Causes and Effects of Diseases of the Heart

Indeed, all sins poison the heart and lead to its illness and
destruction. They sicken it and define its will as other than what
Allaah The Almighty wants [of Hisservant], in effect being as harmful
to the heart as actual poisons are to the body. Imaam Ibn Al-Mubaarak
said, "I haveseen that sins cause the death of the heart and addiction
to them breeds humiliation. On the other hand, quitting sins gives
life to the heart and it is better for one to disobey his own self
[than to disobey Allaah The Almighty]."
The extent of harm that sins cause to the heart and body in this life
and in the Hereafter, are known to Allaah The Almighty alone. However,
every evil and every single disease in this life and the Hereafter,
can be attributed to sins and acts of disobedience. Ibn Al-Qayyim
said:
"Then why [else] were our parents (Aadam and Eve, may Allaah exalt
their mention) expelled from Paradise – the abode of joy, pleasure,
bliss and happiness – to the dwelling of suffering, sorrows and
disasters? Why was Satan cast out from the kingdom of Heaven? Why was
he cursed and deformed externally and internally, until he had the
most heinous appearance, with his insides even uglier and more
abominable than his exterior? Why was he under a curse instead of
mercy, and given ugliness in place of beauty, and Hell instead of
Paradise? He became worthless in the sight of Allaah The Almighty,
deprived of His compassion and inflicted withHis anger. Allaah The
Almighty deluded and detested him so much that He led him to
destruction, until he became a leader for every immoral and criminal
person; and Satan accepted this position although he had [earlier]
worshipped [Allaah]. We seek refuge with You, O Allaah from breaching
Your command or doing what You prohibited!"
He continued:
"Why did all the people on earth drown [at the time of Noah ]and the
water submerge the peaks of mountains? Why were the people of 'Aad
afflicted with an intense wind that left their lifeless bodies on
earth like they were hollow trunks of palm trees? Why was the tribe of
Thamood afflicted with a loud shriek that literally tore their hearts
on the inside and all of them died [as a result]? Why were the
villages of the people ofLoote lifted so high up to thesky that the
angels heard the barking of their dogs, and then were turned upside
down, leading to their deaths; and why were they cast with stones of
layered, hard clay? In this way, they were punished twice, which was
something that did not happen to any other nation. Theircounterparts
today may also havethe same punishment, and this isnever far from the
wrongdoers. As for the people of Shu'ayb why were they afflicted with
clouds of torment that appeared as canopies, but when they approached
over their heads, they rained flames of blazing fire over them? Why
were Pharaoh and his soldiers drowned in the sea and transported by
soul to Hell? Why was Qaaroon, along with his house, property and
family, swallowed by the earth? Why were the generations after Nooh
(Noah) destroyed by different kinds of punishment? What about the
Children of Israel;why were they tried by militarily superior people,
who ransacked their homes, killing men and taking children and women
captive, in the process? Why did those enemies later again come to
them and destroy everything they could to the point of annihilation?
Why were they afflicted with different types of torturous punishments:
death, imprisonment, destruction of their houses, subjugation to the
tyranny of kings and transformation into apes and pigs? The last of
these hardships is mentioned in the verse where Allaah The Almighty
Says (what means): {He Would surely [continue to] send upon them until
the Day of Resurrection those who would afflict them with the worst
torment.} [Quran 7:167]"
Some of the effects of acts of disobedience and sins:
• They are ammunition that a sinner provides his enemy with,
supporting his rival with an army against his very own self.
• They embolden others to defy the sinner, in ways they would never
have previously dared.
• They gradually seal one's heart; if sins accumulate, their doer
becomes heedless. Some of the righteous predecessors said that the
verse where Allaah The Almighty Said (what means): {Nay! But on their
hearts is the Raan which they used to earn.} [Quran 83:14], refers to
the sins that pile up until the heart is blinded. That is because the
heartrusts from sins, an increase of which steps up corrosion until it
constitutes Raan (rust). This, then, in turn, develops until it
becomes a seal and bolt which enlarges, until it completely wraps
around the heart.
• The enormity of sins is removedfrom the heart to the extent that it
then considers them as mere habits.
• Sins breed sins and help sustainthe [habit of committing] evil.
• Ill actions render darkness in one's heart, which is as tangible as
the shadows of the night. It was narrated on the authority of Ibn
'Abbaas that he said, "A good deed brings about light in [its doer's]
face and heart, blessing in provisions and love in the hearts of
people. Conversely, a sin brings about darkness in the face and the
heart, lack in sustenance and hatred in the hearts of people."
• Sins weaken the heart and body. As for the former, it is evident in
its continuous pattern which ends only when its life does. The body,
too, becomes weakened because a believer's power lies in his heart,
and the stronger that is, the stronger his body is.
• They render man's affairs difficult; whenever he wants to do
something, he finds it tough or unattainable. One of the righteous
predecessors said, "When I disobey Allaah The Almighty, I find that
reflected in the behavior of my wife and [even my] domesticated
animal."
• Sins create alienation between its doer and others, especially
thegood among them. Abu Ad-Dardaa' advised, "Beware of being cursed by
the hearts of the believers while you do not know! You secretly commit
sins and that is why Allaah The Almighty casts hatred of you in their
hearts."
• Sins dismiss a man's honor and dignity in the sight of Allaah The
Almighty and His creatures, as He Says (what means): {And whomsoever
Allaah abases, thereis none who can make him honorable} [Quran 22:18].
• Evil deeds not only extinguish the fire of zeal in one's heart, but
also removes bashfulness from it,which is the source of life to the
heart.
• Sins diminish the heart's zeal toplease Allaah The Almighty and win
in the Hereafter.
• A person continues to commit vices until he or she belittles them
and considers them as trivial. Ibn Mas'ood said: "The believing man
sees his sin as if it were a mountain that he fears will fall down on
him; whereas the immoral person thinks of his sin as a fly that sat on
his nose and he easily waved it off." [At-Tirmithi] Also, Anas once
remarked: "Indeed, you commit actions that you consider as trivial,
but we used to consider them at the time of the Prophet to be major
sins." [Al-Bukhaari]
Bilaal ibn Sa'd advised, "Do not look at the smallness of a sin but
look at the magnificence of the One Whom you disobeyed."
As for the foremost five evil acts that afflict the heart and are most
widespread, they are an excess of: talking, prying gaze, socializing,
eating and sleeping.