What is your opinion of those who say that there is shirk (associating partners with Allah) that Allah forgives, and who cite as evidence the hadith of the man who doubted Allah’s power and said, "If I die, burn me..."?
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The questioner : ... Your Eminence, may Allah preserve you, some people say that the statement of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): [An-Nisa 4:48] indicates that there is shirk (associating partners with Allah) that Allah forgives.
The Shaykh :
The questioner :
The Shaykh :
The questioner : They gave as an example the hadith in the two Sahihs of the man who said to his sons: They said: This man is a disbeliever and a mushrik (one who associates partners with Allah), but Allah forgave him due to his ijtihad (independent legal reasoning). What is your comment? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Yes, we say, may Allah bless you: If a person does something based on ta'wil (figurative interpretation) while believing in the substance of what he did, he does not become a disbeliever. If we look at the apparent action of this man, we would say: This man is doubting Allah’s power. There is no shirk (associating partners with Allah) in this that diminishes Allah. Rather, he thought that if they did this to him, Allah would not be able to reach him. Do you understand? I mean, he doubted it, but he did not explicitly deny it; however, he thought that Allah could not reach him. Why did he do this? Out of fear of Allah. So, he believed in Allah, but he interpreted the matter and made a mistake. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) forgives the mistake of one who interprets. He forgives the mistake of one who interprets. Every person who does something based on interpretation, Allah the Exalted forgives him and does not hold him accountable for it. Because if He held him accountable for something he did based on interpretation, that would be imposing on souls what they cannot bear. And Allah the Exalted has denied that, saying:[Al-Baqarah 2:286] Did you not see that when the Companions, after the Battle of al-Khandaq, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: and they went out, and the time for prayer caught up with them. Some of them prayed on the way, and some of them did not pray until after Maghrib in Banu Qurayzah. These people delayed the prayer from its time, but what were they? They were interpreting the situation. And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not rebuke them.
'Amir ibn Yasir was in a state of janabah (major ritual impurity) while traveling, so he rolled in the dust as a beast rolls, thinking that this was the obligatory act for one who is in a state of janabah and has no water. And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not rebuke him. So, the point is that this man was interpreting the situation.
And this is one of the pieces of evidence that the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) cited to prove that a person is excused for kufr (disbelief) if he is ignorant or interpreting the matter.
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَThe Shaykh :
For whom He wills.
لِمَنْ يَشَاءُThe questioner :
For whom He wills.
لِمَنْ يَشَاءُThe Shaykh :
and He forgives what is less than that
وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَThe questioner : They gave as an example the hadith in the two Sahihs of the man who said to his sons:
If I die, burn me, then scatter half of my ashes in the sea and half on the land. By Allah, if Allah is able to reach me, He will punish me.
إذا أنا مت فحرقوني ثم ذروا نصفي في البحر ونصفي في البر، فوالله لئن قدر الله عليَّ ليعذبنيThe Shaykh : Yes, we say, may Allah bless you: If a person does something based on ta'wil (figurative interpretation) while believing in the substance of what he did, he does not become a disbeliever. If we look at the apparent action of this man, we would say: This man is doubting Allah’s power. There is no shirk (associating partners with Allah) in this that diminishes Allah. Rather, he thought that if they did this to him, Allah would not be able to reach him. Do you understand? I mean, he doubted it, but he did not explicitly deny it; however, he thought that Allah could not reach him. Why did he do this? Out of fear of Allah. So, he believed in Allah, but he interpreted the matter and made a mistake. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) forgives the mistake of one who interprets. He forgives the mistake of one who interprets. Every person who does something based on interpretation, Allah the Exalted forgives him and does not hold him accountable for it. Because if He held him accountable for something he did based on interpretation, that would be imposing on souls what they cannot bear. And Allah the Exalted has denied that, saying:
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْساً إِلَّا وُسْعَهَاNone of you should pray 'Asr except in Banu Quraizah
لا يصلين أحد منكم العصر إلا في بني قريظة'Amir ibn Yasir was in a state of janabah (major ritual impurity) while traveling, so he rolled in the dust as a beast rolls, thinking that this was the obligatory act for one who is in a state of janabah and has no water. And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not rebuke him. So, the point is that this man was interpreting the situation.
And this is one of the pieces of evidence that the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) cited to prove that a person is excused for kufr (disbelief) if he is ignorant or interpreting the matter.