What is the ruling on one who apostatized after his Islam and then repented? Do his previous righteous deeds return to him?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, if we say that the stronger position is that if a person performs an act of worship during his Islam, then apostatizes, and then returns to Islam, his first performance of the obligatory Hajj suffices him, then what about the hadith:
The Shaykh : Yes, it is well known that apostasy nullifies deeds, as Allah the Exalted said:[Az-Zumar 39:65] and as He the Exalted said: [Al-An'am 6:88].
But this is restricted to the case where one dies in a state of disbelief, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:217].
So if one apostatizes and then returns to Islam, his previous righteous deeds, those prior to the apostasy, are not invalidated. Likewise, the merits, virtues, and excellences he attains remain. The young man who grew up in obedience to Allah, then apostatized, and then returned to Islam, receives the reward of the young man who grew up in obedience to Allah.
Likewise, if a Companion apostatizes and then returns to Islam, his status as a Companion is not invalidated. Rather, this virtue remains with him, just as other righteous deeds remain. Yes.
And a young man who grew up in the obedience of Allah
وشاب نشأ في طاعة اللهThe Shaykh : Yes, it is well known that apostasy nullifies deeds, as Allah the Exalted said:
if you should associate [anything] with Allah, your work would surely become worthless
لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَBut if they had associated others with Allah, then worthless for them would be whatever they were doing.
وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَBut this is restricted to the case where one dies in a state of disbelief, as Allah the Exalted said:
And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire, they will abide therein eternally.
وَمَنْ يَرْتَدِدْ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَSo if one apostatizes and then returns to Islam, his previous righteous deeds, those prior to the apostasy, are not invalidated. Likewise, the merits, virtues, and excellences he attains remain. The young man who grew up in obedience to Allah, then apostatized, and then returned to Islam, receives the reward of the young man who grew up in obedience to Allah.
Likewise, if a Companion apostatizes and then returns to Islam, his status as a Companion is not invalidated. Rather, this virtue remains with him, just as other righteous deeds remain. Yes.