to change and become the best of people.
“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 practising it. What is the point of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saw) if Allah (swt) is going to enter everyone into Jannah 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 Judgement, when everyone will be worried about themselves to the extent that even the Prophets 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 (swt) 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 Al-Nisa: 18]
SELF-JUSTIFICATIONS: WHISPERS OF SHAYTAN
Even though many don’t realise it, using self-justifications to follow our own desires instead of following the commands of Allah (swt) is directly following the footsteps of Shaytan.
As Allah (swt) said,
“Did I not enjoin on you O you children of Adam that you should not worship Shaytan; for that he was to you an enemy avowed?” [TMQ Ya-Seen: 60]
“O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of the Shaytan (devil).” [TMQAl-Nur: 21]
How can we be believers in Islam if we abandon its rules and follow the Shaytan instead?
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said,
“No one of has real Iman (belief) until his desires conform to what I came with.”
We must avoid the whispers of Shaytan. So every time we feel lazy in praying the salah, we should know that this is from the Shaytan. Every time we are about to answer back in a rebellious way to our parents, we should know this is from the Shaytan. Every time we get the temptation of committing haram with the opposite sex, we should know that this is from Shaytan. Every time we are about to neglect our duty to Allah or perform an action that will anger Him (swt), we should know that this is from the Shaytan.
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said
“Shaytan reaches everywhere in the human body as blood reaches in it.”
“Shaytan 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 (prayer); will you not then desist?” [TMQ l-Ma’idah: 91]
We should seek refuge from these whispers of Shaytan as Allah taught us in the Qur’an,
“Say: I seek refuge 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 amongst the Jinn and the men.” [TMQ Al-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 sees everything they do?
We should fear Allah and be embarrassed in front of Him. It was reported in sahih (authenticated) narrations that when Jibraeel (as) asked the Messenger 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 tranquillity.
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