humility that you may never otherwise have had. Ibn ul Qayyim (ra) writes:
“One of the Salaf (Pious Predecessors) said: “Indeed a servant commits a sin by which he enters
Paradise; and another does a good deed by which he enters the Fire.” It was asked: How is that? So
he replied: “The one who committed the sin, constantly thinks about it; which causes him to fear it,
regret it, weep over it and feel ashamed in front of his Lord—the Most High—due to it. He stands
before Allah, broken-hearted and with his head lowered in humility. So this sin is more beneficial to
him than doing many acts of obedience, since it caused him to have humility and humbleness—which
leads to the servant’s happiness and success—to the extent that this sin becomes the cause for him
entering Paradise. As for the doer of good, then he does not consider this good a favor from his Lord
upon him. Rather, he becomes arrogant and amazed with himself, saying: I have achieved such and
such, and such and such. So this further increases him in self-adulation, pride and arrogance—such
that this becomes the cause for his destruction.”
Allah (swt) reminds us in the Qur’an to never lose hope. He says: “Say, ‘O My servants who have
transgressed against their souls [by sinning], despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives
all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful,’” (Qur’an, 39:53).
And so, this is a call to all those who have become enslaved by the tyranny of the self, imprisoned in
the dungeon of the nafs (self) and desires. It is a call to all those who have entered the ocean of dunya,
who have sunk into its depths, and become trapped by its crushing waves. Rise up. Rise up to the air,
to the Real world above the prison of the ocean. Rise up to your freedom. Rise up and come back to
life. Leave the death of your soul behind you. Your heart can still live and be stronger and purer than
it ever was. Does not the polish of tawbah remake the heart even more beautiful than it was? Remove
the veil you have sewn with your sins. Remove the veil between you and Life, between you and
Freedom, between you and Light—between you and God. Remove the veil and rise up. Come back to
yourself. Come back to where you began. Come back Home. Know that when all the other doors have
shut in your face, there is One that is always open. Always. Seek it. Seek Him and He will guide you
through the waves of the cruel ocean, into the mercy of the sun.
This world cannot break you—unless you give it permission. And it cannot own you unless you hand
it the keys—unless you give it your heart. And so, if you have handed those keys to dunya for a while
—take them back. This isn’t the End. You don’t have to die here. Reclaim your heart and place it with
its rightful owner:
God.