[Ibn Qayyim's: The Sickness and The Cure] #14 - When Sins Become Normal: The Hidden Corruption of the Heart and Society
There are moments when the Qur’an forces a person to stop and look beyond the surface of life. Beyond economics. Beyond politics. Beyond material explanations. Beyond the constant noise of the world.
Allah says:
ظَهَرَ ٱلْفَسَادُ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِى ٱلنَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى عَمِلُوا۟ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of people have earned, so He may let them taste part of what they have done, that perhaps they will return. [al-Rum 30:41]
This verse is not merely describing environmental corruption or social instability. It is unveiling a spiritual reality. Sins do not remain confined to the individual. They leave traces upon hearts, homes, relationships, communities, and even the earth itself.
One of the greatest deceptions of modern life is the belief that sins are private and isolated. Islam teaches otherwise. The scholars repeatedly emphasized that sins are causes, and causes always produce effects.
The frightening part is not simply the sin itself. The frightening part is what repeated sins slowly do to the human heart. One of the profound lessons highlighted by the scholars is that humanity has only been allowed to experience a tiny fraction of the consequences its sins truly deserve.
In the verse above (al-Rum 30:41), notice the wording: بَعْضَ part. Not the full consequence. Not complete justice. Just a taste. Every hardship humanity experiences; oppression, instability, fear, broken relationships, loss of blessings, emotional emptiness, societal corruption, is only a glimpse of what sins actually warrant.
Allah says elsewhere:
وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَىٰ ظَهْرِهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍۢ وَلَـٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّۭى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ بَصِيرًۢا
If Allah were to punish people ˹immediately˺ for what they have committed, He would not have left a single living being on earth. But He delays them for an appointed term. And when their time arrives, then surely Allah is All-Seeing of His servants.[Fatir 35:45]
SubhanAllah. The verse does not merely speak about humans. It says no living creature would remain. Not even دَآبَّةٍۢ , the smallest creature walking upon the earth would survive if Allah dealt with humanity according to full justice. This realization should not lead a believer to despair. It should lead to humility.
Every moment of safety is mercy. Every blessing is mercy. Every delayed punishment is mercy. Every opportunity to repent is mercy.
The Disappearance of Barakah
The righteous scholars often linked sins with the disappearance of barakah, the unseen blessing Allah places within time, wealth, health, and life itself. Today people constantly complain about almost everything. Of how time passes too quickly, wealth feels insufficient, food lacks blessing, families struggle despite material comfort and even anxiety increases despite technological advancement. Most explanations remain material: inflation, economics, politics, global instability.
Islam does not deny material causes. But it teaches that spiritual causes exist behind them as well.
The early righteous people understood this deeply. If one of them experienced unusual hardship such as difficulty with family, business, or even an animal becoming stubborn, they would immediately examine themselves and ask, “What sin did I commit that may have caused this?”
Not because every hardship is necessarily a punishment, but because they lived with accountability before Allah.
Today, however, people often only blame others. Husbands blame wives. Wives blame husbands. Communities blame governments. Societies blame systems. Rarely does anyone stop and ask, “What role have our sins played in the removal of blessings?”
Perhaps the most dangerous consequence of sin is not punishment itself. It is normalization. Sins repeated long enough begin to reshape the heart. At first, the sinner feels guilt. Then discomfort decreases. Then shame weakens. Then justification appears. Then eventually, the person no longer sees the sin as a problem at all. This is spiritual corrosion.
The scholars described how a sinful thought first appears as a whisper. Then it becomes a desire. Then determination. Then action. Then habit. Eventually, it becomes part of one’s identity.
At that stage, the sinner may openly discuss sins without embarrassment. Worse still, people may encourage others toward the same corruption. This is one of the signs of a dying heart.
The Loss of Haya’ (Modesty)
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Haya’ is entirely good.”
Haya’ is often translated as modesty or shame, but its meaning is deeper than social embarrassment. It is the inner quality that prevents a person from violating boundaries before Allah. When haya’ disappears, restraint disappears with it.
The Prophet ﷺ also said, “If you feel no shame, then do as you wish.”
The scholars explained this statement in two ways. One interpretation is a warning: once shame disappears, nothing remains to stop a person from evil. The second interpretation is that actions which do not violate modesty before Allah are permissible, while actions that destroy modesty should be abandoned.
In both understandings, the central lesson remains unchanged: haya’ is a protection for the soul. When it is lost, spiritual barriers collapse.
Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله expands this meaning profoundly in his discussions on the heart. He explains that haya’ is not a superficial feeling, but a fundamental life of the heart itself. When haya’ is strong, the heart becomes alive, sensitive, and responsive to Allah. When it weakens, the heart begins to harden and lose its moral perception.
He describes haya’ as one of the greatest forms of spiritual life, because it is what causes a servant to feel shame before Allah when standing on the verge of disobedience. According to him, when this sense is removed, the heart no longer recognizes the ugliness of sin. It becomes familiar with what it once rejected.
Ibn al-Qayyim also links the loss of haya’ to a gradual spiritual collapse. A small lapse becomes a repeated habit, a repeated habit becomes normalization, and normalization eventually becomes a state where sin no longer feels like sin. At that stage, the heart is no longer guarded by shame, and the person may even begin to speak of sins openly without discomfort.
Haya’ is not merely an emotional trait. It is a divine protection placed in the heart that restrains it from destruction. When it is removed, the heart becomes exposed, and when the heart is exposed, sin enters without resistance. Thus, whether understood as a warning or as a principle of permission, the meaning converges on one reality: Haya’ is a shield. When it remains, the soul is protected. When it is lost, the soul becomes vulnerable to every form of corruption.
Modern culture often portrays shamelessness as confidence and moral restraint as weakness. Public sin becomes entertainment. Indecency becomes empowerment. Disobedience becomes normalized through repetition. But Islam teaches that once modesty dies, the heart becomes dangerously vulnerable.
Another profound concept discussed by the scholars is غَيْرَة ghayrah. Ghayrah is difficult to fully translate into English because it combines meanings of protective honor, moral vigilance, protective concern, and dignified jealousy over what is sacred.
The Prophet ﷺ described Allah as possessing the greatest ghayrah.This does not resemble human insecurity or emotional weakness. Rather, it refers to Allah’s perfect disapproval of violations against His sacred limits.
The believer is also meant to possess ghayrah, a protective concern for morality, truth, family, and the sanctities of Islam. A person with ghayrah does not become comfortable watching corruption spread unchecked. They do not casually accept the dishonoring of faith, morality, or sacred boundaries.
Sins weaken ghayrah. Repeated exposure to evil eventually makes the heart numb. What once disturbed a believer slowly becomes ordinary. This numbness is dangerous because the heart was never designed to comfortably coexist with open disobedience.
The Greatest Punishment
One of the most terrifying punishments mentioned in the Qur’an is not physical suffering. It is abandonment. Allah says:
وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَأَنسَىٰهُمْ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ
And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. It is they who are ˹truly˺ rebellious. [al-Hashr 59:19]
This does not mean Allah literally forgets anyone. Allah forgets nothing. Rather, it means He abandons certain people to themselves because they abandoned remembrance of Him. Such people become spiritually lost. They chase temporary pleasures while neglecting the very things that could save them in the Hereafter. They may appear successful outwardly while their hearts quietly collapse inwardly. This is among the greatest losses imaginable: to become disconnected from one’s own soul.
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Despite the heaviness of these realities, Islam never closes the door of hope. The lesson repeatedly emphasized repentance, istighfar, and returning to Allah.
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah were described as an opportunity to increase every form of good: Qur’an, remembrance, charity, sacrifice, kindness, and worship. Why?
Because no matter how heavy sins become, Allah’s mercy remains greater. The believer is not meant to drown in guilt, nor ignore sin completely. The believer lives between fear and hope. Fear that sins darken the heart. Hope that sincere repentance revives it again. Every act of istighfar is an admission that Allah’s mercy is still being sought. Every moment of repentance is proof that the heart is still alive. And perhaps that is the greatest blessing of all: that Allah still allows His servants to return before the door finally closes..
Disclaimer:
The notes written are from a student’s personal notes transcribed from the sessions. Should there be any error, May Allah forgive us, and do feedback (ain1810@gmail.com) so that it can get amended, and may it be beneficial to all of us and may Allah reward Jannah to Sh Sajid and his team for the beneficial ‘ilm being shared and to all of the students Steps to Jannah, Ameen.