Do major sins affect the first pillar of the pillars of Islam?
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Q: Does committing some sins, especially major sins, affect this pillar of the pillars of Islam?
Answer: Committing major sins, such as unlawful sexual intercourse, drinking intoxicants, killing a soul without right, consuming usury or interest, backbiting, talebearing, and other major sins; this affects the oneness of Allah and faith in Allah, and weakens it, so one becomes weak in faith. However, this does not make him a disbeliever, contrary to the Khawarij. The Khawarij declare him a disbeliever and make him eternally in the Fire if he dies upon that and does not repent. So if someone steals, or is undutiful to his parents, or consumes usury or interest, they make him a disbeliever even if he does not consider it permissible. This is a great error from the Khawarij. The people of the Sunnah and the community say: He is not a disbeliever; rather, he is a sinner and deficient in faith. But he is not a disbeliever in major disbelief; rather, there is a deficiency and weakness in his faith. For this reason, Allah prescribed a limit for unlawful sexual intercourse: if the fornicator is a virgin, he is flogged one hundred times and exiled for a year. If unlawful sexual intercourse were apostasy, he would have to be killed; so this indicates that it is not apostasy. And the thief is not killed, but his hand is cut off; so this indicates that these sins are not apostasy or disbelief, but rather weakness in faith and deficiency in faith. For this reason, Allah prescribed disciplining them and discretionary punishment with these limits so that they repent and return to their Lord and desist from the sins they committed.
And the Mu'tazilah said: He is in a position between the two positions, but he will be eternally in the Fire if he dies upon it. So they differed from the people of the Sunnah in making the people of major sins eternally in the Fire, and they agreed with the Khawarij in that. The Khawarij said: He is a disbeliever and will be eternally in the Fire. And these said: He will be eternally in the Fire, but we do not call him a disbeliever, meaning major disbelief. Both groups have strayed from the path.
And the correct view is the saying of the people of the Sunnah and the community that he does not become a disbeliever, meaning major disbelief, but he becomes a sinner and becomes weak and deficient in faith, in great danger of disbelief. But he is not a disbeliever if he did not consider this sin permissible, but rather committed it while knowing that it is a sin, but Satan, desire, and the soul that commands evil drove him to it. This is the saying of the people of truth. And he will be under the will of Allah if he dies upon that: if He wills, He will forgive him, and if He wills, He will punish him according to his sins, Blessed and Exalted is He. Due to the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) : [Al-Nisa: 48].
Then after the time that Allah has decreed for the sinner to enter the Fire, Allah will take him out to Paradise. This is the saying of the people of truth, and this is what the mass-transmitted reports from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have agreed upon, contrary to the Khawarij and the Mu'tazilah as mentioned before. As for the one who dies upon major shirk, Allah will never forgive him, and Paradise is forbidden to him. We seek refuge in Allah from that. And he is eternally in the Fire forever; due to the verse mentioned just now and other verses indicating the eternity of disbelievers in the Fire. We seek refuge in Allah from their state.
As for the sinner; if he enters the Fire, he will not be eternally in it forever, but he will remain in it as long as Allah wills. And his duration may be long, and this may be eternity, but it is temporary eternity, not like the eternity of disbelievers. As Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Furqan 25:68] YUDAA'AF LAHU AL-'ADHAABU YAWMA AL-QIYAMATI WA YAKHLUD FIIHI MUHANAN ILLA MAN TAA [Al-Furqan: 68-70]. So this eternity is temporary and has an end for the killer and the fornicator if Allah does not pardon them and they do not repent. We ask Allah for safety.
As for the one who associates partners with Allah; his eternity in the Fire is permanent. As Allah the Exalted said regarding those who associate partners with Allah: [Al-Baqarah: 167]. And He the Exalted said: [Al-Ma'idah: 37]. And He the Exalted said: [Fatir: 36]. We seek refuge in Allah from their state.
Answer: Committing major sins, such as unlawful sexual intercourse, drinking intoxicants, killing a soul without right, consuming usury or interest, backbiting, talebearing, and other major sins; this affects the oneness of Allah and faith in Allah, and weakens it, so one becomes weak in faith. However, this does not make him a disbeliever, contrary to the Khawarij. The Khawarij declare him a disbeliever and make him eternally in the Fire if he dies upon that and does not repent. So if someone steals, or is undutiful to his parents, or consumes usury or interest, they make him a disbeliever even if he does not consider it permissible. This is a great error from the Khawarij. The people of the Sunnah and the community say: He is not a disbeliever; rather, he is a sinner and deficient in faith. But he is not a disbeliever in major disbelief; rather, there is a deficiency and weakness in his faith. For this reason, Allah prescribed a limit for unlawful sexual intercourse: if the fornicator is a virgin, he is flogged one hundred times and exiled for a year. If unlawful sexual intercourse were apostasy, he would have to be killed; so this indicates that it is not apostasy. And the thief is not killed, but his hand is cut off; so this indicates that these sins are not apostasy or disbelief, but rather weakness in faith and deficiency in faith. For this reason, Allah prescribed disciplining them and discretionary punishment with these limits so that they repent and return to their Lord and desist from the sins they committed.
And the Mu'tazilah said: He is in a position between the two positions, but he will be eternally in the Fire if he dies upon it. So they differed from the people of the Sunnah in making the people of major sins eternally in the Fire, and they agreed with the Khawarij in that. The Khawarij said: He is a disbeliever and will be eternally in the Fire. And these said: He will be eternally in the Fire, but we do not call him a disbeliever, meaning major disbelief. Both groups have strayed from the path.
And the correct view is the saying of the people of the Sunnah and the community that he does not become a disbeliever, meaning major disbelief, but he becomes a sinner and becomes weak and deficient in faith, in great danger of disbelief. But he is not a disbeliever if he did not consider this sin permissible, but rather committed it while knowing that it is a sin, but Satan, desire, and the soul that commands evil drove him to it. This is the saying of the people of truth. And he will be under the will of Allah if he dies upon that: if He wills, He will forgive him, and if He wills, He will punish him according to his sins, Blessed and Exalted is He. Due to the saying of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) :
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُThen after the time that Allah has decreed for the sinner to enter the Fire, Allah will take him out to Paradise. This is the saying of the people of truth, and this is what the mass-transmitted reports from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have agreed upon, contrary to the Khawarij and the Mu'tazilah as mentioned before. As for the one who dies upon major shirk, Allah will never forgive him, and Paradise is forbidden to him. We seek refuge in Allah from that. And he is eternally in the Fire forever; due to the verse mentioned just now and other verses indicating the eternity of disbelievers in the Fire. We seek refuge in Allah from their state.
As for the sinner; if he enters the Fire, he will not be eternally in it forever, but he will remain in it as long as Allah wills. And his duration may be long, and this may be eternity, but it is temporary eternity, not like the eternity of disbelievers. As Allah the Exalted said:
And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty.
وَالَّذِينَ لا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلا بِالْحَقِّ وَلا يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا As for the one who associates partners with Allah; his eternity in the Fire is permanent. As Allah the Exalted said regarding those who associate partners with Allah:
Thus will Allah show them their deeds as regrets upon them. And they are never to emerge from the Fire.
كَذَلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ حَسَرَاتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا هُمْ بِخَارِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارThey will wish to get out of the Fire, but never are they to emerge therefrom, and for them is an enduring punishment.
يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا هُمْ بِخَارِجِينَ مِنْهَا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُقِيمٌ[Death] is not decreed for them so they may die, nor will its torment be lightened for them. Thus do we recompense every ungrateful one.
لا يُقْضَى عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا وَلا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ مِنْ عَذَابِهَا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي كُلَّ كَفُورٍ
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.