DISOBEYING A COMMAND IS WORSE THAN COMMITTING A SIN

 🌻NASEEAH🌻 

*🍃 _DISOBEYING A COMMAND IS WORSE THAN COMMITTING A SIN_ 🍃* 

Sahl bin ‘Abdullah said, *“Abandoning the command of Allaah is worse than committing a sin, for Adam was forbidden to eat from the Tree, but he ate from it, and Allaah forgave him. Satan was commanded to prostrate before Adam, but he refused, and Allaah did not forgive him.”* 

I said, *“This is a serious issue and is of great importance, which is, “Disobeying commands is worse in the sight of Allaah than committing sins.”*

*There are several points concerning this (23 points).*

*Point 1⃣:* That which Sahl mentioned about Adam and Satan, the enemy of Allaah. 

*Point 2⃣:* The cause of committing a sin is in most cases, lust and need. The cause of disobeying a command in most cases, is pride and love of glory. It is well known that whoever has the weight of an atom of pride in his heart will not enter Paradise, but whoever dies and has the Oneness of Allaah in his heart will enter Paradise even if he had committed adultery and theft. 

*Point 3⃣:* Obeying a command is dearer to Allaah than abandoning a sin, as has been indicated in many texts, such as the words of the Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ), 

*“The dearest deed to Allaah is the performance of prayer at its due time.” [Bukhari, 527]*

And his hadith, *“Shall I inform you about the best of your deeds, the most virtuous and pure in the sight of the Owner, the heaviest in the (scale of) your grades and better for you than confronting your enemy while you fight them and they fight you?” Thereupon they said, “Yes, Messenger of Allaah”, then he said, “Remembering Allaah.”  [Tirmidhi, 3377]* 

And his hadith, *“You should know that the best of your deeds is the performance of prayer... [Ibn Majah 277]* and so on. 

Furthermore, abandoning a sin is a deed, which is refraining oneself from an action. That is why, Allaah, the Almighty related love to the undertaking of commands by saying (what means), 

*“Verily, Allaah loves those who fight in His Cause in rows (ranks)...” [As Saff, 61:4]*

*“Verily, Allaah loves the gooddoers.” [Al-‘Imran, 3:134]*

*“And Allaah loves the patient ones.” [Al-ʼImran, 3:146]*

*“And Allaah likes not mischief.” [Al Baqarah, 2:205]*

*“And Allaah likes not prideful boasters.” [Al Hadid, 57:23]*

*“But transgress not the limits. Truly, Allaah likes not the transgressors.” [Al Baqarah, 2:190]*

*“Allaah does not like that the evil should be uttered in public except by him who has been wronged.” [An Nisa’ 4:148]*

*“All the bad aspects of these (the above mentioned things) are hateful to your Lord.” [Al-Isra’, 17:38]*

*“That is because they followed that which angered Allaah.” [Muhammad, 47:28]*

The previously mentioned verses lead us to understand that the deeds that please Allaah, the Almighty are meant for the sake of their own virtue. That is why He preordains what He hates because it leads to what pleases Him. 

He has also preordained wrongdoing, disbelief and wickedness due to what results from them like fighting in the Cause of Allaah, martyrdom, repentance, invocation, submission, manifesting His Justice, Forgiveness, Revenge and Glorification, in addition to showing loyalty and hostility for His Sake, and other deeds. They are dearer to Him than removing their causes. 

Therefore, it should now be clear that undertaking what pleases Him is dearer to Him than avoiding what He hates 

*[Culled from Ibn al-Qayyim's Al-Fawaaid, pgs. 189-192]*