It has been narrated that when the Qur’anic verse...
It has been narrated that when the Qur’anic verse, “And enjoin prayer on your followers, and steadily adhere to it; We do not ask you for subsistence, and the (good) end is for guarding against evil;” [^1] was revealed, the Prophet (S) used to go to ‘Ali’s ( ‘a ) house for eight successive months and used to state, “Prayer!
Allah’s mercy be upon thee, ‘Allah has willed to drive away uncleanliness from you the ( ‘a ) and keep you pure’.” (If the Prophet (S) used to go to ‘Ali’s ( ‘a ) once every day, it can be inferred that this action was repeated two hundred and forty times, despite that this action was apparently repeated five times a day.) The outcome of the Prophet’s (S) statement is that if man does not know what actions lead him towards prosperity and which ones lead him to perdition, he gets entangled in sin in the end and if death catches him while committing vice, he has earned the worst losses for his soul and he has lost the gem of life and existence, youth and divine gifts in the way of sin and in return has earned nothing save destruction.
It is for this reason that the Noble Prophet (S) states that you should fear lest the hour of death comes while you are committing sin and get your soul in that state. In that case, you forever do not have another opportunity to make up for your sins and it will remain available in your record, because no permission will be given to any to return to the world.
it is a (mere) word that he speaks; and before them is a barrier until the day they are raised…” [^2] Man will abstain from sin if at the time of committing vice he thinks about this point that it is likely for the hour of death to arrive while he is in a sinful state. Supposing that man too earns a lot of profit in his illicit businesses and transactions and leaves it as inheritance for his heirs, will it bear him any good?
Are they not going to utilize this inheritance for their own pleasure-seeking and forget about him? Even though they were to praise him, what benefit has it got for his condition? On the other hand, he will meet Allah with all his errors and offences.