Sin makes promises that it cannot keep, S N Smith
Allah says in the Quran:
وَقَالَ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ لَمَّا قُضِىَ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَعَدَڪُمۡ وَعۡدَ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَوَعَدتُّكُمۡ فَأَخۡلَفۡتُڪُمۡۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِىَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّن سُلۡطَـٰنٍ إِلَّآ أَن دَعَوۡتُكُمۡ فَٱسۡتَجَبۡتُمۡ لِىۖ فَلَا تَلُومُونِى وَلُومُوٓاْ أَنفُسَڪُمۖ مَّآ أَنَا۟ بِمُصۡرِخِڪُمۡ وَمَآ أَنتُم بِمُصۡرِخِىَّۖ إِنِّى ڪَفَرۡتُ بِمَآ أَشۡرَڪۡتُمُونِ مِن قَبۡلُۗ إِنَّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ۬
And Satan will say when the matter is decided: “It was Allah Who gave you a promise of Truth: I too promised but I failed in my promise, to you. I had no authority over you except to call you, but ye listened to me: then reproach not me, but reproach your own souls. I cannot listen to your cries, nor can ye listen to mine. I reject your former act in associating me with Allah. For wrongdoers there must be a grievous Penalty.” (Surah Ibrahim 14:22)
There is no doubt that sin has an attractiveness to it, otherwise, it would not be so tempting.
Of course, not everyone is tempted by the same things, but everyone is tempted by something they deem to be alluring or pleasurable.
The problem with sin is that it makes promises it cannot keep.
Yes, there is indeed pleasure and enjoyment derived from committing sins, but only for a certain time period, after which the joy of it begins to fade away.
Despite this diminishment of pleasure, one may find themselves continuing in the sin because they may be either psychologically or chemically addicted to it and simply cannot break free.
They have become ensnared by that which promised them pleasure and joy.
There is a spiritual dimension to sin that we don’t always think about but nevertheless is very real.
When sin becomes habitual to the point one cannot break away from it, there is an emptiness inside that is not always easy to put into words.
The habitual sinner is, in fact, negating the very purpose of his/her existence which is to worship Allah and to live a life of obedience to Him.
When this is not fulfilled, there is a vacuum, as it were, in one’s soul that only sincere repentance and turning to Allah can fill.
In the absence of this, one will keep on pursuing more sins in the hope that this inward emptiness will somehow be filled.
But that which they are seeking after is elusive because sin will never provide a person with inward peace and fulfillment, but will in fact have the opposite effect.
As alluring as sin may be to a person, along with the pleasure it promises, it is only short-term and is very hallow.
It is better to live a life that is pleasing to Allah and strive to stay away from those things which displease Him.
And know that the promise of Allah is always true.
