The Ruling on Declaring Sinners Disbelievers Based on Their Deeds

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Question:
Honorable Shaykh, this questioner says: In the saying of Allah the Exalted,

If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins

إِن تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ

[An-Nisa 4:31]

, He made the mere avoidance of major sins expiate for minor sins. So how do we understand the texts in which sins are expiated by certain deeds? This is by the will of Allah; the expiation of your evil deeds is subject to the will of Allah.

Answer:

Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ

[An-Nisa 4:48]

. So, yes, for minor sins. And for major sins, all sins are [subject to] the will of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. If He wills, He forgives their owners, and if He wills, He punishes them. Among the things that expiate sins is that one repents from them before dying, and that one has good deeds by which Allah expiates the minor sins. One avoids the major sins,

And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night. Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds

وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ طَرَفَيِ النَّهَارِ وَزُلَفًا مِّنَ اللَّيْلِ إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ

[Hud 11:114]

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، كفارة لما بينهن إذا اجتنبت الكبائر

Mishkat al-Masabih 564

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The presenter:
May Allah reward you

Source قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 30/15 شرح العقيدة السفارينية / صالح الفوزان — youtube.com (0:44)

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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