Which is more severely punished: the innovators or the sinners?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Which is more severely punished: the giver or the innovators?
The Shaykh:
The innovators are more severe, because bid'ah (religious innovation) is more severe than sin, and bid'ah is more beloved to Satan than sin. This is because the sinner repents, whereas the innovator rarely repents, for he thinks he is on the right path, unlike the sinner who knows he is a sinner and that he has committed a sin. As for the innovator, he sees himself as obedient and that he is in a state of obedience. Therefore, bid'ah, may Allah protect us from it, is worse than sin. For this reason, the Salaf (the earliest generations) warned against sitting with the people of innovation, because they influence those who sit with them. Their danger is severe. There is no doubt that bid'ah is worse than sin, and the danger of the innovator to people is greater than the danger of the sinner.
As for the groups, the groups that have major deviations are considered innovators. As for the one who has only minor, easy deviations, this is considered an error, not bid'ah; it is considered an error. May Allah guide us and you to the path of truth.
The questioner:
Do you accept that the groups are a general ruling? What is your opinion?
The Shaykh:
Everything that a group says other than the people of the Sunnah and the community is wrong. We have only one group: the people of the Sunnah and the community alone.
And whoever opposes this group is opposing the methodology of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). However, the opposition varies according to the deviations in magnitude, form, distance, and proximity. This requires distinction, scrutiny, and consideration. We only say that whoever opposes the people of the Sunnah and the community is an opponent from among the people of desires, but his opposition varies in its magnitude, its smallness, and its impact on people. It requires evaluation. Yes, we do not judge all people with one ruling, nor all deviations with one ruling.
Except in terms of the beginning, we say that this is an opposition to the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community. This is shared by everyone who has split away.
Which is more severely punished: the giver or the innovators?
The Shaykh:
The innovators are more severe, because bid'ah (religious innovation) is more severe than sin, and bid'ah is more beloved to Satan than sin. This is because the sinner repents, whereas the innovator rarely repents, for he thinks he is on the right path, unlike the sinner who knows he is a sinner and that he has committed a sin. As for the innovator, he sees himself as obedient and that he is in a state of obedience. Therefore, bid'ah, may Allah protect us from it, is worse than sin. For this reason, the Salaf (the earliest generations) warned against sitting with the people of innovation, because they influence those who sit with them. Their danger is severe. There is no doubt that bid'ah is worse than sin, and the danger of the innovator to people is greater than the danger of the sinner.
As for the groups, the groups that have major deviations are considered innovators. As for the one who has only minor, easy deviations, this is considered an error, not bid'ah; it is considered an error. May Allah guide us and you to the path of truth.
The questioner:
Do you accept that the groups are a general ruling? What is your opinion?
The Shaykh:
Everything that a group says other than the people of the Sunnah and the community is wrong. We have only one group: the people of the Sunnah and the community alone.
And whoever opposes this group is opposing the methodology of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). However, the opposition varies according to the deviations in magnitude, form, distance, and proximity. This requires distinction, scrutiny, and consideration. We only say that whoever opposes the people of the Sunnah and the community is an opponent from among the people of desires, but his opposition varies in its magnitude, its smallness, and its impact on people. It requires evaluation. Yes, we do not judge all people with one ruling, nor all deviations with one ruling.
Except in terms of the beginning, we say that this is an opposition to the methodology of the people of the Sunnah and the community. This is shared by everyone who has split away.
Source
الفوزان -أشرطة- أسئلة وأجوبة من دروس التوحيد - الفوزان - أسئلة التوحيد - 02 — archive.org (46:36)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.