If you have ever truly wondered what lies ahead for the sins you commit, read on.

Sin and disobedience make a great impact on the lives of people, and on their hearts and souls. It was none other than sin that resulted in Adam and Eve being ousted from the dwelling of bliss, delight and happiness in Heaven. Sin is what forced Satan out of the realm of Heaven, to be expelled and cursed. His sins replaced his closeness with remoteness, mercy with curse, beauty with hideousness and Heaven with Hellfire. Sins caused the people of Noah to drown when the flood had risen to cover mountain peaks.

Sins were the reason why a howling wind blew the people of Aad until they were thrown dead on earth as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees. Sin was also the reason why the people of Thamoud were afflicted by the dreadful, awful cry that split their hearts, causing them to die. And what about the people of Lot, who used to practice sodomy? The highest part of their city became the lowest, and stones of clay were rained upon them, destroying all of them. What other than sins caused the people of Shu'aib to be seized by an earthquake and struck dead in their homes? Sins were the reason why Pharaoh and his people drowned in the sea and their souls transferred to Hellfire. They caused Qarun, his house, money and his family to be destroyed and swallowed by the earth.

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, said, "A man may be deprived of sustenance because of a sin (he has committed)." (Ahmed). Moreover, Safiyyah also said, "During the reign of Umar, Madinah was shaken (with an earthquake). Umar then said, 'O, people! What is this? How fast you committed a sin. If this happened again, I would never live among you.'" (Ahmed). Also Ibn Umar said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhe wa sallam, saying: 'If people refrain from paying a Dinar or even a Dirham (become stingy), deal with riba (interest), follow the cows' tails (busy themselves with worldly matters), and abandon jihad for the sake of Allah, Allah will afflict them with a trial that will not be redeemed until they return to their religion (Islam)." Jareer narrated that the Prophet, sallallahu' alayhe wa sallam, said, "If sins are committed amongst people--even if the number of those who do not commit such sins is more than the number of those who commit them-and if they do not stand against these" sins, all of them will be afflicted with torment." (Ahmed).

Finally, the servant of Allah should be minutely aware of the cost of disobedience. Many people may not realize the consequences of a sin immediately and then tend not to worry, forgetting all about it. Glory be to Allah! How many people did this matter destroy? How many trials did it bring about, and how many blessings did it ruin? Sin is the deceiver of a great number of people, including scholars and eminent persons, let alone the common man. Sins may lie dormant for a time for both believers and non-believers alike; however, the price of sin is high, and it is a debt that will never been forgotten, and one day-not necessarily immediately-it will surely be collected.