Does the one who is dismissive of sin become a disbeliever?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : ... But Shaykh, the question now is that he mentioned a statement in this context and indicated that this person is dismissive of sin. So, does the one who is dismissive of sin become a disbeliever? Do you think everyone who commits a sin, as far as we know, everyone who commits a sin...
The Shaykh : O Khalid, may Allah bless you. I advise you not to get involved in a discussion like this, because you will entangle yourself before you entangle anyone else. Now, regarding the one who is dismissive of sin, you are asking this question. If I tell you, "Yes, this dismissive person means he considers it permissible," that is how I understand it. But you and I agree beforehand that the one who commits a sin merely by committing it, while believing in its prohibition, his case is left to Allah; if He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him. Is that correct or not? You and I agree on this.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine, I am now putting myself in the place of this man, Salman. You and I agree that he is committing sins. You and I agree, and all the Salafis agree, that the one who commits a sin while believing in its prohibition is a sinner, an open sinner, and his case is left to Allah; if He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him. This is a point of agreement. But if he considers it permissible in his heart, then here is another point, also agreed upon, that he is a disbeliever who has apostatized from his religion. Is that not so?
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Fine, this point is about creed. Now we want to apply this creed. We have two men, two Muslims. One commits this sin, and the other participates with him in it. But we hear nothing at all about the first one. As for the other, as the man himself explained, he declares it, boasts about it, and takes pride in it. And finally, regarding your question, he is dismissive of the sin. Now, there may be a disagreement between you and me here. So I am asking you now: is being dismissive of sin a matter of the heart or a practical matter? —And peace be upon you, just a moment, please— Is being dismissive of sin a practical matter, like the sin he commits, or is it a matter related to the heart? I hope you will think about it and answer me. Is being dismissive of sin a practical matter, or is it a matter related to the heart?
The questioner : It appears to be a practical matter, because a person does not commit a sin unless he is dismissive of it. That is what I know.
The Shaykh : Okay.
The questioner : And I think so too.
The Shaykh : Good, I am going along with you. I am asking you: is this dismissiveness related to the heart or not?
The questioner : Dismissiveness related to the heart?
The Shaykh : Yes, dismissiveness of the sin. We accept your statement, and this is for the sake of argument, because the word "dismissiveness" carries something in my heart. We accept your statement, for the sake of argument, that no one commits a sin unless he is dismissive of it. I do not believe this, but so that we do not argue over words, I will develop the question and say: Can you imagine with me a man who committed a sin while being dismissive of it in his heart? Can you imagine this or not?
The questioner : It is possible.
The Shaykh : Fine, so when I want to discuss with you and find a point of disagreement between us, we need to define the nature of this dismissiveness. Is it dismissiveness related to the heart, as it may be, and we agree on this? Or is it related only to the action, without the heart, as you say, that no sinner commits a sin unless he is dismissive of it? So when we want to judge a sinner, is it enough to say that this is practical dismissiveness and the matter is settled, even though it may be accompanied by dismissiveness of the heart? Is that correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : So why do we create a disagreement between us and this man, as long as it is possible that the dismissiveness is accompanied by dismissiveness of the heart?
The Shaykh : O Khalid, may Allah bless you. I advise you not to get involved in a discussion like this, because you will entangle yourself before you entangle anyone else. Now, regarding the one who is dismissive of sin, you are asking this question. If I tell you, "Yes, this dismissive person means he considers it permissible," that is how I understand it. But you and I agree beforehand that the one who commits a sin merely by committing it, while believing in its prohibition, his case is left to Allah; if He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him. Is that correct or not? You and I agree on this.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine, I am now putting myself in the place of this man, Salman. You and I agree that he is committing sins. You and I agree, and all the Salafis agree, that the one who commits a sin while believing in its prohibition is a sinner, an open sinner, and his case is left to Allah; if He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him. This is a point of agreement. But if he considers it permissible in his heart, then here is another point, also agreed upon, that he is a disbeliever who has apostatized from his religion. Is that not so?
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Fine, this point is about creed. Now we want to apply this creed. We have two men, two Muslims. One commits this sin, and the other participates with him in it. But we hear nothing at all about the first one. As for the other, as the man himself explained, he declares it, boasts about it, and takes pride in it. And finally, regarding your question, he is dismissive of the sin. Now, there may be a disagreement between you and me here. So I am asking you now: is being dismissive of sin a matter of the heart or a practical matter? —And peace be upon you, just a moment, please— Is being dismissive of sin a practical matter, like the sin he commits, or is it a matter related to the heart? I hope you will think about it and answer me. Is being dismissive of sin a practical matter, or is it a matter related to the heart?
The questioner : It appears to be a practical matter, because a person does not commit a sin unless he is dismissive of it. That is what I know.
The Shaykh : Okay.
The questioner : And I think so too.
The Shaykh : Good, I am going along with you. I am asking you: is this dismissiveness related to the heart or not?
The questioner : Dismissiveness related to the heart?
The Shaykh : Yes, dismissiveness of the sin. We accept your statement, and this is for the sake of argument, because the word "dismissiveness" carries something in my heart. We accept your statement, for the sake of argument, that no one commits a sin unless he is dismissive of it. I do not believe this, but so that we do not argue over words, I will develop the question and say: Can you imagine with me a man who committed a sin while being dismissive of it in his heart? Can you imagine this or not?
The questioner : It is possible.
The Shaykh : Fine, so when I want to discuss with you and find a point of disagreement between us, we need to define the nature of this dismissiveness. Is it dismissiveness related to the heart, as it may be, and we agree on this? Or is it related only to the action, without the heart, as you say, that no sinner commits a sin unless he is dismissive of it? So when we want to judge a sinner, is it enough to say that this is practical dismissiveness and the matter is settled, even though it may be accompanied by dismissiveness of the heart? Is that correct?
The questioner : Correct.
The Shaykh : So why do we create a disagreement between us and this man, as long as it is possible that the dismissiveness is accompanied by dismissiveness of the heart?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.