to take. Make sincere, wholehearted repentance from all sins, and firmly intend to spend the rest of your life performing good deeds.

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                 صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Dear Islamic brothers! Let us discuss some sins in particular, and the terrible outcome they lead to. After hearing this, make a firm intention to avoid them at all costs.

The sin we will first talk about is lying. This is a filthy habit which has no place in worldly or religious matters. A liar will always be disgraced. He has no honour and is considered untrustworthy everywhere he goes and by everyone he meets. The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said regarding this, “Until a person abandons lying even as a joke and quarrelling despite being right, he cannot become a complete believer.”^[1]

In the same way, backbiting is also a great evil which can even led to someone dying a bad death. Someone who backbites a lot does not have their duʿā accepted. It is also a means of the light that comes with salah and fasting being taken away. The seriousness of this sin can be gauged by looking at this hadith of the final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, in which he explained, اَلْغِیْبَۃُ اَشَدُّ مِنَ الزِّنَا - “Backbiting is a greater sin than adultery.”^[2]

We also find tale-telling to be another grave sin. It can lead to entire homes falling apart and hatred occurring between people. Allah Himself does not like someone who tells tales. As mentioned in a hadith, “The pious servants of Allah are those who remind of Him when they are