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The
Heart's Captivation and Imprisonment by Sin
By Imaam
Ibn al-Qayyim .From Al-Jawab al-Kafi1
He (rahimahullaah)
said:
And among its effects is that the disobedient (sinner) is constantly in the
shackles of his Shaytaan and the prison of his shahwa (desires) and the chains/fetters
of his hawaa (whims). So he is a captive, one who is imprisoned and who is tied
up.
There is no captive in a worse state than the one who is captivated by his worst
enemy and there is no prison which is tighter than the prison of hawa and there
is no bond/fetter more strong than the bond of desire.
How, then, will a heart which is captivated, imprisoned and fettered travel
unto Allaah and the Home of the Hereafter. How will a person take a single step
forward when the heart is bound and harmful things approach it from every direction.
The harmful things approach it to the extent that it is tied up [i.e. imprisoned
by its desires and whims..].
The example of the heart is like the example of a bird. Every time is ascends
it becomes distant from the harmful things and every time it descends the harmful
things hurt it. In a hadeeth there occurs that Shaytaan is like a wolf to people.
Just as when a sheep has no protector and is in between many wolves, they are
quick in causing damage and injury; likewise the servant who does not have guardianship
from Allaah, then his wolf [i.e. his desires, whims etc.] is to him a predatory
animal.
[Thus] there is no escape for the servant from having protection from Allaah.
Taqwaa is a safeguarding for him and a strong shield between himself and the
punishment of this world and the Hereafter.
Every time the sheep is close to its shepherd it is more safe from the wolf
and every time it becomes distant from its shepherd it is closer to destruction.
So its sanctuary is when it is close to its shepherd because the wolf takes
the lonely one from the flock and this is the one which is the furthest one
of the flock from the shepherd. The basis of all of this is is that every time
the heart is distant from Allaah the harmful things are quick in approaching
it and every time it is close to Allaah the harmful things become distant from
it.
Remoteness from Allaah has levels/degrees, some of which are more severe than
others. Heedlesness distances the servant from Allaah and some acts of disobedience
are greater than some acts of heedlesness. Some innovations are greater than
some acts of disobedience and some things from Hypocrisy and Shirk are greater
than all of what has preceded.