Warning Against the Doctrine of the Murji'ah, Which Is Widespread Among the Common People

Question:
May Allah preserve you, the Exalted, and bless you, and make Islam and the Muslims benefit from you. This questioner says: In these days, there is a lot of talk about the issue of the Khawarij, and this is important. But there is a doctrine that people have not been warned against, and it is widespread among the common people, and that is the doctrine of the Murji'ah. So we ask you, Honorable Shaykh, to warn against it and to hold lessons on it. May Allah bless your knowledge.

Answer:
As you have heard, as you have heard. The doctrine of the Khawarij is that they are strict in faith and declare disbelievers on account of major sins that are less than shirk (associating partners with Allah). They declare disbelievers on the major sin that is less than shirk. In their view, the fornicator is a disbeliever, the thief is a disbeliever, and the one who consumes riba (usury or interest) is a disbeliever in their view; he exits the religion. This is the view of the Khawarij. This is extremism, and I seek refuge in Allah, and radicalism. Whereas the Murji'ah think that no sin harms alongside faith, as long as there is faith. This is what they hold: sins do not diminish faith in their view.
Faith is complete in their view, even if one commits fornication, even if one steals, even if one does not let his faith be tainted; he is a believer with complete faith. This is because they do not include deeds in faith. This is the result of their not including deeds in faith. They say: No sin harms alongside faith, just as no obedience benefits alongside disbelief. No obedience benefits alongside disbelief, that is correct. But no sin harms alongside faith, that is not correct. Sin harms; it diminishes faith with a clear diminishment. Meaning, a believer with complete faith. Sins diminish faith. They do not invalidate it; they diminish it, contrary to the Murji'ah. And they do not invalidate it, contrary to the Khawarij. This is the doctrine of the people of the Sunnah and the community: that if sins are disbelief or major shirk, they invalidate faith. And if they are less than disbelief and less than shirk, they diminish faith but do not invalidate it. They diminish it, contrary to the Murji'ah, and they do not invalidate it, contrary to the Khawarij.
Allah the Exalted said: What is less than what? What is less than shirk? And what is less than shirk is the rest of the sins, even fornication, theft, and drinking intoxicants, are less than shirk. So the one who commits a major sin, in the view of the people of the Sunnah and the community, is exposed to the warning, but he is a believer with deficient faith. He is exposed to the warning. If Allah wills, He will forgive him. And if He wills, He will punish him. But he will not remain in the Fire forever. He will not remain in the Fire forever, if Allah wills He will punish him, contrary to the Murji'ah. But he will not remain in the Fire forever, contrary to the Khawarij. This is the doctrine of the people of the Sunnah and the community, and it is the middle path, between the doctrine of the extremists and the doctrine of the neglectful. The extremists are the Khawarij, and the neglectful are the Murji'ah. The doctrine of the people of the Sunnah is the middle in this matter, based on the Book and the Sunnah, on the correct and explicit evidence in this. It should be known. So if you warn against the doctrine of the Khawarij, you also warn against the doctrine of the Murji'ah, and you command the doctrine of the people of the Sunnah and the community, which is the middle. You make it clear to the people so that they follow it. Because the Khawarij have callers, and the Murji'ah have callers, so it is necessary that the people of the Sunnah and the community have callers who clarify the truth from falsehood. Yes.