Imām Ibn Qudāmah -rahimahullāh- said:
If it is asked:
Why does a man embark on sins even though he has full knowledge regarding their bad consequences?
To this question, here are some answers:
The promised punishment is not in existence now.
If a believer commits a sin, he will surely hope to repent, for he has been promised that a sincere repentance pardons the previous acts, but the hope in long life is the instinct nature of man, thus, he will not cease from delaying repentance, and when repentance become hopeful, he commits sins.
Hoping for the forgiveness of Allāh.
Hence, to treat all these means, its for him to reflect that every coming is surely near without doubt, and death might descend on him at any time, and he should treat the issue of delaying repentance by pondering that most of the people of hell got destroyed due to this, and the one who delays builds things on what is not the actual case which is everlasting existence, and it may be that, he might died at any time, and if he exist, he might not be opportuned to shun away from the sin later as he is today, and his inability to relinquish sins now is due to dominance of his desires over him which he may be able desist from later in his life.
Nay, this issue is assured by experience, and for this, those who delay got destroyed because they thought there is a clear difference between the two stages.
Therefore, the similitude of the one who delays is as though a person who wants to uproot a tree from its root, however, he saw the root of the tree well grounded and strong and it cannot be uprooted except with excessive difficulties and pains, thus, he said to himself: I will leave it and come to it after a Year, while he has forgotten that the longer the tree lives, the more its root become rooted, and the more his own years increases, the more weak he will be.
What a wonder that he is unable to uproot the tree in its weak stage despite his own strong stage, then how will he expect to be able to uproot the tree when it becomes firmed and strong while he is weak at that stage.
As for awaiting the forgiveness of Allāh Ta’āla, surely the forgiveness of Allāh is highly possible, except that a man must be resolved and determined to rectify his mistakes.
The similitude of this man is as though a person who spent all his wealth, and drained himself and family completely, and awaiting Allāh Ta’āla without any struggle to bless him with wealth from no where, even though this is possible, but such a person will be considered amongst the most foolish people on earth, for everything have asbāb to achieve it.
Thus, one should not only rely on the mercy of Allāh without working tirelessly towards goodness and to safeguard oneself from evil, for that is a delusion in itself.
Allāhu A’alam! Bārakallāhu fīkum!
*29th Dhul Hijjah,1439H.*
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