Have you ever known that something was wrong, yet found yourself searching for a reason to continue doing it? “Just this once.” “Everyone does it.” “I'll change later.” Sometimes the excuse feels easier than the effort to change.
A reminder shared by Malaysian preacher Ustaz Wadi Annuar captures this struggle: the danger is not only knowing that an act is sinful, but continuing to find excuses for it. This is a reflection, not a quotation from the Quran or a hadith. Yet several Quranic verses and classical commentaries offer powerful guidance on the underlying issue.
We should worry when we stop acknowledging our wrongdoing and begin defending it as though nothing needs to change.
1. We can offer excuses, but we remain witnesses against ourselves
بَلِ الْإِنسَانُ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ بَصِيرَةٌ وَلَوْ أَلْقَىٰ مَعَاذِيرَهُ
“Rather, the human being will be a witness against himself, even if he presents his excuses.” (Surah al-Qiyamah, 75:14–15, meaning)
In his commentary, Imam al-Tabari explains that a person's own testimony concerning their actions outweighs false excuses. The verse principally concerns accountability in the Hereafter, but it also invites us to examine how truthful we are with ourselves today. See Tafsir al-Tabari, vol. 24, p. 65.
We may be able to persuade other people with our explanations. But when we are alone, do we recognise the behaviour we need to change?
2. The Quran praises those who do not persist in sin
وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
“And they do not knowingly persist in what they have done.” (Surah Ali 'Imran, 3:135, excerpt)
Imam al-Tabari explains israr, persistence in sin, as deliberately remaining in wrongdoing and abandoning repentance. See Tafsir al-Tabari, vol. 6, p. 67.
The wider verse describes people who have done wrong, remember Allah and seek His forgiveness. The Quran does not present them as people who have never made a mistake. Instead, it points to their willingness to return to Allah.
There is a meaningful difference between “I know this is wrong, and I am trying to stop” and “I know this is wrong, but I have a good enough reason to continue.”
3. When wrongdoing begins to look acceptable
أَفَمَن زُيِّنَ لَهُ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ فَرَآهُ حَسَنًا
“Is one whose evil deed has been made attractive to him so that he considers it good...?” (Surah Fatir, 35:8, excerpt)
In Tafsir Ibn Kathir, vol. 11, p. 307, this verse describes those who do evil while believing they are doing good. Its original context deals with misguidance, and its lesson should make us cautious about allowing desire to redefine right and wrong.
An excuse repeated often enough can make a once-uncomfortable action seem ordinary. That is why examining the condition of the heart matters as much as examining outward behaviour.
4. Repeated sins can leave marks on the heart
كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
“No! Rather, what they used to earn has covered their hearts.” (Surah al-Mutaffifin, 83:14, meaning)
Ibn Kathir relates a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah in which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ describes a dark mark appearing on the heart when a person sins. If the person stops, seeks forgiveness and repents, the heart is cleansed. If sins continue, the marks increase. Al-Tirmidhi narrated this hadith (no. 3334) and graded it hasan sahih. See Tafsir Ibn Kathir, vol. 14, p. 286.
In Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6308, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud compares the believer's concern over sins to someone sitting beneath a mountain, afraid that it might fall upon them. By contrast, the person who trivialises sin is likened to someone brushing a fly away from their nose. This comparison is a statement of Ibn Mas'ud recorded by al-Bukhari.
A sensitive heart is not necessarily one that has never made a mistake. It is one that refuses to become comfortable with wrongdoing.
5. Repentance is not the same as despair
In al-Da' wa al-Dawa', Ibn al-Qayyim cites the counsel of Bilal ibn Sa'd: do not focus merely on how small a sin appears, but remember the One you have disobeyed. See al-Da' wa al-Dawa', p. 126.
There is an important balance here. Someone who repeatedly struggles, sincerely repents and tries again should not be written off as hopeless. Allah's door of repentance is open. We must distinguish struggling against a weakness from justifying a sin so that we can keep committing it.
Perhaps today we can take three small steps: acknowledge the wrong without dressing it up, ask Allah for forgiveness, and distance ourselves from the situations that repeatedly pull us back.
A question worth asking ourselves
“Am I looking for a way to leave this sin, or for an excuse to keep doing it?”
May our relationship with the Quran extend beyond recognising its sounds. May we understand its meanings, welcome its reminders and allow its guidance to shape the way we live.
References and further reading
- Al-Tabari, Jami' al-Bayan, on al-Qiyamah 75:14–15.
- Al-Tabari, Jami' al-Bayan, on Ali 'Imran 3:135.
- Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim, on Fatir 35:8.
- Ibn Kathir, on al-Mutaffifin 83:14; al-Tirmidhi no. 3334.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6308, statement of Ibn Mas'ud.
- Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Da' wa al-Dawa', p. 126.
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