Question:

With regards to someone is doing well in refraining from doing certain haram (forbidden) acts then suddenly goes through a period where he/she does that haram act and obviously is extremely regretful about it. I am finding it hard to understand what causes these spiritual short-falls which will lead an individual from someone who refrains from haram to committing that haram.

Can you please explain why and how this comes about and what ways can we not let our guard down when it comes to such challenging confrontations with committing sins so we can prevent ourselves from doing the haram act?

If someone (God forbid) comitts a haram act after refraining from it for a long time, how can they stand up again and recover and re-focus and prevent themselves from comitting it again?

Answer:

The fact is that we should never put our guards down as our enemy (Shaytan) does not. To repeat a mistake is a problem many of us have. I don’t know what, other than a blessing from God, can eliminate it thoroughly. However, the following tips may help:

1. Always make yourself hate that evil deed by remembering its evil consequences.

2. Avoid the dangerous zone of that sin. For example, he knows that he is weak when it comes to women and being alone with them as once he committed Zina (fornication) with a woman. As a result, he should make sure he avoids any privacy with a woman.

3. Three times in the morning and three times in the evening recite this Du’a: اللهم اجعلنی فی درعک الحصینۀ التی تجعل فیها من ترید. ‘O Allah! put me in Your protective shield, in which you place whoever You will’.

Answered by: Sheikh Mansour Leghaei