https://www.khutbah.info/sinning-in-solitude/ Fear Allah, the Exalted, and obey Him, and be mindful of Him in all your affairs, for indeed He, the Exalted, is ever-watchful over you, hearing your words, witnessing your deeds, and knowing what is in your hearts. At-Taghabun (64) 4: He knows what is within the heavens and earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare. And Allāh is Knowing of that within the breasts. O people, whoever truly knows Allah, the Exalted, will be mindful of Him in private and in public, and will fear Him in the unseen and in the open, so they do not disobey Him nor engage in what He has forbidden. And if they falter, they hasten to repentance and seek forgiveness, fearing their sin and hoping for the pardon of their Lord, the Exalted:
إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ ,نَحْمَدُهُ ,وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ , وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا ,مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ , وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ , وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Verily, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Him from the evils of our selves. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide. Whoever He misguides, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ – آل عمران:102
Al Imran 102 : O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.
Oh people:
Fear Allah, the Exalted, and obey Him, and be mindful of Him in all your affairs, for indeed He, the Exalted, is ever-watchful over you, hearing your words, witnessing your deeds, and knowing what is in your hearts.
يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تُسِرُّونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ-التَّغَابُنِ 4
At-Taghabun (64) 4: He knows what is within the heavens and earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare. And Allāh is Knowing of that within the breasts.
O people, whoever truly knows Allah, the Exalted, will be mindful of Him in private and in public, and will fear Him in the unseen and in the open, so they do not disobey Him nor engage in what He has forbidden. And if they falter, they hasten to repentance and seek forgiveness, fearing their sin and hoping for the pardon of their Lord, the Exalted:
إِنَّمَا تُنْذِرُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَيْبِ-فَاطِرٍ 18
Fatir (35) 18: You can only warn those who fear their Lord unseen.
From the Prophetic supplications is:
اللَّهُمَّ وَأَسْأَلُكَ خَشْيَتَكَ فِي الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ
O Allah, I ask You to grant me fear of You in private and in public. [Sunan an-Nasa’i 1305, Grade: Hasan]
This necessitates caution against secretly sinning while outwardly displaying righteousness. For Allah, the Exalted, is ever-watchful of us even while we are alone:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا-النِّسَاءِ 1
An-Nisa (4) 1: Indeed Allāh is ever, over you, an Observer.
One cannot escape from His encompassing knowledge. Behaving righteously in public, while falling into secret sins indicates weakness of faith, as the person is heedless that Allah, the Exalted, is always watching them. It is similar to the hypocrites, as they display something different from what they conceal:
يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يَسْتَخْفُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَهُوَ مَعَهُمْ إِذْ يُبَيِّتُونَ مَا لَا يَرْضَى مِنَ الْقَوْلِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطًا-النِّسَاءِ 108
An-Nisa (4) 108: They conceal [their evil intentions and deeds] from the people, but they cannot conceal [them] from Allāh, and He is with them [in His knowledge] when they spend the night in such as He does not accept of speech. And ever is Allāh, of what they do, encompassing.
Ibn Kathir said that this is a reproachment of the hypocrites for concealing their evils from the people so that they do not rebuke them, while openly displaying them before Allah, the Exalted, because He is aware of their secrets and knows what is in their inner conscious.
Indeed, sinning in while one is alone has grave consequences. Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
أَعْلَمَنَّ أَقْوَامًا مِنْ أُمَّتِي يَأْتُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِحَسَنَاتٍ أَمْثَالِ جِبَالِ تِهَامَةَ بِيضًا فَيَجْعَلُهَا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هَبَاءً مَنْثُورًا . قَالَ ثَوْبَانُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صِفْهُمْ لَنَا جَلِّهِمْ لَنَا أَنْ لاَ نَكُونَ مِنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لاَ نَعْلَمُ . قَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهُمْ إِخْوَانُكُمْ وَمِنْ جِلْدَتِكُمْ وَيَأْخُذُونَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ كَمَا تَأْخُذُونَ وَلَكِنَّهُمْ أَقْوَامٌ إِذَا خَلَوْا بِمَحَارِمِ اللَّهِ انْتَهَكُوهَا
I certainly know people of my Ummah who will come on the Day of Resurrection with good deeds as (great as) the mountains of Tihamah, but Allah will make them like scattered dust. Thawban said: O Messenger of Allah, describe and tell us about them, so that we will not become one of them unknowingly. He said: They are your brothers and from your people, worshipping at night as you do, but they will be people who, when they are alone with what Allah has made unlawful, they violate it. [Sunan Ibn Majah 4245, Grade: Hasan]
At the same time, refraining from sin while all alone has great virtue. For among the seven whom Allah will shade on the Day of Judgment, as mentioned in the authentic Hadith, is “a man who was called by a woman of status and beauty, but he said, ‘Indeed, I fear Allah.'” He was alone with her while she desired him, and she invited him to engage in illicit relations. She was beautiful and desirable, and her status tempted him. Yet, it was only the fear of Allah and awe of Him unseen that prevented him from committing this sin in solitude. Ibn Rajab said, The fear of Allah, the Exalted, unseen, arises from strong iman (faith) and striving against one’s desires, for desires call one to sin in seclusion. This is why it is said that one of the greatest matters is piety in seclusion.
Ibn al-Jawzi mentioned a remarkable story about Abu Bakr al-Miski. It was said to him, “We always smell the fragrance of musk upon you; what is the reason?” He replied, “By Allah, I haven’t used musk for many years, but the reason is that a woman tricked me into entering her house, locked the doors behind me, and tried to seduce me. I was bewildered and could not find any way out, so I told her, ‘I need to purify myself.’ She commanded her maid to take me to the restroom. When I entered the restroom, I smeared excrement all over my body. Then I returned to her in that state. When she saw me, she was shocked and commanded me to be thrown out. I went home and washed myself. That night, I heard a speaker in a dream saying to me, ‘You did something no one else has done; I will make your scent pleasant in this world and the Hereafter.’ When I woke up, the scent of musk was emanating from me, and it has continued to this day.”
What prevents a person from committing secret sins is the fear of Allah, the Exalted. Whoever reaches this level has achieved Ihsan (excellence in worship), for they worship Allah as if they see Him, and even though they do not see Him, Allah sees them.
Abdul Salam bin Ubayd narrated from an Arab man said, “I went out on a dark night, and I saw a woman who looked like a radiant light. I tried to seduce her, but she said, ‘Woe to you! If faith does not deter you, do you not have any sense to restrain you?’ I said to her, ‘No one sees us but the stars.’ She replied, ‘What about the Creator of the stars?
The righteous predecessors used to remind people of Allah in such situations, warning them about their actions in solitude. Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir saw a man talking with a woman in a deserted place, and he said, “Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, sees both of you. May Allah, the Exalted, conceal us and you.”
A man once asked Wahb ibn al-Ward for advice, and he replied, “Beware of letting Allah, the Exalted, be the least important of those who observe you.”
Al-Junayd was asked, “How can one lower their gaze?” He replied, ” By knowing that Allah Almighty’s gaze upon you is greater than your gaze upon what you are looking at.”
A man admired a woman, so he followed her. She said to him, “Do you want anything?” He said, “Yes.” She said, “What is it?” He said, “Your affection.” She said, “Leave that for the Day of Mutual Loss and Gain (the Day of Judgment).” He said, “By Allah, it made me cry, and I have never done that again.”
Abu Sulayman al-Darani said, “The true loser is the one who displays his righteous deeds to people while displaying his ugly deeds to the One who is closer to him than his jugular vein.”
Some of the predecessors would supplicate for help in avoid sinning in secret due to the difficulty of overcoming such temptations. Bakr ibn Abdullah al-Muzani used to supplicate for those whom he met, May Allah make us and you as those who are able to commit the forbidden and sins in secret, but refrain from them because they know that Allah, the Exalted, sees them.
It is feared for someone who routinely commits sins in solitude, that they will take sins lightly, consider them permissible, or invite others to them. Thus moving from sinning discretely to sinning openly and from limiting their sin to themselves to influencing others to sin. In addition, such individuals may get exposed, as Allah, the Exalted, exposed the hypocrites to the believers through their actions and slips of the tongue, despite their efforts to conceal what was in their hearts. Allah, the Exalted, says:
وَلَوْ نَشَاءُ لَأَرَيْنَاكَهُمْ فَلَعَرَفْتَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ وَلَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِي لَحْنِ الْقَوْلِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَعْمَالَكُمْ-مُحَمَّدٍ 30
Muhammad (47) 30: And if We willed, We could show them to you, and you would know them by their mark; but you will surely know them by the tone of [their] speech. And Allāh knows your deeds.
Uthman ibn Affan said:
If a person routinely does a deed in (the privacy of) a house within another house, people would soon start talking about it. There is no one who does a deed except that Allah, the Exalted, clothes him in the garment of his deed, if the deed is good, then in (a garment of) good, and if the deed is evil, then in (a garment of) evil.
أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
I say what you have heard and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you from every sin. So seek forgives from Him, Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Second Khutbah
الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ , وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَاْ إِلَهَ إِلَّاْ اَللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَاْشَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ
All praise is to Allah, and peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
Oh Muslims:
Sinning in solitude does not necessarily mean while being physically alone. For example, someone may be sitting in front of their parents, siblings, friends or even in the public, but secretly browsing inappropriate websites on their personal device while those around them are unaware. Or someone may travel to other places and openly commit sin there because they believe that no one knows them, forgetting that there Lord is always watching them.
In our times, the ways to commit sins in secret have become more accessible than they were in the past. Smart devices, which almost no one can do without, are filled with sins of the ears and eyes. Those who become addicted to them will have their hearts corrupted and stained by their filth. With these devices, a man can communicate with women who are not lawful for him, and a woman can be alone with a man who is not lawful for her, talking and chatting through the night, engaging in forbidden acts known only to Allah, the Exalted. He hides it from those closest to him, and she hides it from those closest to her; even if she is married with children, she hides it from her husband and children. But Allah, the Exalted, knows it all. In most homes, there are devices that receive what is broadcast from all over the world, both good and bad. The bad reaches them without a cost, subscription, or effort. And even if it costs, it is a minimal amount, that even the poor can afford, let alone the wealthy. These devices offer entertainment and excitement such that they attract viewers and get them addicted, unable to break free except for those whom Allah, the Exalted, protects.
These devices have eliminated boundaries and broken all restraints. Whoever surrenders to these devices moves themselves from the world of reality to the world of fantasy, opening doors of evil that only Allah, the Exalted, knows. Not to mention the ease of falling into immoral acts, inviting to them, and openly committing them. With the ease of immorality and doors of evil wide open, it is indeed a big temptation. The only deterrent is fear of Allah, the Exalted, at all times and being mindful and watchful of Him in public and private. Those fearing Allah unseen, pass these trials and attain a high station. This situation is described by the Words of Allah, the Exalted:
لِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَخَافُهُ بِالْغَيْبِ-الْمَائِدَةِ 94
Al-Ma’idah (5) 94: That Allāh may make evident those who fear Him unseen.
It is also described by the words of the Prophet ﷺ:
فَإِنَّ مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ أَيَّامًا الصَّبْرُ فِيهِنَّ مِثْلُ الْقَبْضِ عَلَى الْجَمْرِ لِلْعَامِلِ فِيهِنَّ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلاً يَعْمَلُونَ مِثْلَ عَمَلِكُمْ . قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ وَزَادَنِي غَيْرُ عُتْبَةَ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلاً مِنَّا أَوْ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ ” لاَ بَلْ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ مِنْكُمْ
Ahead of you are the days in which patience is like holding onto an ember, for the doer (of righteous deeds) during them is the like of the reward of fifty of those who do the like of what you do.” ‘Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said: “It was added for me, by other than ‘Utbah, that it was said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! The reward of fifty men among us, or them?’ He said: ‘No! Rather the reward of fifty men among you.'” [Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3058, Grade: Sahih]
So, glad tidings to the those who hold onto their faith, protect their hearing, sight, tongue, and private parts from the unlawful, and safeguard themselves, their family, and children from what brings about sin.
So be mindful of your inner state and strive to rectify it. Be more concerned for your inner state and heart than for your outward appearance. Allah, the Exalted, says:
يَوْمَ تُبْلَى السَّرَائِرُ -الطارق 9
At-Tariq (83) 9: On the Day all secrets will be disclosed.
So be conscious of Allah and do not corrupt your hearts with sins committed in seclusion. Safeguard your faith and purify it with righteous deeds. Strive against the whispers of Satan, and frequently repent and seek forgiveness. Beware of despair and hopelessness. For whoever strives against their inner selves will be guided to sincere repentance:
وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ-الْعَنْكَبُوتِ 69
Al-Ankabut (29) 69: And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allāh is with the doers of good.
Also, Allah Almighty ever appreciative of the obedient and increases His bounty upon them:
وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْوَاهُمْ-مُحَمَّدٍ 17
Muhammad ( 47) 17: And those who are guided – He increases them in guidance and gives them their righteousness.
We ask Allah, the Exalted, to rectify our hearts and deeds and to protect us from the evil of our desires and whims, and to grant us steadfastness in both our private and public lives. Indeed, He is the All-Hearing, the Answering.
هَذَا وَصَلُّوا وَسَلِّمُوا عَلَى نَبِيِّكُم كَمَا أَمَرَكُمْ بِذلِكَ رَبُّكُمْ , فَقَالَ
I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon your Prophet as your Lord commanded:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Al Ahzaab (33) 56: Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنا فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنا فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنا فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لنا فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنا شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
O Allah, guide us with those whom You have guided, grant us well-being among those You have granted well-being, be an ally to us along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless what You have bestowed upon us, and save us from the evil of what You have decreed. For verily You decree and none can decree over You. He whom You support can never be humiliated. Glory is to You, our Lord, You are Blessed and Exalted.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَاذَ بِهِ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ كُلَّ قَضَاءٍ قَضَيْتَهُ لَنا خَيْرًا
O Allah, We ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we seek refuge with You from all evil, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we ask You for the good that Your servant and Prophet has asked You for, and we seek refuge with You from the evil from which Your servant and Prophet sought refuge. O Allah, we ask You for Paradise and for that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed, and we seek refuge in You from Hell and from that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed. And we ask You to make every decree that You decree concerning us good
عِبَادَ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
Servants of Allah. Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.
اُذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ واشْكُرُوهُ يَزِدْكُمْ واسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لكُمْ واتّقُوهُ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مَخْرَجًا وَأَقِمِ الصّلَاة
Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favors – He will increase you therein. And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.
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