Below is an article by Shaykh Yunus Patel رحمة الله عليه, taken from www.yunuspatel.co.za
When a person indulges in sins, in disobedience to Allah Ta’ala, then the heart immediately connects with the fire of Hell. As such, one result of sins is heat. The proof of this is drawn from a Masnoon Dua, which was brilliantly and inspirationally explained by Shaykh Shah Abdul Ghani Phulpoori رحمة الله عليه, a great Shaykh of his time. From the Ahaadeeth we learn different Duas for different occasions. One Dua that was taught to us by Nabi ﷺ is:
“O Allah, wash off my sins with the (melted) water of ice and snow, and purify my heart of sins, just as white clothes are cleansed of filth.”
Let us consider the explanation and meaning of this dua. Shaykh Shah Abdul Ghani Saheb رحمة الله عليه related that on one occasion he had a most respected guest present during his lesson of Bukhari Shareef. The guest was Shaykh Dr. Abdul Hayy Saheb رحمة الله عليه who was a senior Khalifa of Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanwi رحمة الله عليه.
During this lesson, Dr. Abdul Hayy رحمة الله عليه posed a question to Shaykh Shah Abdul Ghani رحمة الله عليه. He asked: “Why did Nabi ﷺ use the words ‘ice and snow’ in this particular Dua?” Shaykh رحمة الله عليه being inspired with an answer from Allah Ta’ala, replied:
“There are two major effects that follow the commission of sins. Darkness in the heart
1) Darkness in the heart
Rasulullah ﷺ explained: “When a Mu’min (believer) sins, a black dot appears on his heart. If he repents and seeks Allah’s forgiveness, his heart becomes cleansed and polished. If he continues to commit more and more sins (without repenting), the spot continues to spread and ultimately covers all of his heart.”
2) Heat
By means of sins, a person links himself to the fire of Hell. As a result, such a person’s body also produces a kind of heat.
My Shaykh, Shaykh Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Saheb رحمة الله عليه has mentioned, that generally, when a person is committing a lot of sin, especially if he is entangled in illicit love, then the effect of his sins is so intense and severe, that even his head becomes heated. Of course, this does not mean that every person whose head is heated is involved in sin. It may be that the person is ill or suffering with high temperature, e.t.c.
So consequently, the second quality of sin is that it produces heat. Shaykh Shah Abdul Ghani Saheb رحمة الله عليه then explained that the attribute of ice is its coolness and the apparent characteristic of snow is its whiteness.
Thus, the two effects of sins are removed with the two effects of snow and ice. The whiteness removes the darkness and the coolness effaces the heat. SubhanAllah!
Moreover, why is ‘white’ cloth used in the Dua? This is because a black cloth will not disclose the spots and marks of dirt, even after having been washed, but white cloth is sure to reveal the slightest trace of dirt. These are explanations that should be most appreciated by students of Deen as well as Saalikeen.
My Shaykh had also explained that if we are deficient in our Love of Allah Ta’ala, and our hearts have become dark and heated due to the commission of sins, then an easy route to giving up our sins, sincerely repenting, purifying our hearts and becoming the friends of Allah Ta’ala is to make friends with His Friends.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us the Taufeeq of Rujoo Ilallaah and His Friendship.