Enjoying Sin Makes You Part of It

📖Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4345
Al-‘Urs ibn ‘Amirah reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When sin is committed on the earth, whoever witnessed it and hated it and rejected it will be like one who was absent from it. Whoever was absent from it and was pleased with it will be like one who witnessed it.”

This hadith highlights the moral responsibility of believers regarding sin. It teaches that:

• Hating and rejecting sin: If a person witnesses wrongdoing, like adultery, pornography, hate speech, bullying, corruption, or oppression—and truly dislikes and rejects it, they are spiritually rewarded as if they had not been present. Their moral stance protects their soul.
• Being absent but pleased with sin: If someone does not witness the sin directly but secretly approves of it, is indifferent, or celebrates it, they are spiritually like someone who actively witnessed and supported it. Approval, even from afar, aligns the person with the wrongdoing.

Modern Examples:

• Seeing adultery, sexual misconduct, or nudity shared online and condemning it.
• Observing hate speech, false news, or bullying and rejecting it.
• Watching corruption, cheating, or oppression and disliking it.
• Avoiding approval or enjoyment of such acts even if not present, never encouraging or being pleased with them.

Rejecting sin does not require confrontation or legal action; sincere dislike and moral stance are enough for spiritual protection. Conversely, being indifferent or secretly pleased links a person to the sin and harms their moral standing.

Quranic Context:

📖Quran 3:104
And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. And those will be successful.
→ Believers are commanded to promote good and oppose evil.

📖Quran 5:2
And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.
→ Approval or delight in sin is like cooperating with evil.

📖Quran 16:90
Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality, bad conduct, and oppression.
→ Rejecting sin aligns with Allah’s commands and earns His mercy.

Witnessing sin and rejecting it protects the believer spiritually, as if they were not present. Being absent but secretly pleased, however, aligns one with wrongdoing. Islam emphasizes both moral awareness and personal piety: dislike evil, avoid approving it, and maintain righteousness. The believer’s stance, whether present or absent, is counted by Allah, rewarding the one who rejects sin and cautioning the one who enjoys it.