Ayyuha al-Mudhnib Bi'sa ma Ikhtarta
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- Editions
- Dar Ibn Khuzaymah
Ayyuha al-Mudhnib Bi'sa ma Ikhtarta (O Sinner, Wretched Is What You Have Chosen) is a treatise of spiritual admonition and counsel (wa‘z) by Azhari Ahmad Mahmoud, calling upon the transgressor to turn away from disobedience and embrace obedience to God.
Content and Themes
The work opens with a parable of a traveler walking along a road who notices blooming, fragrant flowers beside stubborn thorns; he ignores the flowers and reaches out his hand toward the thorns, receiving only their painful prick. The author draws a parallel between this person and the sinner who turns away from the coolness and freshness of devotional acts to immerse himself in the filth and mire of sins.
The treatise addresses several key themes across dedicated thematic headings:
- Sins as the Share of Satan: The author warns that falling into transgression is an act of compliance with Satan, quoting the Quranic verse الشَّيْطَانُ يَعِدُكُمُ الْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُمْ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ وَاللَّهُ يَعِدُكُمْ مَغْفِرَةً مِنْهُ وَفَضْلًا ("Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to commit immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty") [al-Baqarah: 268] alongside the commentary of Ibn Abbas.
- The Role of the Intellect: The work underscores that God endowed humans with intellect (‘aql) to restrain baseline nature and distinguish right from wrong, quoting Ibn al-Jawzi on how reason elevates humans above animals, which merely follow instinct without regard for consequences.
- Refraining from the Unlawful as the Highest Worship: Citing Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz and Muhammad ibn Ka‘b al-Qurazi, the author highlights that desisting from forbidden acts is the most beloved worship to God. He emphasizes struggling against one's own desires (jihad al-nafs), invoking Ibn Taymiyyah and Abu Sulayman al-Darani to argue that internal self-struggle is an individual obligation (fard ‘ayn) and among the most virtuous deeds.
- The Light of Obedience versus the Darkness of Sin: The text contrasts the spiritual bliss enjoyed by the obedient in this world and the next with the inner desolation and bitterness experienced by sinners. It quotes Ibn al-Qayyim on how the righteous dwell in paradise across their three abodes (the earthly life, the isthmus, and the hereafter), and cites Ibn al-Jawzi's observation that an unperceived spiritual punishment on the heart is often far more severe than bodily affliction.
- Servitude to Desires and Signs of Self-Deceit: Citing Malik ibn Dinar, the author cautions against becoming a slave to one's appetite and passions. He lists three marks of self-delusion: rushing into lusts while feeling secure from error, putting off repentance due to extended hopes, and wishing for the hereafter without performing righteous deeds.
The booklet concludes with an exhortation to awaken inner discernment, compare the outcomes of obedience and disobedience, and utilize the span of one's life in worship before the sudden arrival of death.
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