Why You Feel Sluggish About Good Deeds (and How to Overcome It)

A Reflection on Surah At-Tawbah Verse 46 and the Importance of Overcoming Laziness in Islam

IF YOU SEE YOURSELF AS SLUGGISH IN REGARDS TO GOOD…

With regards to the saying of ALLĀH, The Most High:

وَلَكِنْ كَرِهَ اللَّهُ انْبِعَاثَهُمْ فَثَبَّطَهُمْ وَقِيلَ اقْعُدُوا مَعَ الْقَاعِدِينَ

But ALLĀH disliked their being sent, so HE made them lag behind, and it was said ˹to them˺; “Remain ˹behind˺ with those who remain.” {At-Tawbah: 46}

Shaikh Muhammad bin Saalih Al-‘Uthaimeen (may ALLĀH have mercy on him) said:

وَقِيلَ اقْعُدُوا مَعَ الْقَاعِدِينَ

and it was said ˹to them˺; “Remain [behind] with those who remain.”

Be careful and inspect: if you see yourself as sluggish in regards to good – then be fearful that ALLĀH dislikes your being sent forth in good. Look again for a second time and ask your soul to accustom itself upon patience and oblige it upon obedience – and so today you carry it out reluctantly whilst tomorrow you will carry it out obediently and so it will be light for you.

What is important is that in this is a stern warning for the one who sees from himself that he is sluggish in obedience. For perhaps ALLĀH, The Most High dislikes that this individual should be from HIS dutiful obedient servants; so HE makes him sluggish in regards to obedience.

We ask ALLĀH that HE aids us upon remembrance of HIM and in being thankful to HIM and in worshipping HIM in a fine manner.

The point of observation from this aayah is His saying:

كَرِهَ اللَّهُ انْبِعَاثَهُمْ فَثَبَّطَهُمْ وَقِيلَ اقْعُدُوا مَعَ الْقَاعِدِينَ

ALLĀH disliked their being sent, so HE made them lag behind, and it was said ˹to them˺; “Remain ˹behind˺ with those who remain.”

 

HE did not say: ‘and HE said to them: remain ˹behind˺ with those who remain’ because ALLĀH does not command with vile deeds – but it was said ˹to them˺ remain ˹behind˺.

Who is the teller? It is the soul – no it is not ALLĀH; it is the soul. The soul converses with the person and says: ‘remain behind; don’t go on this occasion – go on the next occasion.’ The Shaitaan causes sluggishness from good, bad associates also cause sluggishness from good. So because of this the one doing the action (in the aayah) is omitted – meaning the teller – so that it is more encompassing.

Therefore those who say ‘remain [behind] with those who remain’ then they are numerous, we have mentioned three from amongst them: the soul; the Shaitaan; and bad associates.

 

{Taken from: Audio recording of the work: Sharh Kitaab ‘Aqīdah Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamā’ah – part 7 (49:30-51:30)}

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