Many Muslims go around in internet chat rooms and through the streets preaching Islam. They are quick to offer their advice and enjoin the good and forbid the evil. They will severely chastise the person who drinks, smokes, failes to lower their gaze, etc. Yet, if you were to see into these people’s personal lives you may find that they are indulging in the very things they are going around criticizing. The same people who may encourage fasting, prayer and giving in charity may in fact be missing prayers out of laziness, cheating during ramadan, and hoarding his/her wealth. I’m not saying that this is most people or even the majority of people. I’m just saying it happens, unfortunately. This is a severe sin in Islam and comes with a horrific punishment:
The Prophet (saw) said: …”A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and thrown in the (hell) Fire, so that his intestines will come out, and he will go around like a donkey goes around a millstone. The people of (hell) Fire will gather around him and say: O so-and-so! What is wrong with you? Didn’t you use to order us to do good deeds and forbid us to do bad deeds? He will reply: Yes, I used to order you to do good deeds, but I did not do them myself, and I used to forbid you to do bad deeds, yet I used to do them myself.” (Bukhari,Book #54, Hadith #489)
So, let us think before we speak. The Prophet(saw) said: the two things that will lead the most people to hell is failure to control their tongue (speech) and private parts(illegal intercourse) (agreed.). Before we are so quick to criticize the sister in the masjid for gossiping, we better check ourselves and make sure that we don’t gossip. Before we go into an internet chatroom and criticize people who speak alone with the opposite sex, we better evaluate ourselves and make sure that we aren’t sitting up IMing and flirting with non mahram men.
In other words we need to practice what we preach!
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