As for the retribution of sin : When a person indulges in sins, then his heart finds itself immediately connected with the fire of Hell. One result of which is heat…

…The proof of this, from a Masnoon Dua, was brilliantly and inspirationally presented by Hazrat Maulana Shah Abdul Ghani Phulpoori (Rahmatullah ‘alaih), a great Sheikh of his time.

We learn from the Ahadith, different duas for different occasions. One Dua that has been taught to us by Nabi  صلئ الله عليه وسلم  is:

“O ALLAH, WASH OFF MY SINS WITH THE (MELTED) WATER
OF ICE AND SNOW, AND PURIFY MY HEART OF SINS, EVEN AS
WHITE CLOTHES ARE CLEANSED OF FILTH.”

Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم  was ma’soom (sinless) and mahfooz
(protected from committing sins). There is absolutely no question of him committing any sin. However, due to the exceptional stage of Ma’rifat (Recognition) that Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم  had been blessed with, he would still seek forgiveness,
thus teaching the Ummat that if a sinless Prophet of Allah Ta’ala seeks so much of forgiveness, how much more penitent and repentant his followers should be.

However, the utterances of Taubah and Istighfaar, of a sinless Nabi, was followed through with a greater degree of proximity to Allah Ta’ala and the attainment of higher and
higher stages.

Being the teacher to his Ummah, Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم  had to
also demonstrate and present various modes and methods of Ibaadah - repentance being one.

Let us now consider the explanation and meaning of the dua referred to :

Hazrat Maulana Shah Abdul Ghani Saheb (Rahmatullah ‘alaih) had stated that on one occasion he had a most respected guest present, during his teaching of Bukhari Sharief. The guest was Hazrat Maulana Dr. Abdul Hay Saheb (Rahmatullah ‘alaih) who was a senior Khalifa of Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Rahmatullah ‘alaih).

During this lesson, Dr. Abdul Hay Saheb posed a question to Hazrat Maulana Shah Abdul Ghani (Rahmatullah ‘alaih). He asked : “Why did Nabi صلئ الله عليه وسلم  use the words ‘ice and snow’ in this particular dua ?”

Maulana Shah Abdul Ghani Saheb (Rahmatullah ‘alaih) did not have an answer to reply with. In fact, no Muhaddith (an expert in the field of Hadith) had furnished any explanation regarding the reasons behind the usage of these words by
Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم .

Not knowing the answer, he lowered his head in humility and prayed to Allah Ta’ala to provide him with the wisdom thereof. No sooner did he ask, then Allah Ta’ala inspired him
with the answer.

He was not a Nabi and nor did he claim to be one. Such matters pertain to one’s relationship with Allah. The
relationship and friendship that the lovers and sincere servants of Allah have with Allah, secures for them a
confidence and hope that such requests will be accommodated, with an inspiration from Allah Ta’ala.
This type of inspiration to the friends of Allah is called ‘Ilhaam’.

The reply, which he presented, was : “There are two major effects that follow the commission of sins.

1.) Darkness in the heart.
Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم  has 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 Sheikh has mentioned that generally, when a person is committing a lot of sin, especially if he is entangled in that of illicit love, then the effect of his sins is such 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, suffering with fever, etc.

Consequently, the second quality of sin is that it produces heat.

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 ? … Because 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.

…So Junaid Baghdadi (Rahmatullah ‘alaih) states that another sign of the true lover of Allah is that he sees Allah Ta’ala with his heart.