Explanation of the author's statement: And the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: ((Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills))
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh :[An-Nisa 4:48] The "la" is a negation, and [An-Nisa 4:48] is a present-tense verb connected to the "an" of nominalization, which converts it into a verbal noun. The meaning is that Allah does not forgive the act of associating partners with Him; He does not forgive the act of associating partners with Him, or He does not forgive any association with Him. Therefore, associating partners with Allah is never forgiven by Allah. Why? Because it is a transgression against His specific right, a transgression against His specific right, which is tawhid (the oneness of Allah). There is no benefit for the servant in anything alongside tawhid. What is the benefit of the innovators... for themselves? They make it for so-and-so and so-and-so. Yes, other sins, such as zina (unlawful sexual intercourse), drinking intoxicants, theft, and the like, may have some self-interest for the person, but he has not taken the right of this one and given it to that one. Yes, the fact that he associates partners with Allah means encroaching upon the right of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, without there being any self-interest for the person in it. It is not a desire that the person wants to fulfill through it, but it is injustice. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said: [Luqman 31:13] So Allah does not forgive association with Him, ever, under any circumstances. Is the shirk (associating partners with Allah) referred to here the major shirk, or is it absolute?
The student: Major shirk.
The Shaykh : Some of the imams say that it is absolute, meaning every shirk, even if it is minor. They say that Allah does not forgive it, even if a person swears by other than Allah, saying "By the Prophet" or "By your life" or "By your honor." This is swearing by other than Allah, which is minor shirk. They say that Allah does not forgive it, even if a person commits zina. Allah the Exalted may forgive zina because it is under His will, but shirk, even if it is minor, is not forgiven by Allah. Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him), Ibn Taymiyyah, the meticulous scholar in these matters, differed in his statement on this issue. Sometimes he said that shirk is not forgiven by Allah, even if it is minor, and sometimes he said that what is not forgiven is major shirk; it is major shirk. In any case, one must be cautious of shirk in general, because the generality of the text may include minor shirk; minor shirk is included in it. Now, is there a generality in the verse, or is it an absolute statement?
The student: An absolute statement.
The Shaykh : Ah?
The student: An absolute statement.
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him
إن الله لا يغفر أن يشرك بهassociation with Him
أن يشرك بهIndeed, association [with him] is great injustice."
إن الشرك لظلم عظيمThe student: Major shirk.
The Shaykh : Some of the imams say that it is absolute, meaning every shirk, even if it is minor. They say that Allah does not forgive it, even if a person swears by other than Allah, saying "By the Prophet" or "By your life" or "By your honor." This is swearing by other than Allah, which is minor shirk. They say that Allah does not forgive it, even if a person commits zina. Allah the Exalted may forgive zina because it is under His will, but shirk, even if it is minor, is not forgiven by Allah. Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him), Ibn Taymiyyah, the meticulous scholar in these matters, differed in his statement on this issue. Sometimes he said that shirk is not forgiven by Allah, even if it is minor, and sometimes he said that what is not forgiven is major shirk; it is major shirk. In any case, one must be cautious of shirk in general, because the generality of the text may include minor shirk; minor shirk is included in it. Now, is there a generality in the verse, or is it an absolute statement?
The student: An absolute statement.
The Shaykh : Ah?
The student: An absolute statement.