The Ruling on Minor Shirk in Divine Will and Punishment

Question:
Is major shirk included in divine will, or does Allah not forgive it?

Answer:
There is a disagreement among the scholars. Some say that he must be punished, but he is not punished as the one who commits major shirk is punished; he will not remain in the Fire forever. They base this on the saying of Allah the Exalted: . They say this is general for both major and minor shirk. However, the one who commits minor shirk is not punished by remaining in the Fire forever; rather, he is punished according to the measure of his sin, and then, by Allah’s permission, he exits to Paradise. The second opinion is that Allah forgives it if his good deeds outweigh his bad deeds; in that case, He forgives him for the minor shirk. Yes. And if his good deeds do not outweigh his bad deeds, he is punished for the minor shirk. Yes.