TO QUIT SINNING
A man came to Ibrahim ibn Adham (a famous saint and scholar from the pious 'salaf')
and said, "Abu Ishaq, I am unable to control myself. Please give me something
to help me with it."
Ibrahim replied, "If you accept 5 conditions, and are able to put them into
practice, your disobedience will not cause you any problems."
The man : Just tell me what they are, Abu Ishaq!
Ibrahim : The 1st is that when you want to disobey Allah, you do not eat
anything
He provides.
The man : Then how will I get anything to eat? Everything on earth is from
Him!
Ibrahim : So is it right to eat His provision and disobey Him at the same
time?
The man : No, it is not.
The man : What is the 2nd condition?
Ibrahim : When you want to disobey Him, move off His land.
The man : That is even more difficult! In that case, where will I live?
Ibrahim : Is it right to eat His provision and live on His land and
then disobey Him?
The man : No, it is not.
The man : What is the 3rd condition?
Ibrahim : When you want to disobey Him in spite of eating His provision and
living
on His land, find a place where He will not see you and
disobey Him
there.
The man : What do you mean, Ibrahim? He knows everything that happens even in
the most hidden places!
Ibrahim : So is it right to disobey Him when you eat His provision and live
on His
land and when you know that He can see everything you do?
The man : It certainly is not!
The man : Tell me the 4th condition.
Ibrahim : That when the Angel of Death arrives to take your soul, you say to
him,
'Give me a reprieve so that I can repent and act righteously
for Allah.'
The man : But he won't listen to me!
Ibrahim : Then if you cannot ward off death long enough to give yourself
time to
repent, and you know that when it comes there will be no
reprieve, how
can you hope to be saved?
The man : What is the 5th?
Ibrahim : That when the Angels of Fire come to you to take you to Hell, you
do not
go with them.
The man : They will take me whether I like it or not!
Ibrahim : So how can you hope to be saved?
The man : Enough, enough, Ibrahim! I ask Allah's Forgiveness and I turn to Him
in
repentance!
The man's repentance was sincere and from that time on, he was assiduous in
his worship and avoided acts of disobedience until the day he died.