Sin Leads To More Sin

Category: SOUND

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (ra) writes regarding sins in his book ad-Daa wa Dawaa:

And from it [i.e consequences] is that the sin produces more of its like and multiply, so much so that it becomes overwhelming for the slave to leave it off or find a way out.

Just like some of the salaf used to say:

From amongst the punishments of committing sins is that they lead to more sins and from the rewards of performing good deeds is that one performs more good deeds, so if a slave performs a good deed another good deed calls towards him proclaiming do me too!

And if he does it a third good deed proclaims the same thing and so on.

So the reward is multiplied and the good deeds are increased.

And the same thing applies for sins, until performing either good deeds or committing sins become firmly imbedded habits and part of a person’s character.

So if a righteous person was to leave off a good deed then that would weigh him down immensely and he would feel as a fish taken out of its water until he is brought back into it so that his heart finds peace and tranquility again.

And if the sinner was to turn away from his sins towards obedience then he would feel an immense constriction of his soul until he made himself firm upon that righteous action.

To such an extent that a lot of sinners commit sins without acquiring any pleasure from it rather they commit it due to the pain and anguish they feel leaving it off.

And a slave does not cease to perform acts of obedience, loving it, but that Allah through His infinite Mercy sends angels to him encouraging him towards obedience and righteousness. And makes him leave his bed and laziness altogether.

And a slave does not cease to commit sins, loving it, but that Allah sends devils upon him edging him on [in sin].

So as for the first one then he sought strength in righteousness and asked for aid [from the angels] so they became from amongst the greatest of helpers.

And the other strengthened his army of evil with help [from the devils] so they became aids against him.

Source

Knowledge & Sins & The Disease of Idiots

Category: SOUND

Knowledge

“Useful knowledge is that which makes you grow in the fear of Allah, increases you in awareness of your defects, deepens your knowledge of the worship of your Lord Most High, decreases your desire for this world and increases your desire for the life to come, and opens your eyes to the defects of your actions so that you guard against them.”
-Imam Al-Ghazali (ra)

Tirmdhi relates from Jubayr ibn Nufayr (ra), on the authority of Abu Darda (ra):

“We were with the Prophet(peace and blessings be upon him) and he said, “ There {will be} a time when knowledge will be snatced from the people until they will be unable to benefit from it.” Ziyad ibn Lubayd said, “ O Messenger of Allah, how will Allah seize knowledge from us when we recite the Qur’an.” I swear by Allah, we recite it and teach it to our women and children!” He said, “ May your mother be bereaved of you, Ziyad. I used to consider you one of the learned people of Madinah! The Torah and the Gospel are with the Jews and the Christians, yet do they benefit from them in any way?”
[Tirmdhi no. 2653]

Nasa’i relates a similar hadith from Jubayr ibn Nufayr, on the authority of ‘Awf ibn Malik (ra), from the Prophet (ra). He says in this hadith,

"The Prophet (saw) mentioned the straying of the Jews and the Christians despite their possessing scriptures."
[Al-Nasa’i , al- Sunan al-Kubra(Beirut: Dar Ihya’ al-Turath al-‘Arabi), 8:211; al-Musnad, 6-26-27; al Hakim, al-Mustadrak(Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya, 1990), 1:99-100]

Jubayr ibn Nufayr (ra) also related:

"I met Shaddad ibn Aws and I informed him of the hadith of ‘Awf ibn Malik, and he said, 'He has spoken the truth. Shall I not inform you about the first occurrence of the lifting of knowledge? Humility will be lifted to the point you will not see a single humble person.'"

Sins

The Discomfort of Avoiding Pleasurable Sins

“The discomfort felt after not committing a sin is like an everlasting feeling of springtime. This discomfort is actually beneficial and more virtuous compared to that feeling of temporary tranquility felt by the nafs after committing a sin. The reason behind this is that the curses of Allah descend on the person who acquires haram pleasures of the nafs, whereas the mercy of Allah descends on the person who feels discomfort for leaving sins.”

[‘Ataa-e-Rabbaani pg.34]

Comment of Abu Yahya

This malfooz of Hazratwala is actually the essence of his teachings. Hazratwala does not emphasise anything as much as he emphasizes tolerating the “pain” of abstaining from sins; such as casting evil glances at beautiful and handsome faces, watching pornographic pictures, etc. And in this day and age, this is a very unique and rare thing to propagate.

Unfortunately there is a great misconception which is becoming widespread in the Ummah (and this is due to our separation from the company of the Ulama and Auliya)which is: wear hijab, wear a kufi, go to a couple of Islamic conferences and lectures, and lead whatever type of life you wish. If it is too hard or difficult for you to do, then no problem… there is definitely some scholar who has given a fatwa permitting it. Surf the net and you’ll find Mufti Google answering all your queries!

The problem is that no one can comprehend that the pain in abstaining from sins is something good. We think: how can pain be good? But as they say: NO PAIN, NO GAIN!

It hurts to guard your eyes and follow the sunnah when you’re surrounded by kufr and mockers of the sunnah… but it is from this pain of not being accepted and not allowing the nafs haram pleasures by which Allah is attained.

We have mixed up the “ease” that shariah offers to us at times of dire necessity with the ease desired by the nafs in order to shy away from mujahadah. Whereas there is a clear and explicit difference. When the malfoozat and noble utterence of the Ulama-e-Rabbaniyeen such as the one above is applied to one’s life… then one truly experiences peace and traquility.

Indeed, just like when working out to develop bigger and stronger muscles when weight-training. Working out the soul is the same. The pain and 'burn' come from avoiding sins and especially the pleasurable ones, and engaging in good deeds, particularly the difficult ones. Just as the frequent trainee of bodybuilding begins to love the feeling of what is essentially harm coming to his body from the soreness and 'burn' of the muscles, because they understand what it signifies, so too will a seeker in the spiritual path come to even enjoy the discomfort from not sinning, because they'll understand what that signifies.

Source: An-Noor


Tricks of Shaitan

1. The first thing Shaytaan does is, he takes out the importance of obedience out of us and puts the importance of the dunya within us.

2. The second thing Shaytaan does is he delays the good actions, ex. praying, following the Sunnah, acquiring good company, making taubah etc.

3. The third thing he does is that he makes you rush through any good deed.

4. The fourth level of Shaytaan’s trickery is that he puts riyaa’ in those actions.

5. The fifth level of Shaytaan’s trickery is that he puts vanity in us - ‘ujb, i.e. conceit.

6. The sixth level of Shaytaan’s trickery is that he injects you with the poison of doing things for fame.

Any one of these is sufficient to destroy the reward of the action as well as serve as a means of destruction for the person.

May Allah save us from shaytaan and his evil ploys. Aameen!

Source: An-Noor


The Aim of Life

If we live in the company of the pious ones, we will attain the aim of life. What is the aim of life? When we go from this world wrapped in our kafans, we will not be able to take our jewellery, wives, children, carpets, mobile telephones, or any currency. This is proof enough that these items are not the aim of life. Tell me, is this a proof or not? Since the time of Adam (Alaihis salâm) till today, have you seen anyone taking his house, carpets and telephone with him? Have you seen anyone telling the angels, “O angels, come and help me. I cannot carry my carpets and my house alone. Please assist me.” Then the angels come down and say, “This janazah has requested Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta’la that his chairs, carpets, telephone, cellphone, cars and goods should reach the hereafter.” Has any dead person gone with his house and material possessions? This shows that these things are not the purpose of life. These are the means of life. Means are taken away while aims are not snatched away. This is proof enough that our purpose is worship. We take the nûr (illumination) of our worship to Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta’la. Another proof is that Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta’la grants us the ability to take His name till the time of death because this is the aim of life. Many powers terminate after sixty to seventy years. Hadhrat Hakeemul Ummat (Rahimahullâh) states that when the strength is finished, the old man tells his old wife, “Throw sand on taking and giving, let’s have pure love.” Friends, all strengths terminate in old age except the ability to take Allâh’s name. To the extent that some people became blind and deaf but their tongues were moving. Those who were in the habit of taking Allâh’s name, only they took His name. While those who were not in the habit of taking His name, who secretly went to the sewerage area and committed lewd acts had a disastrous end.

Source: "Purpose of Life" by Arif Billah Hazrat Molana Shah Hakeem Mohammad Akhter Sahab (db)


Overpower The Nafs (Self)

Do not company those who have becom Overpowered, O Rebellious one. Accompany one who has overpowered his nafs so that you may also become dominant and be able to practice upon the knowledge that you have acquired. and if one always stays in the company of those who are overpowered by their nafs then he will also remain a slave of his base desires. This because the one who himself is enslaved, how can he free someone else? one prisoner cannot release another prisoner. only if one of them is released will he be able to bail the other out. These people are the Ahlullah who have freed themselves from the slavery of Nafs.

Source: -Connection with Allah- by Arif billah Hazrat Molana Shah Hakeem Mohamamd Akhter sahab (db), Ahl-e-Dil


The Disease of Idiots

“One lustful gaze leads to another, just as one sin leads to another and also one good deed to another.”
-Arif Billah Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Akhtar Sahib (db)

Hakeem ul Ummah, Hazrat Thanwi (RA) says, “To cast lustful glances is the disease of idiots. You neither give, nor receive. All you do is put your own heart in turmoil. You can stare at a girl forever, but you will never get her. You will only get the person that Allah has decreed for you as halal. Since this is a matter which has already been decided by Allah, that is why this is the disease of idiots.”
[Anwaar-e-Haram pg. 45]

Note: This applies for females as well. Just because the example given by Hazrat Thanwi (RA) involves men, it does not mean that women are exempt. The ruling for lowering the gaze has been given to men first, and then specifically to women separately.

"Casting lustful galnces at beautiful girls and young lads is nowadays not even considered to be a sin. Hadratwala said that one who casts lustful glances at girls and young lads is stupid. And there is no FIX for stupidity. People, who have zero tolerance to Ahlullah, argue that 'we don’t know'… Hadratwala has said IGNORANCE IS NO EXCUSE FOR SINNING. Islam doesn’t work like this. It’s obligatory on every Muslim to know the difference between Halal and Haram. One should attend the Majalis of the Ahlullah and Ulama."

Source: Ahl-e-Dil

Giving Up Sins: An Easy Prescription

Category: SOUND

by Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel


There are many, many Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the world who due to various negative influences and bad elements, find themselves 'de-railed' from Deen. Many others sit on the fence, wanting to enjoy or benefit from both sides of the fence - engaging in sins as well as being practical on certain teachings of Deen. However, deep in their hearts is the desire to get back on track, and once again become good, practical Muslims; to jump off the fence and enjoy the green pastures of Islam. So they write, e-mail, phone, fax seeking guidance and direction.

The main weakness is indulgence in sins; sometimes many sins and excessive indulgence in those sins. A standard prescription that I give as a reply, is as follows. Alhamdulillah, many who followed through with the prescription have found a whole new life - of peace, happiness, blessings and mercy. On tasting the sweetness that comes with obedience, there is no desire to return to any form of disobedience.

• The ideal is that we abstain from sins, out of love for Allah Ta'ala. He has granted us so much - He has granted us everything and it is the nature of human beings that we love the person that is kind and generous to us. Then what of Allah Ta'ala who has provided us with plentiful - with everything? The sight, hearing, speech, the organs that are functioning in such an amazing manner, the limbs - all in our service - for eating, drinking, walking, sitting, etc. The gifts of wealth : the clothing, shelter, transport, food, drink, and so many other comforts. We use them all, but do we keep in mind, the Generous Benefactor? Do we give thanks for these bounties or show any appreciation to the Giver?



• Developing the conscious awareness that Allah Ta'ala is with us : He is watching us, He is hearing us, He knows all and everything about us; We cannot hide from Him; We cannot conceal our actions from Him. Then should we not feel ashamed that in His Presence, we are disobeying Him? Are we not showing ingratitude to the Benefactor, when engaging in sins in His very Presence ?



• Keep in mind that the angels too are witness to all our actions; that the earth is recording our behaviour and that all of it is also noted in our books of deeds - that we are accountable to Allah Ta'ala on the Day of Judgement. Added to this, our actions are also presented to Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), so we should give thought to whether our actions are a source of joy or grief to him. .In this manner, we will develop that shame and modesty which will make it easy to restrain from Haraam.



• Muraqabah is meditating on the actions engaged in during the day : We should reflect over our deeds for the day and seek forgiveness for shortcomings and resolve not to return to those bad deeds. We should also express gratitude on good deeds and make dua for an increase in them.



• Ponder over the fact that the Angel of Death does not give respite. It must not be that whilst obeying the nafs in sinful pleasure, the Angel of death visits; and departure is in disgrace, and return to Allah Ta'ala is at a time when He is angry, and that death is an embarrassment to the person, family and community who find out that death came in sin. May Allah Ta'ala protect us all from death in a state of transgression, but this is very much a reality. .Death visits - more often, very unexpectedly, and no true Muslim would want to be seized by the Angel of death when Allah Ta'ala is displeased. I often say : We now have instant tea, and instant coffee, and instant cereal and instant pudding and so many other things on the market are instant - we are also living in times when death is just as instant. So any sin is too much of a risk in the face of the reality of death. .The Hadith is explicit : That we will be resurrected on the day of Judgement as we have died and we will die as we have lived. Would any Muslim want to rise up on the Day of Judgement in sin, for all of mankind to witness what kind of life he led?



• Ponder over the fact that Allah Ta'ala has blessed us with the gift of sight, hearing, health, wealth, and so much else - and has also granted us the gift of respect. However, what He gives, He can also take away. He has explicitly stated that ingratitude for His Gifts will draw very severe punishment. So is sin not abuse and ingratitude for the gifts of sight, of heart, of mind, of limbs ? A little contemplation on the consequences of such behaviour and a little bit of mujahada - which entails 'not doing' and Alhamdulillah, the sicknesses are cured.


Together with this :


• Attend the talks of the learned Scholars of Islam whenever possible, or listen to recordings of their talks and read their books to gain benefit of pious, righteous company. Join and participate in the Deeni activities with those who follow the Qur`aan and Sunnah. On will, Insha-Allah, find a great improvement in one's condition by keeping the right company.



• Make the effort to read Salaah punctually. Men should make every effort to read their Salaah in Jamaat.



• Read good, Islamic literature. Abstain from magazines or books that have filthy and indecent contents and pictures.



• Give up television viewing. .90% of the content is Haraam. If a person offers a full glass of clean and pure water, and mentions that there is just one drop of urine, would any sensible person, drink it ?



• Then when the major content of television is Haraam, what would we then say ? When the gaze, heart and mind are consuming and digesting so much of Haraam viewing, what else would be the end result except indulgence in the same Haraam.



• Lower the gaze from the opposite sex.



• Dress as a Muslim should - Wearing the pants above the ankle and keeping the beard, one fist in length must not be considered as insignificant actions. These are teachings of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) which he has emphasized. Although it is permissible to wear the shirt and pants, the dressing of the righteous has a speciality which benefits in different ways. A person with this appearance will think a hundred times before engaging in an open sin, when he is being recognized as someone who must be very pious. So this attire and appearance will offer a protection, Insha-Allah. Women too should dress modestly as is prescribed by Shariah.



• By doing these few things, you have won more than half the battle. And it is not as difficult as Shaytaan and nafs will whisper. A little courage, a little effort and a little sacrifice are all that is required.

Of course, these are just basic aspects of Deen, which everyone can implement immediately and easily. There is a need to fulfill the Obligatory Injunctions such as Salaah, Zakaat, Fasting in the month of Ramadaan, etc. and to fulfill the rights of family, neighbours and others. There is a need to read the Qur`aan Sharief regularly, together with some authentic commentary - a little at a time, as well as giving time to studying some book on Islamic Jurisprudence and reading the life and teachings of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) , etc.

A reading of the books of virtues of actions such as Salaah, Fasting, Haj, Sadaqaat, Zikr, etc. by Hazrat Shaykhul Hadith Maulana Zakariyyah Saheb (Rahmatullah 'alayh) will create enthusiasm in the heart for action.

May Allah Ta'ala grant us His Love and the Love of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) , such that it becomes easy to give up all sins and submit to His Obedience. May He protect us all from the mischief of nafs and Shaytaan. May He fill our hearts with Love for this beautiful Deen and inspire us in being a practical and good Muslims and be true role-models to our community.


Source: SunniForum.com

Save Yourself From Being Accused of Sin

Category: SOUND

Refers to a lengthy Hadith where Prophet Muhammad(saw) was observing I'tikaf in the Masjid when his wife, Hazrat Safiyah(ra) came to visit. When she was leaving, he escorted her out. On the way, two men were walking in. He had them wait while she left so she would not be seen unveiled. Afterwards he told them who she was and said: "I have identified her to you lest the devil make mischief and put a wrong idea in your hearts."

Now who on Earth, especially from the Sahaba, would suspect the Prophet(saw) of anything wrong... not only that but in Ramadan, the last 10 days, in I'tikaf, and in the Masjid Nabi! This was done to set an example that one should do everything possible to prevent themselves from being slandered.

There are two principles here. The one everyone knows is that it prevents a potential slanderer from slandering and thus saves them from sin. 'So what' you might say, it was the Prophet(saw)'s job to worry about other people, not ours. Blatantly incorrect. It is your duty to avoid letting other Muslims sin. Plus the other principle at play here is that you have rights over yourself. You have a right to not let yourself be thought of negatively or let people imagine wrong things about you. Protect yourself from others' intentions, if you do not take care, how can you expect Allah to act on your behalf out of His care if the situation repeats itself, albeit at more cost to you the next time?

Some of the longest Hadith are of this topic because it requires a narration of the entire situation to understand. It is important.

How does one suppose that those entire Islamic societies were built? How do you find that kind of a quantity of good people? By helping each other become that way. Saving someone from sinning by robbing them of that opportunity might keep their souls on the right path just enough to avoid another major sin and so on and so forth.

This is important because Western society has the exact opposite principle. Rather, it fosters off this kind of suspicion amongst its citizens because it markets so many things to that suspicion and profits. A basic example: A man comes home and his wife smells perfume on him and demands to know where he's been. "You don't trust me?!" he indignantly responds. Bullshit. That's the way things work here, people demand others to be in love with them to such a degree that they abandon logic and their minds. That's one party loving their Self entirely too much, they want to be loved but not love or engage in mutual love. This also illustrates how trust comes not just from love but is also built logically on piety or taqwa. Living a life of good character and morals actually translates into seemingly non-related things like loving or being able to be loved (and thus the issue of trust) having formed a more solid foundation.

And that's between the closest relations. There's no concept of avoiding slander otherwise and when Islamic and Western identities collide, like in the South Asian community in North America and Europe, people will struggle adapting the Western mode of thought to a foreign sub-culture or environment.

Sins and their Effects

Category: SOUND

Women's behaviour is significant

In this regard, women play a significant role. If they decide to mold their lives according to the Commands of Allah and His Messenger(saw) then the atmosphere in the house becomes very ideal because a woman is the main character in a house. If she is obedient to Allah and His Messenger(saw), the entire household stands reformed, but if she pays no attention to it and is sinful, then the atmosphere in the house becomes very bad.

Sin

What is sin? And, what are the consequences and repercussions of sin? We must understand these things first. Sin is a disobedience. Suppose an elder tells someone to do something but he refuses to do it, or if he forbids him from doing something but he insists on doing it then he is being disobedient to the elder. If anyone is disobedient to Allah and His Messenger(saw) then he is committing a sin. The results of being disobedient to Allah are grave to an unimaginable extent.

Damages of sin - First, Selfishness

The first damage caused by sin is that the sinner is selfish, ungrateful and a usurper of the rights of his Benefactor. His Benefactor who has created man who is always drowned in His blessings. Allah's favours cover him from head to foot. But we cannot obey Him even in the little He asks of us and are thus involed in the first defect of sin: selfishness, ungratefulness, and usurption of the rights of our Benefactor.

Second damage, rusting of their hearts

The second damage caused by sin is described by the Prophet(saw) in a Hadith. He said, If a man commits sin for the first time a dark spot shows itself on his heart. What this spot is, Allah alone knows! When that man sins again, a second spot appears on his heart and if he sins the third time, a third spot comes up on his heart. However, if they repent, meanwhile, then the spots are effaced but if they do not express repentance and persist in sins then the spots keep multiplying and cover up their heart as marks of rust and their heart becomes corroded. When a man's heart is corroded, it no longer can listen to the Truth and it becomes inattentive and indifferent so that it will not recognize sin and they do not sense the repercussions of sin. It is as though they are bereft of intelligence.

Third damage, darkness

The point is that we have become accustomed to the environment of sin so we do not notice the darkness and abhorrence. There is so much darkness from sin and excessive abhorrence to it that a man blessed by Allah with perfect faith cannot tolerate it.

We do not become upset of the darkness and do not feel abhorrence for it because we have become accustomed to sin. Our behaviour may be compared to a bad-smelling house offensive to the mind. If any outsider enters it, he will find it difficult to stay even a while in the house, but anyone already staying in it will not sense the difference because he is accustomed to the smell. He will not understand why anyone should rebuke him for staying in the offensive atmosphere. The other man whom Allah has protected from the bad-smelling house and kept in a fragrant atmosphere will be repulsed from a distance when he gets the bad smell. In the same way, Believers whose hearts are devoted to Allah and are clean like a shining mirror are repulsed from the darkness and abhorrence of sin. This then, is the third defect of sin; darkness and abhorrence.

What a great litmus test idea, innit? Wanna know if something's bad? Abstain for a while, and when you see it again, if you feel a natural disgust or abbhorrence towards it, as you would a bad smell, then you know.

Smell is also an important sense, philosophically, as Prophet(saw) said in a hadith that one of his favorite things in this world was pleasant scents. I wrote about that before already.

Fourth damage is to intelligence

The fourth damage from persistent sin is that the sinner suffers loss of intelligence. Their intelligence quotient drops and their thinking and comprehending powers toe an evil path. They regard good as evil and vice-versa. They will not receive sound advice even if given politely. They are the one of whom Allah has said: "He whom Allah leaves astray cannot find guidance." Allah does not let anyone go astray unless he insists on sinning and disobedience so that he cannot understand Truth.

There's too much to type next but he refers to the incident of Iblis and how he became pretty much an idiot and incapable of (what to us is) sound logic. He believed himself superior to Adam and refused to bow, but Allah defines superior or inferior so if Allah says bow to man, man is superior. Iblis is not the definer of these things. Thus, his position makes no sense. But he cannot and will not understand.

He also references how people routinely sin and make up intellectual and reasoned excuses. It's the same thing. If you wouldn't tolerate your servant, of an equal human mind, being disobedient how do you expect Allah to tolerate our disobedience as His own Creation? People start doing this and asking a lot of stupid questions when sinning has affected their intelligence (not just spiritual, even mental... they just cannot understand).

He references an incident with the King, Mahmud Ghaznavi. He had a favorite slave who he preferred even over his advisers. To show them why, he brought out a great diamond, had them all comment on how great it was... then asked them to break it. The advisers, using their 'intelligence', refused. His slave smashed it immediately. The diamond be broken rather than the command of his beloved King.

Enlightenment follows (always follows) giving up of sins. After abstaining for some time, you WILL start to see things differently, even if you didn't understand when you started to give them up.

Fifth damage, It stops raining

...A hadith tells us that when Muslims deny Zakah, Allah stops rainfall over them...

Sixth damage, illness

...when men involve themselve in immorality, vulgarity, and lewdness, Allah inflicts them with illnesses which were unknown to their forefathers...

Seventh damage, Killing

...A hadith tells us that towards the final times a period will come when 'Killings will be rampant'. Man will be killed and neither he nor his heirs will find out why he was killed or who killed him. The murderer will not know why he kills and the murdered will not know why he was killed...

Abstaining from sin is better than optional worship while sinning.

The heads of families are shephards and share a major part of the responsibility for not reforming those in their flock. No matter how great they are otherwise. Just because you lived your life as you chose and wound up okay (in your opinion) doesn't mean your kids will. They're different people.

Hereafter

It says in the Hadith that Hell is surrounded by desires. Beautiful and attractive things. Paradise is surrounded by disliked things. But once you actually go to them, the true natures come out. The fence of thorns around Paradise turns into flowers, the things surrounding Hell become Fire.

Sinning is like an Itch

Category: SOUND

Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (ra) related how sinning is like an itch. Shaitan and the Nafs are like mosquitoes that bite your soul and scratching the resulting itch is sinning. It is better to resist the incredible desire to scratch, bear the torture, and try to remedy by applying an ointment (good deeds). If you start scratching, you will have to go on scratching until you wound the area.