Is a punishment inflicted on everyone who sins in this world?
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Question:
Your Eminence, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz, is asked: Is there a punishment in this world for every sin? And if this is true, does the punishment for a sin in this world disappear if a person repents from that sin?
Answer:
The one who commits sins and disobedience is threatened with punishment, except that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) may pardon, and He may delay the punishment to the Hereafter if the servant dies while persisting in disobedience.
So it is obligatory for the believing man and woman to be cautious of the punishment and anger of Allah, and to hasten to repentance, and to be cautious of evil deeds and committing them. First: he should fear them, stay away from them, from their causes, and from sitting with their people.
Second: if an evil deed occurs, he should hasten to repentance, hasten to desisting and regretting, desisting from the disobedience, and having the sincere resolve not to return to it, hoping for the reward of Allah and fearing the punishment of Allah.
As for being punished, he may not be punished; he may be given respite, he may be granted delay, he may be punished for one evil deed and not another, he may be punished with hardness of the heart and sickness of the heart, he may be punished with other things, he may be punished with the loss of wealth, he may be punished with illness, he may be punished by an enemy being unleashed upon him and harming him, and so on. So punishments are varied, but not every sin has a punishment; Allah may pardon, He may give respite and delay, He may pardon him. So a person does not say: I am pardoned by the respite of Allah. No; he should be cautious, for the punishment in the Hereafter may be greater and more severe.
So the point is that it is obligatory to be cautious; a person may be granted delay, he may be given respite and not be hastened with punishment, so the punishment in the Hereafter may be more and greater. But the believer must be cautious. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: : [Ibrahim:42], this is explicit that Allah may delay His punishment to the Hereafter. And He says: : [Al-A'raf 7:182] وَأُمْلِي لَهْمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ [al-Qalam:44-45], He lures them with blessings regarding the disobedience they commit, He conceals it from them and does not take them to account, so that becomes one of the causes of punishment in the Hereafter, we ask Allah for safety, or one of the causes of a great, massive punishment at the end of his life, before his death.
The point is that a person should be cautious and not feel secure. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: [al-A'raf:99], his punishment may be hastened, it may be delayed, he may be punished with a great punishment that becomes one of the causes of the death of his heart, and one of the causes of his disbelief and misguidance, [al-Saff:5], and He the Exalted said: [al-An'am:110].
So the wise, decisive person fears sins and does not feel secure, and strives for sincere, pure repentance, with regret for the past, desisting from the sin, being cautious of it, and having the sincere resolve not to return to it. This is how the eager, decisive one is, among men and women. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Your Eminence, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz, is asked: Is there a punishment in this world for every sin? And if this is true, does the punishment for a sin in this world disappear if a person repents from that sin?
Answer:
The one who commits sins and disobedience is threatened with punishment, except that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) may pardon, and He may delay the punishment to the Hereafter if the servant dies while persisting in disobedience.
So it is obligatory for the believing man and woman to be cautious of the punishment and anger of Allah, and to hasten to repentance, and to be cautious of evil deeds and committing them. First: he should fear them, stay away from them, from their causes, and from sitting with their people.
Second: if an evil deed occurs, he should hasten to repentance, hasten to desisting and regretting, desisting from the disobedience, and having the sincere resolve not to return to it, hoping for the reward of Allah and fearing the punishment of Allah.
As for being punished, he may not be punished; he may be given respite, he may be granted delay, he may be punished for one evil deed and not another, he may be punished with hardness of the heart and sickness of the heart, he may be punished with other things, he may be punished with the loss of wealth, he may be punished with illness, he may be punished by an enemy being unleashed upon him and harming him, and so on. So punishments are varied, but not every sin has a punishment; Allah may pardon, He may give respite and delay, He may pardon him. So a person does not say: I am pardoned by the respite of Allah. No; he should be cautious, for the punishment in the Hereafter may be greater and more severe.
So the point is that it is obligatory to be cautious; a person may be granted delay, he may be given respite and not be hastened with punishment, so the punishment in the Hereafter may be more and greater. But the believer must be cautious. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says: :
And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror].
وَلا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الأَبْصَارُWe will progressively lead them [to destruction] from where they do not know.
سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ لا يَعْلَمُونَ The point is that a person should be cautious and not feel secure. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says:
Then did they feel secure from the plan of Allah? But no one feels secure from the plan of Allah except the losing people.
أَفَأَمِنُوا مَكْرَ اللَّهِ فَلا يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْخَاسِرُونَAnd when they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate.
فَلَمَّا زَاغُوا أَزَاغَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْAnd We will turn away their hearts and their eyes just as they refused to believe in it the first time. And We will leave them in their transgression, wandering blindly.
وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَارَهُمْ كَمَا لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَنَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَSo the wise, decisive person fears sins and does not feel secure, and strives for sincere, pure repentance, with regret for the past, desisting from the sin, being cautious of it, and having the sincere resolve not to return to it. This is how the eager, decisive one is, among men and women. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.