{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode 345: Stop Harming Yourself [10:23]","description":"Allah says: \u201cO people, your rebellion is only against your own souls\u2026 then to Us is your return, and We will inform you of what you used to do.\u201d (10:23) A common question today is: How does it affect God if I don\u2019t pray, fast, or follow the rules? The answer is: it does not affect Him at all. Allah is independent. Our obedience does not increase Him. Our disobedience does not diminish Him. The real question is different: What does it do to us? In this verse, Allah reframes sin. It is not primarily rule-breaking. It is self-harm. When we lie, we fracture trust \u2014 externally and internally. When we indulge envy, we poison our own peace. When we numb ourselves through addiction, we weaken our agency. Imam al-Sajj\u0101d (as) in Du\u02bf\u0101\u02be al-Tawbah speaks of: \u201cSins whose pleasures have passed, but whose consequences remain.\u201d Sin offers short-term dopamine. Its consequences linger. The verse also uses the word baghy \u2014 transgression, overstepping limits. When we violate divine boundaries, we destabilize not only ourselves but the systems we live within. Moral imbalance reverberates socially, relationally, and spiritually. We are not isolated beings. We live within a divinely ordered system of cause and effect. Reflection: Where might I be rebelling against my own well-being? What short-term pleasure am I trading for long-term harm? What would alignment look like today? If this reflection benefits you, subscribe, share it, and please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.   ","author_name":"Loving and Living the Quran","author_url":"http:\/\/marziahassan.libsyn.com\/webpage","html":"