He Lost his Deen and Dunya

Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on her) narrated:

It is reported that in Egypt, there was a man who would maintain the mosques affairs, and makes the call to prayer. He was, by all outward means, an pious person and devout worshipper.

One day, as he usually would, he ascended the minaret to make the call to prayer. At the base of the minaret, there was a Christian woman standing. He saw her, and was seduced by her looks. So, he descended the minaret, went to her, and entered her home.

She said to him: "Who are you, and what do you want?"

He replied: "I want you."

She said: "Why?"

He said: "You have enslaved my eyes, and you have captured my heart."

She said: "I will never answer your desire in a illicit or an immoral manner."

He said: "Alright, so, I will marry you, then."

She said: "You are a Muslim, and I am a Christian. My father will never allow me to marry you."

He said: "So, I will become a Christian."

She said: "If you wish to do so, go ahead."

So, the man became a Christian in order to marry this woman, and lived with the woman's family in her house. Later on that day, however, he was on the roof of the house. He fell from the roof and died without even having enjoyed his new bride. So, he lost the woman, and he lost his religion.

Moral

We can take multiple benefits from this story: 1) That the rights of Allah in Islam should always be put to the forefront of our lives. 2) No matter who you are or how religious you are, everyone is susceptible to temptation just as the man who was outwardly obedient and a devout worshipper was. 3) To take the commandment to lower our gaze seriously, if the man in the story had followed this commandment, then perhaps he would not have fell into the major sin which occurred not long after.