The Affliction of Souls and the Slips of Hearts: Reflections on Traits Unloved by Allah
As man journeys through this life, his feet may slip and his heart may stray from the path of righteousness, entangling himself in traits that distance a servant from the love of his Creator and reflect a profound imbalance in the scale of morals and values. When we look into the pages of wisdom and prophetic guidance, we find flashes warning against people who combined vile actions with a lack of insight. They are eight categories in which the traits of transgression and arrogance manifested:
The elderly fornicator: An old man whom Allah has given length of days and who has reached an advanced age, though it would have been better for him to be ashamed of his gray hair, yet he commits what does not befit the dignity of mature age and the time of turning back to Allah.
The arrogant poor man: A poor man who possesses nothing of worldly goods, yet wears the garment of arrogance and pride, as if poverty did not break his soul and discipline his limbs.
The lying strong man: A strong man whom Allah has granted abundance in physique or authority, yet he exploits his strength in lying and fabrication, instead of supporting the truth and protecting the weak.
The one who swears falsely in his trade: A merchant who has made a false oath a commodity to promote his goods, disregarding the remembrance of Allah, and deceiving people with falsehood and slander.
The one who reminds others of his charity: A giver who follows his charity with injury and reminders, thus spoiling the reward of his benevolence and wounding the hearts of the poor and needy.
The one who trails his garment out of pride below the ankles: A human being overcome by vanity and conceit, walking proudly upon the earth, trailing his garments out of boastfulness and arrogance towards Allah’s creation.
The one who withholds water when it is available: A hard-hearted miser who withholds water from the thirsty and animals despite its abundance with him and his lack of harm in granting it.
The tyrannical, unjust rich man through his wealth: A rich man corrupted by his wealth, who uses the power of money and wealth to oppress the servants and act tyrannically toward them, forgetting that sovereignty belongs to Allah alone.
It is a mirror reflecting the diseases of the hearts that cause man to fall from the sight of Allah Almighty, inviting him to mend his inner self and purify his soul before the time of regret.
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