Is the one who commits a major sin, and then repents from it, prevented from leading the prayer and delivering the sermon?
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Question:
Is there a limit to the major sins such that if a person commits them and then repents, he is no longer entitled to lead the people in prayer, and it is not appropriate for him to be the Friday preacher? I ask you to inform us of this.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions. As for what follows, repentance wipes out what came before it. The one who repents from a sin, if his repentance is sincere and a repentance of true return, Allah forgives him, and the repentant person becomes like one who has no sin. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Anfal 8:38] No type of major sin is excluded from this, neither disbelief, nor shirk (associating partners with Allah), nor zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), nor the other major or minor sins. All sins, if a person repents from them with a valid repentance, Allah turns to him in mercy and he returns to the state of one who has no sin, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Islam wipes out what came before it, and repentance wipes out what came before it." And Allah, Glorious and Exalted, said in His clear Book: [An-Nisa 4:48], for whomever He wills.
He, the Exalted and Majestic, said:[Az-Zumar 39:53-54] to the end of the verses. So, whoever repents from sins with a valid repentance, Allah turns to him in mercy, and he becomes qualified to lead the prayer and for other matters, and praise be to Allah. Yes. May Allah bless you.
Is there a limit to the major sins such that if a person commits them and then repents, he is no longer entitled to lead the people in prayer, and it is not appropriate for him to be the Friday preacher? I ask you to inform us of this.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions. As for what follows, repentance wipes out what came before it. The one who repents from a sin, if his repentance is sincere and a repentance of true return, Allah forgives him, and the repentant person becomes like one who has no sin. Allah the Exalted said:
Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِن يَنتَهُوا يُغْفَرْ لَهُم مَّا قَدْ سَلَفَIndeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَHe, the Exalted and Majestic, said:
(53) Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." (54) And return [in repentance] to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you; then you will not be helped.
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ وَأَنِيبُوا إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَأَسْلِمُوا لَهُ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل صاحب الكبيرة وإن تاب منها يمنع من الإمامة والخطابة - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.