Is it permissible to abandon sins gradually?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Does this apply to the person who commits sins, who repents to Allah the Exalted and thus frees himself from all his sins, such that his companions change, meaning his daily life, so that it is said he gets rid of them little by little?
The Shaykh : By Allah, it depends; this is according to the resolve of the person. If the person has the resolve and the ability to leave the sin all at once, that is better. And if he does not, he should take it step by step, just as Allah the Exalted made the obligations of Islam gradual, and the prohibition of evil things gradual. He should look at his situation; it may be that taking it gradually leads to not leaving the sin, and that if he resolves firmly to himself, that becomes stronger in deterring it. And it may be the opposite.
The questioner : If a man is accustomed to doing something, and one of the times he slacks off from it, is he required to make himself do it in order to achieve consistency?
The Shaykh : By Allah, the best is that he make himself do it in order to accustom himself to consistency in the matter, unless he is occupied with something better, such as if it was his habit to fast on Mondays and Thursdays, and he saw in that hardship for himself or a decline in seeking knowledge, so he turned from that to seeking knowledge, then there is nothing wrong with that.
The reader: The chapter on hope with fear
And Sufyan said: There is no verse in the Qur'an harder for me than[Al-Ma'idah 5:68]
The Shaykh :"His saying: The chapter on hope with fear" Hope is the expectation, the expectation of the mercy of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and fear is the fear of the Fire of Allah and His punishment, and the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) say: ..
Aim, aim, and you will reach your goal
القصد، القصد تبلغواThe Shaykh : By Allah, it depends; this is according to the resolve of the person. If the person has the resolve and the ability to leave the sin all at once, that is better. And if he does not, he should take it step by step, just as Allah the Exalted made the obligations of Islam gradual, and the prohibition of evil things gradual. He should look at his situation; it may be that taking it gradually leads to not leaving the sin, and that if he resolves firmly to himself, that becomes stronger in deterring it. And it may be the opposite.
The questioner : If a man is accustomed to doing something, and one of the times he slacks off from it, is he required to make himself do it in order to achieve consistency?
The Shaykh : By Allah, the best is that he make himself do it in order to accustom himself to consistency in the matter, unless he is occupied with something better, such as if it was his habit to fast on Mondays and Thursdays, and he saw in that hardship for himself or a decline in seeking knowledge, so he turned from that to seeking knowledge, then there is nothing wrong with that.
The reader: The chapter on hope with fear
And Sufyan said: There is no verse in the Qur'an harder for me than
you are [standing] on nothing until you uphold [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord
لستم على شيء حتى تقيموا التوراة والإنجيل وما أنزل إليكم من ربكمThe Shaykh :"His saying: The chapter on hope with fear" Hope is the expectation, the expectation of the mercy of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and fear is the fear of the Fire of Allah and His punishment, and the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) say: ..