Disobeying Allāh in Different Places

‘Allāmah Ibn Baṭṭāl رحمه الله mentions in his commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī that ‘Alī رضي الله عنه has been quoted as saying:

‘Whoever disobeys Allāh in the Masjid, it is as if he has disobeyed Him in Jannah; whoever disobeys Him in the bathroom, it is as if he has done so in Jahannam; whoever disobeys Him in the cemetery, it is as if he has disobeyed Him in the plains of resurrection, and whoever disobeys Him in the ocean, it is as if he has disobeyed Him in the hands of Angels.’[1]

This saying highlights the gravity of committing sins in different places; whatever environment a person is in plays a part in determining how grave a sin is. The Masjid is the House of Allāh, pure and sacred. How many of us backbite in the masjid, or engage in futile talk or vulgarity inside it? The cemetery is a place which is supposed to remind the visitor of death. The Prophet ﷺ advised us to visit the graveyard frequently for that very purpose. However, one feels ashamed at the level of chatter at funerals.

Modern technology - its benefits aside – has made disobeying Allāh ever easier in the abovementioned places. Previously, the thought of committing sin would not even cross a person’s mind in sacred places, but today people sin frequently in such places, without even realising where they are and what they are actually doing. May Allāh protect us all, Āmīn.

[1] شرح صحيح البخارى لابن بطال، كتاب البيوع، باب ذكر الأسواق:

وقد روى عن على بن أبى طالب أنه قال: ’من عصى الله فى المسجد فكأنما عصاه فى الجنة، ومن عصاه فى الحمام فكأنما عصاه فى النار، ومن عصاه فى المقبرة فكأنما عصاه فى عرصات القيامة، ومن عصاه فى البحر فكأنما عصاه على أكف الملائكة‘

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