Sins and Effacing of Blessings
Question: I read that one of the results of sins is punishment from Allah and effacing of blessings. I cried out of fear of that. Please guide me, may Allah reward you.
Response: Every Muslim man and woman must be aware of sins and repent for what sins he did previously. He must also have good expectations of Allah and hope for His forgiveness as well as fearing His anger and punishment. In Allah's Noble Book, He says about His righteous servants,
"Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us" (al-Anbiya 90).
Another verse states,
"Those whom they [the disbelievers] call upon [like Jesus and others] desire (for themselves) means of access to their Lord, as to which of them should be the nearest and they hope for His Mercy and fear His torment. Verily, the torment of your Lord is something to be afraid of" (al-lsra 57).
Again,
"The believers, men and women, are helpers and supporters of one another; they enjoin the good and forbid evil. They offer their prayers perfectly and give the zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah will have His mercy on them. Surely, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise" (al-Tauba 71).
At the same time, believers must follow the causes that Allah has allowed them. They must combine together the aspects of fear and hope. In their actions, they must apply the outward causes and put their trust in Allah, trusting in Him to bring about the desired result free from any blemish. Verily, He is the Generous, the Noble. Allah has said,
"Whoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out [from every difficulty]. And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine." (al-Talaq 2-3).
And Allah also says,
"Whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He shall make his matter easy for him" (al-Talaq 4).
And again Allah says,
"And beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, so that you may be successful" (al-Nur 31).
It is a must upon you, O sister for the sake of Allah, to repent to Allah for the sins you committed in the past and to become steadfast in His obedience. At the same time, you should have good thoughts and expectations of Allah. Be aware of all of the causes of His anger. Accept the glad tidings of plentiful good and a praiseworthy end.
Shaikh Ibn Baaz (rahimahullah)
