notifications_active Weekly Meshkat-e Noor Session: Thursdays at 20:30 at Haj Reza Mosque
Dear teacher, when we detest a sin and do not commit it, yet fear and anxiety about it occupy our thoughts and hearts, I sometimes feel, when alone with my thoughts, that I am being too hard on myself—or perhaps becoming obsessive. I worry that if I am not strict with myself, I will leave the door open to Satan. How can I manage this and free myself from this difficulty?
Genuine aversion to sin means turning away from it and feeling no attraction to it. If you feel fear and anxiety about sin, this is not a sign of genuine aversion; it may stem from obsessive thoughts or hidden inclinations. A clearer understanding of the nature of sin, together with trust in God and seeking refuge in Him, can help resolve this difficulty and make abstaining from sin a source of peace.
Hatred is accompanied by aversion and flight, and is incompatible with attraction, desire and appetite. Anyone who truly hates sin will find the very thought of it distressing and repulsive. Whoever understands that sin is filth, corruption and impurity will have no inclination towards it whatsoever.
Anyone tempted towards sin must, in truth, have an appetite for it; their supposed aversion is only pretence. A person who hates sin need not struggle to keep away from it, because they feel no pull towards it and so are not tempted. Temptation arises from a person’s inner inclinations, and it is from this very place that Satan draws strength to stir, excite, beguile and tempt them.
Understanding the nature of sin makes avoiding it a joyful and sweet endeavour. It is enough, then, to cultivate our understanding and unite it with trust in God, seeking refuge in Him and calling upon Him for help.