Hazratwala Mawlana Shah Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Sahib (DB) mentions that Hakeem-ul-Ummat Mujaddid-ul-Millat Hazrat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (RA) has mentioned that the difference between a Sinful person that makes the zikr of Allah (a zakir) and the person that is negligent towards the zikr of Allah is that the neglectful sinner is not granted the tawfeeq to make tawbah, whereas when a sin is committed by the sinful zakir, because he previously had noor in his heart, and due to committing a sin, the noor vanishes, he becomes worried, just like when the electricity goes out and a person becomes uneasy.


He then calls the powerhouse and requests them to turn on the electricity in his house because he cannot stand the immense heat and the air conditioner and fans are not functioning, and also the contents of his refrigerator will get spoiled. He pleads with the powerhouse to get the electricity back and says that he will be most grateful to them for turning the electricity back on.

Similarly, that person who has light in his heart, and the light extinguishes due to sin, his heart becomes dark, and he becomes restless, he will wirelessly contact Allah immediately. He will cry and make tawbah and istighfar. He will say, “O my Lord, please illuminate my heart again, your shameful servant is repenting, beseeching your forgiveness.

However, the person that does not remember Allah, upon sinning, is basically piling up darkness upon darkness. His example is like a mechanic that works in a car garage. If a stain were to be put on his clothes, it would not make a difference to him because his clothes are already so stained by grease and oil, or like hitting a cadaver a hundred times would not make a difference to the cadaver since it is already dead and can no longer feel any pain. So the lack of remorse or regret over sin is not a good thing where the person says, “I do not become uncomfortable after sinning, rather I feel just fine.” This is an indication that the heart has died a spiritual death. Shaytan is smacking a person on the head and them not feeling anything is a sign that their heart is spiritually dead, which is a very dangerous condition to be in.

- Kaif-e-Ruhani Kaise Hasil Ho? Page 29-30
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