A disbeliever who embraced Islam but cannot stop drinking intoxicants: is his drinking before and after his Islam counted against him?
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The questioner : When a disbeliever embraces Islam and is informed of the rituals of the religion, and he is attached to drinking intoxicants, he says, "I embrace Islam in everything, but as for drinking intoxicants, I believe it is forbidden in the Islamic Shari'ah, yet I will continue to drink it." Is his sin of drinking after Islam counted together with his drinking before Islam?
The Shaykh : Is what counted?
The questioner : Is his sin and disobedience before Islam counted together with what is after Islam?
The Shaykh : Yes. If a disbeliever embraces Islam and his Islam is good, he is forgiven for everything that came before. But if he embraces Islam and his Islam is bad, he is held accountable for what came before and what he does. If he embraces Islam, Allah erases the sins of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and kufr (disbelief). However, if he remains in his Islam in the state of disobedience he was in during his kufr, he is not forgiven for what preceded him in his kufr, because he did not repent from it.
The questioner : Does Islam wipe out what came before?
The Shaykh : It wipes out what came before, provided he does not persist in the action. This is established in *Sahih al-Bukhari* that because he did not truly repent from it. He repented from kufr, so the kufr was forgiven. He remained in the sin of drinking intoxicants, so he remains in it and sins by it.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : It is not sufficient given his persistence in the sin. Therefore, if a Muslim persists in a sin, or in several sins, and then repents from nine out of ten, the tenth remains. Yes.
The Shaykh : Is what counted?
The questioner : Is his sin and disobedience before Islam counted together with what is after Islam?
The Shaykh : Yes. If a disbeliever embraces Islam and his Islam is good, he is forgiven for everything that came before. But if he embraces Islam and his Islam is bad, he is held accountable for what came before and what he does. If he embraces Islam, Allah erases the sins of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and kufr (disbelief). However, if he remains in his Islam in the state of disobedience he was in during his kufr, he is not forgiven for what preceded him in his kufr, because he did not repent from it.
The questioner : Does Islam wipe out what came before?
The Shaykh : It wipes out what came before, provided he does not persist in the action. This is established in *Sahih al-Bukhari* that
Whoever does evil in Islam is held accountable for what he did evil and what came before.
من أساء في الإسلام أخذ بما أساء وما سلفThe questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : It is not sufficient given his persistence in the sin. Therefore, if a Muslim persists in a sin, or in several sins, and then repents from nine out of ten, the tenth remains. Yes.