The Light of the Holy Qur'an — Page 127
T H e J O u r NA l—F AT e H M A S IH T H e J O u r NA l—F AT e H M A S IH 127 keep arising spontaneously do not render him a sinner. Rather, there are only three ways one becomes a sinner in the eyes of God: 1. First, that his tongue utters unholy words that are against faith, truth, and justice. 2. Second, that his limbs—that is, his physical body parts— carry out acts of disobedience. 3. Third, that his heart resolves to be disobedient; that is, he makes a firm resolve that he would surely commit a certain foul act. It is in reference to exactly this that Allah the Exalted says: 1 َو ْنِكٰل ْمُكُذِخاَؤُّي اَمِب ْتَبَسَك ْمُكُبْوُلُق Meaning that the sins which the heart acquires by its resolve, shall be brought to account, but mere thoughts shall not be brought to account, for they are not under the control of human nature. The Merciful God does not hold us to account for thoughts that are beyond our control, but only apprehends us when we follow those thoughts with our tongues or hands, or the commit- ment of our hearts. Indeed, we are sometimes rewarded for such thoughts. And God Almighty has not merely mentioned the sins of hands and feet in the Noble Qur’an, He has mentioned the sins of the ears, the eyes, and the heart too, as He states in His Holy Scripture: 1. S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:226 [Publisher]