
Shaytan knows that temptation has to be customized to the situation of the person being tempted. He does not usually invent new sins, rather he disguises them in new ways.
“O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan – indeed, he enjoins immorality and wrongdoing. And if not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy, not one of you would have been pure, ever, but Allah purifies whom He wills, and Allah is Hearing and Knowing.” Allah says.
Lowering one’s gaze
Bear in mind the fact that Allah is watching you, that He sees you and is with you (by His knowledge) wherever you go. It may be a secretive glance of which your neighbor is unaware, but Allah knows of it. Allah says: “Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the hearts conceal”
“Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what they do. And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts…” Allah says.
Not only does the Qur’an make a connection between the gaze and sexual desires, it does so explicitly by specifying the physical area of the body associated with sexual desires: the private parts. The explicit nature of the verse should catch our attention. It should also make us realize the seriousness of the issue, considering that the ultimate sin of the private parts is zina (fornication). See how a major sin such as zina could start from a very simple thing as gaze!
However, At times we find ourselves unintentionally looking at something we should not look at. For example, while we are walking in a mall, we might come upon an inappropriate sight. In such a situation, we should avert our gaze immediately and actively fight to avoid looking at it again (as tempting as it might be). We will not be held accountable for the first unintentional gaze, InshaAllah.
When the Muslim lowers their gaze, they ward off the arrows of Shaytan and prevent evil desires from gaining momentum.
“The one who goes against his whims and desires, Satan flees from his shadow.” The prophet (pbuh) says.
Lowering one’s gaze helps gain self discipline, as the mind that is polluted with inappropriate stuff will find difficulty in focus.
“The strong believer is better and more lovable to Allah than the weak believer” the prophet (pbuh) says.
Brothers and sisters, to overcome that sin, one should do a lot of naafil acts of worship, because doing a lot of them whilst also regularly doing obligatory acts of worship is a means of protecting one's physical faculties. According to a hadeeth qudsi, Allaah said: “… and My slave continues to draw close to Me with supererogatory (naafil) works so that I shall love him. And when I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask (something) of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it.”
Remember, my brothers and sisters, that the earth on which sin is committed will bear witness. Allah says:
“That Day it will declare its information (about all that happened over it of good or evil)”
gheebah (backbiting), buhtan (slander) and nameemah (malicious gossip).
Gheebah or backbiting means speaking about a Muslim in his absence and saying things that he would not like to have spread around or mentioned. Buhtan or slander means saying things about a Muslim that are not true, or in other words telling lies about him. Nameemah or malicious gossip means telling one person what another said in order to cause trouble between them.
“Neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful” Allah says.
“Do you know what gheebah (backbiting) is?” They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “Saying something about your brother that he dislikes.” It was said, “What if what I say about my brother is true?” He said, “If what you say is true then you have backbitten about him, and if it is not true, then you have slandered him.” The prophet (pbuh) says.
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) passed by two graves and said, “They are being punished, but they are not being punished for anything that was difficult to avoid. One of them used to walk about spreading malicious gossip (nameemah), and the other used not to take precautions to avoid getting urine on himself when he urinated.” Then he called for a green branch, which he split in two and planted a piece on each grave, and said, “May their torment be reduced so long as these do not dry out.”
In the same manner as backbiting is prohibited, so also is listening to it. Indeed, as some traditions indicate, the listener is like the backbiter in all the evil aspects—so much so that his act is a grave sin carrying an obligation to seek forgiveness from the victim.
“The listener is one of the two backbiters.” The prophet (pbuh) says.
Brothers and sisters, to overcome that sin, you need to remember that Allah sees and knows all things, while our own understanding and view is limited.
Bear in mind also that nobody is perfect; we are all lacking in some way. And that Shaytan seeks to fuel doubt and mistrust among believers.
Heed the advice from our prophet (pbuh) as he instructs us to speak well or keep quiet. He (pbuh) says: “One can greatly beautify himself with two habits--good manners and lengthy silence.” On another occasion, he said: “Let the one who believes in Allah and the Hereafter utter good words, or let him be silent.”