Maryam Hussain, Canada
In today’s religious narrative, many people have forgotten the real meaning of the word “sin”.
In this modern society, many individuals engage in sinful actions either out of ignorance, indifference or even with full awareness. The treatment of sin has become trivial simply because it has become widespread, which brings me to one of the most pressing moral concerns of our time: the quiet crisis of justifying sin.
Justifying sin
In contemporary discourse surrounding personal accountability and faith, an alarming trend has emerged – the casual invocation of Allah’s name to justify personal choices that clearly contradict Islamic principles.
Human imperfection is a given and sin is part of every believer’s journey, as the Holy Prophetsa is reported to have said:
“By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them.” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab at-taubah, Hadith 2749)
However, the act of justifying committing sin as “divine will” is both theologically inaccurate and deeply dangerous. There is a profound difference between acknowledging one’s shortcomings and actively reshaping religion to accommodate them.
Yet, increasingly, we hear phrases such as, “Allah made me this way” or “if He didn’t want me to do it, He wouldn’t have let it happen.” These statements reflect a subtle but insidious form of spiritual gaslighting – not only of the self, but of those who genuinely seek to uphold Islamic teachings with humility.
As Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Quran:
“And when they commit a foul deed, they say: ‘We found our fathers doing it, and Allah has enjoined it upon us.’ Say, ‘Allah never enjoins foul deeds. Do you say of Allah what you know not?’” (Surah al-A‘raf, Ch.7: V.29)
Sin and repentance
Islam never expected perfection. Prophet Muhammadsa taught us that all of the children of Adam sin – and the best of them are those who repent. (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi, Kitab sifatul qiyamah, Hadith 2499)
But repentance requires recognition, not rationalisation.
To suggest that one’s sinful behaviour is pre-approved by Allah under the guise of “divine intention” is to misunderstand both free will and divine decree.
Allah is All-Knowing, but He does not force His creation into disobedience. Rather, He grants us the autonomy to choose – and with that choice comes responsibility.
The Promised Messiahas once said:
“Whatever man does in opposition to the command of Allah Almighty becomes the cause of rebellion. If a low-ranking police officer comes with an order from the government, the one who disobeys him is declared a criminal and punished. If this is the case with illusory mundane rulers, then how great a violation would it be of the commands of Almighty Allah to dishonour and disrespect the one who comes from Ahkamul-Hakimin [i.e., God – the Greatest of all rulers]? God Almighty is very jealous [in point of love or honour]. In accordance with the urgency of the occasion, He sent a man at the head of the corrupt century at the exact time of need that he might call the people to guidance. It is a great sin to trample all His prudent measures underfoot.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 8, 2024, pp. 31-32)
This pattern of moral deflection, disrespect toward divine guidance and the normalisation of sin is especially troubling when cloaked behind a spiritual excuse.
Invoking Allah’s name to excuse personal choices regarding your lifestyle that are explicitly discouraged in the Quran and sunnah does not make those actions pious – it makes them manipulative. It transforms sin from a personal struggle into a public display of selective religiosity.
True accountability
What must be acknowledged is that individuals who think like this often use this mindset as a shield – a shield from criticism and internal reflection. Which leads them to manipulate themselves into believing they are spiritually protected and safe, while they actively escape self-accountability.
Ultimately, this replaces taqwa (righteousness) with entitlement. We must be cautious not to blur the lines between spiritual comfort and spiritual neglectfulness. To sin is human, to repent is divinely favoured.
However, to continuously place the weight of our sins on Allah, using Him as a justification for our choices while claiming moral high ground, is a distortion of Islam and its purpose.
May we all be granted the humility to recognise our mistakes, the sincerity to correct them and the wisdom to never speak on Allah’s behalf for the sake of our own ego.