… Continued
Second: Lack of sincerity (in deeds) to Allah The Almighty, and failure to follow the Prophet, , in the act of worship.
These two issues, besides being requisites for the acceptance of the deed, have a great influence in making a person feel the pleasure and effect of the act of worship. What counts is not to do many deeds in so much as to perfect the deed, as stated by Allah The Almighty in the verse (which means): {[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed} [Quran 67:2] and not he who has the greatest number of deeds. What is intended by the good deed is that it is done sincerely for Allah The Almighty, and correctly in accordance with the Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) of the Messenger of Allah, , as explained by a group of predecessors, like Al-Fudhayl and others.
The more sincere the deed is, the greater its effect and benefit. Ibn Al-Qayyim said,
"Verily, deeds are superior to each other as much as faith, love, exaltation and veneration are superior to each other in the heart; and seeking the countenance of the Worshipped Alone apart from anything else. Two deeds may seem to be similar in form, whereas one of them is superior to the other as much as none could know save Allah The Almighty. The deeds also are superior to each other by their difference in following (the Prophet ). Thus, the deeds are superior to each other according to both sincerity and following, such that none could know save Allah The Almighty." [Tahtheeb Madaarij As-Saalikeen]
The evidence here is that just as deeds are superior to each other because of the difference in their sincerity and following, their effects should also inevitably be so, because the effects, in reality, ensue from the deeds being free from these things which may render them fruitless or decrease their reward.
Third: Committing sins and misdeeds
How strong is the effect of sins on the destruction of heavenly and earthly blessings! Among the greatest blessings to be destroyed by sins is the blessing of worship, which leads to the loss of its effects and the deprivation of its pleasure.
In confirmation of this, Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning.} [Quran 7:96]
Many Hadeeths are contiguously narrated from the Messenger of Allah, , showing that the preceding and succeeding nations were afflicted with a decrease in blessings in their religious and worldly life due to sins.
Wuhayb ibn Al-Ward was asked, "Does the sinner find the pleasure of worship?" He said, "He does not, who even intends to commit a sin."
If this is the effect of the intention to do a sin: what do you think of the one who commits a sin, is involved in it, and insists on it?
Ibn Al-Jawzi says,
"The prompt punishment may be spiritual, as stated by one of the rabbis of the children of Israel: "O Lord! How much I disobey You and You do not Punish me!" It was said to him: "How much I Punish you while you know not. Have I not Deprived you of the sweetness of private talk with Me?"…it may be that a man unleashes his gaze, thereupon he is deprived of insight; or unleashes his tongue, thereupon he is deprived of the purity of his heart; or does not mind eating food that was bought by unlawful gain, thereupon his inner soul darkens, and he is deprived of standing in prayer at night and the sweetness of private talk (with Allah); and so on. This is known to those who always take themselves to account." [Sayd Al-Khaatir]
Talking about the punishments prescribed for sins and misdeeds, Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim said,
"Among the punishments prescribed for sins is to weaken, willingly or unwillingly, in the heart the exaltation of and respect for the Lord Almighty. Were Allah's respect and greatness to be inculcated in the heart of a servant, he would never dare to commit sins forbidden by Him…verily, Allah's greatness and glory in the heart require exalting His sacred ordinances, which impedes one from committing sins." [Al-Jawaab Al-Kaafi]
The point here is to show the effects of sins on deprivation of the pleasure of worship, as well as on the individual's behavior.