Expiators of Sins
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Fatwa No. ( 16479 )
Q: Allah the Exalted says:[Hud 11:114] And the hadith of the man who kissed a woman... etc. And the hadith: (When the Muslim performs wudu, his sins go out with the water or with the last drop of water) etc. Does the meaning of these hadiths imply that wudu, prayer, reciting the Qur'an, and charity expiate sins such as looking at women and talking to them? I ask you to kindly provide an answer.
A: There are many expiators of sins, and this is from the favor and generosity of Allah toward His servants and His mercy upon them, Exalted is He. The texts mentioned contain expiators of sins, but the meaning of these expiators and what is similar to them is not that a person should commit sins and indulge in desires, and persist in them on the pretext that he performs these good deeds which will expiate them. No one says this, and these texts do not lead to it. Rather, the Muslim is required by the original Shari'ah to perform the commands and avoid the prohibitions. If he commits a sin, he must hasten to sincere repentance by abandoning it, feeling regret for what occurred, and resolving not to return to it. These, along with the good that the Muslim obtains, such as wudu, prayer, and doing good deeds, will outweigh the sins and expiate them if he avoids major sins; for Allah, Exalted is He, says:[An-Nisa 4:31]
And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Mishkat al-Masabih 564 , and in another wording: Sunan Ibn Majah 1086Sahih (Darussalam) . It was narrated by the Imam Muslim in (his Sahih). And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: Allah the Exalted says:
Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds
إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِA: There are many expiators of sins, and this is from the favor and generosity of Allah toward His servants and His mercy upon them, Exalted is He. The texts mentioned contain expiators of sins, but the meaning of these expiators and what is similar to them is not that a person should commit sins and indulge in desires, and persist in them on the pretext that he performs these good deeds which will expiate them. No one says this, and these texts do not lead to it. Rather, the Muslim is required by the original Shari'ah to perform the commands and avoid the prohibitions. If he commits a sin, he must hasten to sincere repentance by abandoning it, feeling regret for what occurred, and resolving not to return to it. These, along with the good that the Muslim obtains, such as wudu, prayer, and doing good deeds, will outweigh the sins and expiate them if he avoids major sins; for Allah, Exalted is He, says:
If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance [into Paradise].
إِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُمْ مُدْخَلا كَرِيمًاAnd the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The five [daily] prayers, Friday to Friday and Ramadan to Ramadan make atonement for what has happened since the previous one when major sins have been avoided.
الصلوات الخمس والجمعة إلى الجمعة ورمضان إلى رمضان مكفرات لما بينهن إذا اجتنبت الكبائرso long as one does not commit any major sin
ما لم تغش الكبائر
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.