Do minor sins expiate the sins of one who persists in major sins?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Is the declaration of disbelief here for minor sins, if one is persisting in major sins?
Answer:
Yes, it is prevented; his persistence in major sins prevents the forgiveness of the minor sins.
Q: What is forgiven for him?
A: Nothing is forgiven for him; he will be held in suspense. For this reason, He, the Exalted, said: [Surat al-Nisa: 31], so He conditioned the expiation upon avoiding major sins. And He said in this hadith of Uthman, and in the other narration: meaning, if he is struck in a battle, which is a major sin, it will not be forgiven by this ablution of his and his prayer of two rak'ahs... minor and major sins, according to the correct view.
And some of the scholars said: The minor sins are erased, but the thing conditioned upon a condition does not occur; because the forgiveness of minor sins is conditioned upon avoiding major sins, so if the condition is found, the conditioned thing is negated. And so is His saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Jami` at-Tirmidhi 214Sahih (Darussalam), if one avoids major sins, meaning: if major sins are covered over and not avoided, then these prayers are not an expiation, nor is the Friday prayer, nor is Ramadan.
Q: ...... What remains?
A: They become good deeds; he is given good deeds. The righteous deeds in them are good deeds, there is good in them, and who is it that is safe from them? Because major sins are many, and they also differed regarding their limit. And some people say: Major sins are applied to every sin, but this is not correct. The correct view is that there are major and minor sins, but they differed regarding the limit of a major sin.
Is the declaration of disbelief here for minor sins, if one is persisting in major sins?
Answer:
Yes, it is prevented; his persistence in major sins prevents the forgiveness of the minor sins.
Q: What is forgiven for him?
A: Nothing is forgiven for him; he will be held in suspense. For this reason, He, the Exalted, said:
If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins
إِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْAs long as he is not struck in a battle
ما لم تُصب في المقتلةAnd some of the scholars said: The minor sins are erased, but the thing conditioned upon a condition does not occur; because the forgiveness of minor sins is conditioned upon avoiding major sins, so if the condition is found, the conditioned thing is negated. And so is His saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
The five prayers, and Al-Jumuah (the Friday prayer) to Al-Jumuah are atonement for what is between them, as long as the major sins have not been committed.
الصَّلوات الخمس، والجمعة إلى الجمعة، ورمضان إلى رمضان؛ كفَّارات لما بينهن ما لم تُغش الكبائرQ: ...... What remains?
A: They become good deeds; he is given good deeds. The righteous deeds in them are good deeds, there is good in them, and who is it that is safe from them? Because major sins are many, and they also differed regarding their limit. And some people say: Major sins are applied to every sin, but this is not correct. The correct view is that there are major and minor sins, but they differed regarding the limit of a major sin.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.