# One Small Sin That Tips the Scale | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #4

**Author:** Dr. Omar Suleiman
**Series:** Pause and Reflect
**Published:** 2026-02-25
**YouTube:** https://youtu.be/htX-sTZDr-o
**URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-4-one-small-sin-that-tips-the-scale
**Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia

## Summary
In this Ramadan reflection, the speaker draws on verses from Surat Al-Ma'idah and Surat Al-An'am to explore the profound concept of Allah's self-prescribed mercy and justice. The reflection begins with the du'a of Isa (عليه السلام) [Al-Ma'idah 5:118], who humbly acknowledges that he cannot dictate how Allah deals with people, saying that if Allah punishes them, they are His servants, and if He forgives them, He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. The speaker then highlights the Quranic declaration كَتَبَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ — 'He wrote upon Himself mercy' [Al-An'am 6:12] — emphasizing that Allah's mercy is not a projection of human desire or need, but an attribute He prescribed for Himself before creation. Similarly, in the hadith qudsi, Allah declares that He has made dhulm (oppression) forbidden for Himself and forbidden between His servants. The speaker contrasts this with how human rulers typically exercise power — showing mercy only when it serves their interests — whereas Allah, who needs nothing, still chose to bind Himself to mercy and justice. The central reflection challenges listeners to examine their own standards: Do we hold ourselves to higher principles when we have power over others, or do we only act virtuously when it is calculated and convenient? The speaker warns that those who 'lose themselves' on the Day of Judgment do so by either overestimating themselves or underestimating Allah. The talk concludes with a call to use Ramadan as an opportunity to write higher personal standards for oneself — not out of social pressure or calculation, but out of genuine pursuit of virtue and closeness to Allah.

## Key Points
- Isa (عليه السلام) humbly acknowledged in his du'a that he cannot dictate how Allah deals with people, reflecting true submission to Allah's authority.
- Allah declared كَتَبَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ — 'He wrote upon Himself mercy' — meaning His mercy is self-prescribed, not shaped by human expectations or projections.
- Allah's mercy is an eternal attribute that existed before creation; humans cannot fashion or define God according to their own desires.
- In a hadith qudsi, Allah states He has made oppression (dhulm) forbidden for Himself and commanded that it be forbidden among His servants.
- Unlike human rulers who show mercy as a power calculation, Allah — who needs nothing — still chose to bind Himself to mercy and justice.
- People lose themselves on the Day of Judgment by either overestimating themselves or underestimating their Lord.
- True virtue means holding yourself to higher standards when you have power over others, not just when it is socially expected or personally beneficial.
- Ramadan is an opportunity to set higher personal goals and standards rather than simply blending in with what everyone else is doing.
- Acting according to a lower moral standard diminishes a person in the sight of Allah, while striving for the higher self elevates one's standing.

## Transcript
**[0:00]** In the second rak'ah, the verses that were read are very interesting and I want us to pay attention to a small, subtle, but significant difference between the two. Allah says,

**[0:15]** أَفَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَاءَ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا بَيَاتًا وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ Do the people think that our tribulation will not come to them? Are they feeling safe and secure that our tribulation will not come to them while they are sleeping in their homes?

**[0:31]** أَفَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَاءَ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا بَيَاتًا وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ Or are they sure that our tribulation will not fall upon them during the day while they're playing? Two different words are used here. يَنَامُونَ يَلْعَبُونَ

**[0:50]** Sleeping and playing. And SubhanAllah, there is something very interesting that the Mufassirun point out about the difference between sleeping and playing. If you think about it, when a person goes to sleep at night, they have a false sense of security that they've locked

**[1:07]** all the doors, that there's nothing happening outside, there's no intruder that's on the outside, right? You won't be able to sleep at night if you think that someone's about to bang your door down, or if you left a window open or something of that sort that would cause you some sort of anxiety when you go to sleep. So when a person goes to sleep,

**[1:26]** they have a sense of security that I've shut all the doors and there is no threat that's coming to me from the outside. And when a person plays, يَلْعَبُونَ, the playing during the day that is being referred to, is a sense of carelessness, that there

**[1:42]** is no imminent danger or task or anything that would interrupt what I'm doing right now that would make my situation dire or urgent, so I can afford to take a break and do what I need to do. Now obviously there are degrees of this, right? There are those

**[2:01]** that are asleep in the greatest sense of the word. There are those that are playing as in they are mocking the revelation, they're mocking the prophets of Allah. They're making fun of the revelation so they feel so secure that they think they can spit at a prophet and nothing would happen to them, right? But I want to bring it to us and what the

**[2:20]** ulema mention of the subtle difference between the two and then give it a practical dimension. Obviously this is in Surah Al-A'raf where you'll have people on the Day of Judgment, may Allah protect us, that took that one deed for granted. They took that one sin for granted and said, I can afford this sin. They missed out on that one good deed because they said,

**[2:39]** I can afford to miss out on this good deed. And on the Day of Judgment, they find that their scale tips just the other way. And they have that regret, there was that one sin that I didn't think was going to be a big deal or that one good deed that I didn't

**[2:55]** think was worth pursuing. So it comes within the context of Al-A'raf, the people of Al-A'raf. But if you think about sleep versus play, what is it that unites the two in this context? In regards to sleep, the body is unconscious and so is the soul. In regards to being awake,

**[3:16]** the body is conscious, so is the soul. What unites the two states in this context is that the heart is heedless. The heart is in a state of ghaflah. What Allah is really referring to here as the ulema mention when you peel it back is that whether you're in this state

**[3:32]** or that state, what is the state of your heart in that place? And if you think about it, when you read ayat like this, are you really safe from the makr of Allah, from the plot of Allah? And no one should feel safe from the plot of Allah. Does Allah Subhanahu

**[3:50]** Wa Ta'ala want us to be paranoid? Does Allah Azza wa Jall want us to live like where we're walking and every moment we're looking up and thinking that a lightning bolt might strike us or that punishment is going to come upon us? Does Allah Azza wa Jall want us to sleep with one eye open? Is that what's actually being asked of us here? Or is Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala

**[4:09]** impressing upon us the importance of the mindfulness of Allah in every single state that you are in and in everything that you do? Now look at the Prophet (ﷺ). Said tanaamu 'aynaya, that my eyes sleep, wa laa yanaamu qalbi, my heart does not go to

**[4:27]** sleep. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would go to sleep, his heart remained awake. Now for the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ), that has two implications. One of them is the spiritual awareness, the instant trigger at the time of tahajjud. The Prophet (ﷺ) had no alarm clock. The way he jumped out of bed

**[4:46]** immediately at the mention of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. He was programmed, 'alayhi as-salatu was-salam, internally. His heart was never heedless from Allah. The second one is a prophetic implication unique to him, which is what the ulema mention of the truthfulness of his dreams. So what his heart witnesses at night is real. Revelation comes to the Prophet

**[5:06]** (ﷺ) even when he's asleep. Why? Because his heart is always in a state in which it is ready to receive revelation. Okay, well what about us? Think about the du'as that you make before you go to sleep. You don't shut doors, but what do you do?

**[5:22]** For one, you completely submit your soul, your body, and the ability to wake up to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Aslamtu wajhi ilayk, wafawwadtu amri ilayk, walja'tu dhahri ilayk. I'm submitting

**[5:39]** to you my face. I'm submitting to you all of my affairs. I'm giving you all of my body. You're submitting your body to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And you're submitting your soul to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, which is even more than that. You're even asking Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, aati nafsi taqwaha, wazakkiha anta khayru man zakkaha, anta waliyyuha wa mawlaha.

**[5:58]** You're asking Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to purify your soul at night. That as my soul goes back to you at night, as it's coming to you, Ya Allah, put it in a state of purification. Let it be in a state of purification. You go to sleep making wudu. This is a sunnah.

**[6:13]** An angel sits at the top of your bedside and makes du'a for you every single time you twist and turn. You're under the protection of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and an angel is making du'a for you. You even submit to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala the ability to wake up.

**[6:31]** Bismika Allahumma amootu wa ahya. It's in your name, O Allah, that I die and that I live. So I'm going to die right now every single time I go to sleep. I don't have a false sense of security that I'm going to wake up or that something won't happen to me at night. I have no sense of security in that. So all of the du'as that you're making

**[6:50]** at night are a submission of everything to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Ya Allah, I'm giving this all to you because I don't feel safe from the plan of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Death can come to me at night. Something can happen at night. And the Prophet (ﷺ), what does he mention of these du'as, that if a person dies at night making

**[7:07]** these du'as, then they're from the people of paradise because he would have died in a good state. Because you're entrusting your state to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. So your heart remains alive. Your soul remains in a state of purification. There's an angel that's making du'a for you as your body is twisting and turning. That's when you're asleep. When you're awake,

**[7:27]** what does it mean to have a heart that's not heedless? What does it mean to be in that prophetic state? The ulama mention here that again, you have the greatest sense of spiritual alertness in the Prophet (ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)

**[7:43]** was not someone who was paranoid. He wasn't someone that was always looking around, 'alayhi as-salatu was-salam, like something bad was going to happen in that moment. He was fully present when he was with his family. So when he was with our mother Aisha (رضي الله عنها), you see the beautiful narrations of his presence. When he was with the companions,

**[8:02]** the narration of Zayd (رضي الله عنه), Zayd ibn Thabit, kunna ma'a rasoolillahi (ﷺ) fa'idha dhakarna ad-dunya dhakaraha ma'ana wa'idha dhakarna at-ta'am dhakarahu ma'ana wa'idha dhakarna al-akhirah dhakaraha ma'ana. When we sat with the Prophet (ﷺ), if we talked about food, he talked about food too. If we talked about worldly

**[8:17]** affairs, he talked about worldly affairs too. If we talked about the hereafter, he talked about the hereafter too. Two things that unite those things. Number one, when he was with our mother Aisha (رضي الله عنها), the spiritual alertness of the Prophet (ﷺ) as soon as the time of salah was there. Right? He completely switched into

**[8:35]** salah mode. Nothing gets in the way. His heart was always ready for Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. That's number one. Number two, the Prophet (ﷺ) is bringing dhikr, the dhikr of Allah Azza wa Jall into every single setting. There's not a single gathering of

**[8:52]** the Prophet (ﷺ) at home or with companions except that Allah is mentioned. Number three, observing the rights of Allah Azza wa Jall even in the most worldly mundane things. So when the Prophet (ﷺ) is sitting with the companions and they talk about food and the Prophet (ﷺ) doesn't

**[9:09]** say Astaghfirullah, let's not talk about food. He talks about beneficial things regarding food. He talks about beneficial things regarding the dunya. He brings, he observes the limits of Allah Azza wa Jall even when he's talking about worldly affairs. So he doesn't depart from

**[9:24]** the permitted when discussing things of this world. He remains within the bounds (ﷺ) and beyond that he brings in the divine elements, the way to pursue a higher purpose even with those mundane things. So the heart is alive, the heart is constantly

**[9:43]** present with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. So what does that mean for us? We can have a Prophet (ﷺ) who's always smiling, who's a very subtle and beautiful presence. He didn't have a heavy presence (ﷺ) upon you. But the same Prophet warns us from laughing too much. Right? Tumitul qalb, kathratul duhak, tumitul

**[10:06]** qalb. Laughing too much kills the heart. If you knew what I know, then you would laugh little and you would cry much. So there's a type of laughing that suggests a heedlessness. There's a type of laughing that suggests a person who's not serious about life, who doesn't understand the urgency of everything that's around the corner, the place that they are

**[10:26]** in, the purpose that they are in. There's a type of laughing that overtakes a person to where they easily slip in mockery and backbiting and gossip. And that's what the Prophet (ﷺ) is warning against. That even in those things, the heart is aware of Allah

**[10:41]** Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And so that's the difference between being paranoid and being conscious. Being paranoid and being conscious. That you're always mindful of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala even in your most joyous moments. And that you are mindful of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala

**[11:00]** even when you submit yourself to sleep. That you give yourself to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And you're constantly thinking about Him. And you're realizing the vulnerability that

**[11:16]** your state is constantly in and how fragile every single moment of life is. But SubhanAllah, I mean, let's just be real here. Praying Salat at-Tarawih, you started to hear the fire truck,

**[11:33]** the ambulance noises. Immediately there's a state of alert. Something goes off, right? The believer does not wait for the spiritual fire truck or the spiritual ambulance to be alert. They're always alert so that they're never taken by surprise. Even when they're

**[11:51]** in their most serene and happy and playful moments. They're never distant from the thoughts about Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And so as we're in the state of fasting and I conclude with this, Taqwa is heightened awareness. Allah Azza wa Jall removes from us distractions,

**[12:10]** even food and drink so that we have heightened awareness. First and foremost about our sins. Secondly, and the higher aspiration about Him Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in a way that we pursue something that's higher. How do you bring alertness? I want you to just think about

**[12:25]** every single element of your life, even your sleep and your play. You know, you play basketball, you play cricket, you have hobbies doing this, you have hobbies doing that. You like to travel, you like to look out here, you like to look out there. Whatever it is, how do I bring

**[12:41]** the mindfulness of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to that so that I don't have a heedless heart? Because if I'm not supposed to have a heedless heart even when I sleep, then by extension, nothing else that I do. Should I be in an absolute state of ghaflah where I'm not even thinking about Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and the possibility of that moment being snatched

**[13:01]** away from me before I can even conceive what's actually happening to me. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala make us a people that are always alert. May Allah Azza wa Jall allow us to avoid even the smallest of sins. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala make us a people that pursue even what seems like the smallest and most insignificant of good deeds. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala

**[13:19]** make us not amongst those whose scales are even, but amongst those whose scale of good deeds is far heavier than their scale of bad deeds and those who enter into al-Firdaws al-A'la without any form of accountability and without any form of punishment. Allahumma ameen. Jazakum Allahu Khayran.

## Other Episodes in "Pause and Reflect"
- [Singling Out the 27th Night for Worship? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #12](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-12-singling-out-the-27th-night-for-worship.md)
- [Pay Attention to the Masjid Al-Aqsa Shutdown | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #11](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-11-pay-attention-to-masjid-al-aqsa-shutdown.md)
- [How Can You Despair of the Lord of Laylatul Qadr? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #10](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-10-how-can-you-despair-of-the-lord-of-laylatul-qadr.md)
- [What If Laylatul Qadr Is The Wrong Night? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #9](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-9-what-if-laylatul-qadr-is-the-wrong-night.md)
- [Sharia Takeovers and Middle East Chaos | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #8](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/ramadan-pause-and-reflect-8-sharia-takeovers-and-middle-east-chaos.md)
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- [How Am I Supposed To Feel About Israel vs. Iran? | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #6](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/how-am-i-supposed-to-feel-about-israel-vs-iran-pause-and-reflect-6.md)
- [The Only Surah Without Bismillah | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #5](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/the-only-surah-without-bismillah-ramadan-pause-and-reflect-5.md)
- [He Wrote on Himself Mercy | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #3](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-3-he-wrote-on-himself-mercy.md)
- [The Scholars Who Can’t Read | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #2](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-2-the-scholars-who-cant-read.md)
- [The Baqarah Challenge | Ramadan Pause and Reflect #1](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/pause-and-reflect-ramadan-2026/pause-and-reflect-1-the-baqarah-challenge.md)