The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “To cast a glance at the charms of a woman is one of the poisonous arrows of Iblees. Allah grants him the taste of exhilarating worship who refrains from such glances.” [Minhaaj ul Abideen by Imam Ghazzali]You are traveling in a desert and it is burning hot. You are in a new car with good air conditioning. You have turned the air conditioning on but somehow don’t feel its cooling effect. On investigation it turns out that a window is partially open. This is letting the scorching heat in and preventing you from experiencing the coolness generated by the air conditioning.Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) has guaranteed peace and contentment of the heart for those who remember Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) frequently. “Those who believe and whose hearts are peaceful with the remembrance of Allah. Listen, only in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace.” [Quran: Surah Ar-Raad, Ayat 28]But Dhikr (the remembrance of Allah) is like air-conditioning. Its coolness is felt in the heart and mind when the windows of the eyes, the ears, the tongue, the hands, the heart, and the stomach are closed to sin by Taqwa – the fear and awareness of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala). If a man looks at women other than his wife, the hot air of this sin ruins the cooling effect of the Dhikr he performs. Similarly, if a person backbites, then it is as though they have left the window of their tongue down, and the hot wind coming in through it doesn’t allow the air conditioning of Dhikr to cool their heart. If they harbour jealousy or eat Haraam food, the windows of their heart and stomach weren’t shut against the heat, depriving their Dhikr of providing them peace of mind. Thus, despite much recitation of the Quran, Duas and performance of Nawafil, such a person remains mentally disturbed and uneasy with himself and the world around him.We should try to give up our sins. But we should continue with Dhikr even if we are involved in some sin and find it difficult to give up. The day we give up sinning, the utterance of one “Allah” will allow us to experience the air-conditioning of the heavens and the earth. The heart will be granted perfect peace and tranquility.