The forces of good and evil hold sway over man causing life struggle and this makes life interesting and meaningful.
Though man has the potential capacity of sin latent in him,but this is not greater than his capacity of piety and goodness. The spirit of Allah was breathed into man (Surah As-Sajadah 32:19).
By this,man is bound to have and exhibit certain spiritual qualities and inclination and good spirit of Allah.
Now,if he chooses to actualize the potential of sin instead of the potential of goodness and Allah’s spirit in him,he will be adding a new external element to his pure nature and Allah’s spirit in him.And for this added external element,he shall be responsible.

Whereas,it pleases Allah to see His servant in a state of spiritual and moral victory, victory over all sins and corruptions.
Allah has warned in Surah Al-Anam 6:120-Eschew open sins as well as secret ones.Surely those who earn sin will be rewarded for that which they have earned


DEFINITION OF SIN
Islamic scholars have defined a sin as any act,thought or will that:
(1)Is deliberate;
(2)Defies the unequivocal law of Allah;
(3)Violates the right of Allah or the right of man;
(4)Is harmful to the soul or body;
(5)Is committed repeatedly;
(6)Is normally avoidable.

ACT OF SINNING
By error of commission or omission,man goes into sin through satanic deceit and inspiration,passion of greed for wealth, self- love,envy,egotism,laziness,hunger for position and office,hypocrisy,suspicion and desire to be famous,are all footstep of Satan to sin and evils,which are hated by Allah.

Man is imperfect and ever-wanting in almost every condition and this leads to infirmity in his behaviour with men like him,other creations and in following the command of his Lord.
It is not a sin that man is imperfect or fallible as that differentiates him from the Lord.Allah cannot be matched by any in His perfection and goodness.
But man must worship Him and emulate His attributes.And it is a sin that man has the ways and means of relative perfection and chooses not to seek it!
Imperfection and fallible on the other hand are not the equivalent of sin or synonymous with criminality.Man has the potential capacity of sin latent in him,but this is not greater than his capacity of piety and goodness.
If he chooses to actualize the potential of sin instead of the potential of goodness,he will be adding a new external element to his pure nature and Allah’s spirit in him.

Allah demands of everyone purity,sincerity and piety as a responsibility of his nature and it is within the human possibility and reaches.
Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:256 -Allah burdens not any soul beyond its capacity,it gets every good that it earns and it suffers every ill that it earns…


NO ORIGINAL OR INHERITED SIN: Islam knows no original or inherited sin as man is born in pure nature of submission to Allah’s command.
Allah says in Surah Ar-Rum 30:30- Set your face to the religion as one devoted to Allah.The nature made by Allah,nature in which He has created mankind.There is no altering the creation of Allah.
The Prophet(PBUH) said: Every child is born in a natural state of purity in submission in Islam but his parents later turn him to Jews,Christians or idolater.
That is to say whatever becomes of a man after birth,is as a result of external influence and intruding factors such as parental and societal influences.These factors,of course,do not deny man of his freedom of choice or exempt him from responsibility.

Allah says in Surah Al-Insan 76:2-3 -We have created man.We made him hearing and seeing.We have shown him the way,whether he be grateful or ungrateful

ALLAH LOVES TO FORGIVE
Of Allah’s most beautiful names and attributes are:
Al-Gafur- The Forgiving;Al-Halim–The Forbearing; Ar- Rauf – The Compassionate; Al- Afuww –The Effacer of sins and At- Tawwab – The Acceptor of repentance.
Quran says that Ar-Rauf,in His Forbearing nature gives us respite,waiting for us to repent and seek forgiveness -Surah An-Nahl 16:61.

He is ever ready to respond to the sincere call of those who seek His forgiveness. Thus,He orders in Surah Az-Zumar 39:53-54 -O my servants who have committed excesses against their own souls! Despair not of Allah’s mercy.Surely Allah forgives all sins. Verily,He is most forgiving merciful.
And turn to your Lord and submit yourselves to Him before there comes unto you the punishment,for then you shall not be helped
Allah says in Surah Ghafir 40:55- … And ask forgiveness for your fault…” Q40:55.

The Concept Of Shirk
The most serious of all is Shirk i.e. having other gods beside Allah.
Allah says in the glorious Quran in Surah An-Nisa 4:48 -Allah does not forgive that any partner be associated with Him,but He may forgive whatever is short of that to whomever He pleases.And whoso associates partners with Allah has indeed devised a very great sin.

Meanwhile no major sin remains major as long as one repent on it and seek forgiveness before death overtakes the soul,likewise no minor sin remains minor as much as one did not stop committing it. And it is as destructive as shirk.
The Prophet worriedly said: What I fear most for you (my followers) is the minor shirk!” A man asked,‘what is minor shirk’? He said: “disguised shirk” (Ahmad).


EFFECT OF SIN:
Sin and evil deeds distance goodness from man;it make his supplication unanswered; his life miserable;cursed by angel and men; subject him to fear and worry; make death hard for him;make his enemy overpower him;lost salvation and paradise the home of peace and subject him to severe torment in hell fire!

REPENTACE,HOW TO DO IT?
Repentance is mandatory for every sin.If one commits a misdeed or wrongs himself he should hurry to Allah for forgiveness without any delay or mediation whatsoever.
Talk to Allah directly! Make an unfailing promise to Him.This is done by:
(1)Abstaining from committing that deed; (2)Regretting having committed the deed: (3)Determine not to return to that deed any longer.
And if it involves taking/usurping people’s rights/materials,then that material or right illegally taken must be returned.
Allah says in Surah At-Tahrim 66:8 - O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance!
Surah Al-Imran 3:135-136 -Those who, when commit a foul deed or wrong themselves remember and implore forgiveness for their sins… And do not persist knowingly in what they have done. It is these whose reward is forgiveness from their Lord…
In addition as a way of humble life that acknowledges error of omission or commission,one should take it as part of prayer,some words of seeking forgiveness as taught by the Prophet who even despite his pure and sincere life said:
By Allah, I seek Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance for more than seventy times a day” (Bukhari).

FORGIVE THOSE WHO WRONG YOU
As you repent of your sins and seek Allah’s forgiveness on one hand,you are on the other hand expected to forgive those who wrong you and pray Allah to forgive them also.
In His mercy to mankind especially Muslims,is the opportunities given to bear Allah attributes as Abd- Gafar and Abd- Halim etc as the case may be,so that we may exhibit the qualities of the names.
The Prophet (PBUH) said: No one of you truly believes till he wants for his brother what he wants for himself” (Bukhari)
And Allah orders in Surah Muhammad 47:19- …and ask forgiveness for your faults and for believing men believing woman….
Muslims are expected to exhibit the trait of the Forgiving Lord by His spirit in them.To show high degree of integrity and patient that brings humility and reformation in a wrongdoer.

Pardoning people is another way of avoiding sin that comes through anger. Anger itself is atimes to some degree a sin. Reason why the Prophet(PBUH) told a man who sought his advice several times that “he should not be angry!”
It is a wrong assertion to say that Muslims don’t have spirit of forgiveness or have been mandated to revenge.

Allah orders and encourages Muslims to forgive rather than to revenge.The permission to revenge is mention in one verse only in the Quran with delicate condition yet it is followed by advice to pardon.
It reads:And the recompense of any injury is an injury the like thereof:but whoso forgives and his act bring about reformation,his reward is with Allah for Allah does not love those who do wrong… There is no blame on those who defend themselves after they have been wronged.The blame is only on those who wrong men and transgress in the earth without justification…And he who is patient and forgives,that is a matter of strong determination[Surah Ash-Shura 42: 40-43].

Whereas in four places Allah orders and encourages Muslims to forgive and return evil with good!
It reads:Repel evil with that which is best…[Surah Al-Muminoon 23: 96].
Goodness and evil are not alike repel evil with what is better,then will he between whom and you was enmity become as if you were intimate friend [Surah Fussilat 41: 34].
Tell those who believe to forgive those who do not hope for the days of Allah.It is for Allah to recompense each people according to what they earned”[Surah Al-Jathiyah 45: 14].

To love Allah is the highest motive of our conduct,for it leads to the love of Allah’s creatures,and we win His love by forgiving His creatures who wrong us.
The Prophet did not kill but forgave the unbeliever who wanted to kill him when the sword slipped off the man’s hand and got to the Prophet’s hand.
For this,the man accepted Islam.
Allah orders in Surah Ar-Araf 7:199 -show forgiveness, enjoin what is good and turn away from the foolish.
… let them pardon and forgive.Do you not love that Allah should forgive you? [Surah An-Nur 24:22].

HOW TO AVOID SIN?
Allah did not leave man to become spectator of his own tragedy.He empowered us by ultimate divine revelation- Al Quran.
Let us read and understand it.His Prophet and the companions demonstrated ways to lead sinless life as contained in the hadith-let us study and emulate them.
We are also supported by reasoning/faculties – let us be patient and apply wisdom before we act.
We are fortified by freedom of choice – let us be inquisitive about what to do and what to take and make conscious determination to choose the right always. We are also guided by various psychological dispositions, -so let us associate/socialize with the truthful ones, the pious and adopt their habit and reasoning.

Supplicating to Allah for pure life with all these,relative perfection and sinless life is achievable.

Ustadh Ayoola

Jazakumullahu khayran for sharing bro

Man and sin sometimes(or is it always?) seems inseperable, it's in our nature to commit errors...

In light of this our peculiar disposition, can man really be sinless?

May Allah(SWT) forgive us all and accept our sincere repentance ameen.

Amin o

sino: Jazakumullahu khayran for sharing bro

Man and sin sometimes(or is it always?) seems inseperable, it's in our nature to commit errors...

In light of this our peculiar disposition, can man really be sinless?

May Allah(SWT) forgive us all and accept our sincere repentance ameen.

Wa Iyyakum bro.
That's why we are humans,bound to fall into errors.
Being sinless? Man maybe close to that,and Allah knows best.
Ameen,thumma Ameen to your prayer.

as contribution, i advice who has not heard the lecture to go get it ASAP...a ramadan lecture delivad by sheikh MUFTI MENK...the title is FORGIVENESS. you can download or kip asking pple till you find someone who has. wallahi, it inspired me for a change nd i realised how much i've sinned w/o knowing. someone on here too might change like me afta hearing that Allah is ar rahman ar raheem wal gaffar!!!. go get the lecture soon!

Great topic brotha Lanre.

May Allah forgive our sins... Amin