Reconciling the verse on the forgiveness of sins with the verse on the eternal abode of the murderer in the Fire
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Question:
Our sister from Sudan (E. N. S) from the Northern State asks – also – and says: He ﷺ said: –I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan–: [Al-Nisa: 48].. And He the Exalted said: [Al-Nisa: 93] the verse. I hope that Your Eminence, the Shaykh, will graciously reconcile these two noble verses?
Answer:
There is no difference, praise be to Allah. The first verse contains His explanation to His servants that whatever is less than shirk (associating partners with Allah) is under His will; He may forgive it out of His grace, or He may punish the one who died upon disobedience according to the measure of his disobedience, for transgressing the sanctities of Allah and for engaging in what incurs the anger of Allah. As for shirk, it is not forgiven for the one who died upon it; it is not forgiven for him, but rather he has the Fire, abiding in it forever, ages upon ages. We seek refuge in Allah from that.
As for the second verse, it contains the warning for the one who kills a soul without right, that he will be punished, and that Allah will be angry with him for that. For this reason, He the Exalted said: [Al-Nisa: 93]. The meaning of that is that this is his recompense if He the Exalted recompenses him; he is deserving of that. And if He the Exalted pardons, He is the One worthy of pardon and forgiveness, (Exalted and Majestic is He).
And He may punish with what Allah mentioned for a period of time in the Fire, then Allah takes him out of the Fire. And this abiding is a temporary abiding, not like the abiding of the disbelievers. For indeed, abiding is of two kinds:
An eternal abiding that does not end, and this is the abiding of the disbelievers in the Fire, as Allah the Exalted said regarding them: [Al-Baqarah: 167], thus in Surat al-Baqarah. And He said in Surat al-Ma'idah: [Al-Ma'idah: 37].
As for the sinners: the one who fights a soul without right, the fornicator, the one who is undutiful to his parents, the one who consumes riba (usury or interest), and the one who drinks intoxicants; if they die upon these sins, and likewise their like, they are under the will of Allah, as He the Exalted said: [Al-Nisa: 48].
So if He (Exalted and Majestic is He) wills, He pardons them for their righteous deeds upon which they died, or for their tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and their sincerity to Allah, and their being Muslims, or by the intercession of the intercessors for them along with their tawhid and sincerity. And He may punish them and no pardon be obtained for them, so they are punished by being put into the Fire and being tormented therein according to the measure of their sins, then they are taken out of it, as the hadiths have been mass-transmitted from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he intercedes for the sinners of his Ummah (the Muslim community), and that Allah sets a limit for him in that, several times. He intercedes and takes out a group by the permission of Allah, then he returns and intercedes, then he returns and intercedes, then he returns and intercedes (peace and blessings be upon him), four times. And likewise the angels, and likewise the believers, and likewise the prophets, all of them intercede, and Allah takes out of the Fire by their intercession whom He wills ﷻ, and there remains in the Fire a remainder of the sinners from the people of tawhid and Islam, so the Lord the Exalted takes them out by His grace and mercy without the intercession of anyone, and there remains in the Fire none but those whom the Qur'an has judged with eternal abiding –we ask Allah for safety– and they are the disbelievers.
And by this, the questioner learns the reconciliation between the two verses, and the texts that came in their meaning, and that the hadiths of promise for the one who died upon Islam are in their generality, except for the one whom Allah wills to punish and whom Allah wills to punish for his sin, so He the Exalted is the Wise, the All-Knowing in that, doing what He wills and judging what He desires, (Exalted and Majestic is He).
And among them are some who are not punished, so this is a grace from Allah for many reasons: from righteous deeds, and from the intercession of the intercessors, and above that, His mercy and His grace ﷻ for those who remained in it of the sinners, for those who remained in the Fire of the sinners, and Allah is the Helper. Yes.
The presenter: And Allah is the Helper, may Allah reward you with good.
Our sister from Sudan (E. N. S) from the Northern State asks – also – and says: He ﷺ said: –I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan–:
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 يَشَاءُBut whoever kills a believer intentionally - his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally
وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا..Answer:
There is no difference, praise be to Allah. The first verse contains His explanation to His servants that whatever is less than shirk (associating partners with Allah) is under His will; He may forgive it out of His grace, or He may punish the one who died upon disobedience according to the measure of his disobedience, for transgressing the sanctities of Allah and for engaging in what incurs the anger of Allah. As for shirk, it is not forgiven for the one who died upon it; it is not forgiven for him, but rather he has the Fire, abiding in it forever, ages upon ages. We seek refuge in Allah from that.
As for the second verse, it contains the warning for the one who kills a soul without right, that he will be punished, and that Allah will be angry with him for that. For this reason, He the Exalted said:
But whoever kills a believer intentionally - his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment.
وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًاAnd He may punish with what Allah mentioned for a period of time in the Fire, then Allah takes him out of the Fire. And this abiding is a temporary abiding, not like the abiding of the disbelievers. For indeed, abiding is of two kinds:
An eternal abiding that does not end, and this is the abiding of the disbelievers in the Fire, as Allah the Exalted said regarding them:
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 النَّارِThey 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 مُقِيمٌAs for the sinners: the one who fights a soul without right, the fornicator, the one who is undutiful to his parents, the one who consumes riba (usury or interest), and the one who drinks intoxicants; if they die upon these sins, and likewise their like, they are under the will of Allah, as He the Exalted said:
And He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.
وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُSo if He (Exalted and Majestic is He) wills, He pardons them for their righteous deeds upon which they died, or for their tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and their sincerity to Allah, and their being Muslims, or by the intercession of the intercessors for them along with their tawhid and sincerity. And He may punish them and no pardon be obtained for them, so they are punished by being put into the Fire and being tormented therein according to the measure of their sins, then they are taken out of it, as the hadiths have been mass-transmitted from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he intercedes for the sinners of his Ummah (the Muslim community), and that Allah sets a limit for him in that, several times. He intercedes and takes out a group by the permission of Allah, then he returns and intercedes, then he returns and intercedes, then he returns and intercedes (peace and blessings be upon him), four times. And likewise the angels, and likewise the believers, and likewise the prophets, all of them intercede, and Allah takes out of the Fire by their intercession whom He wills ﷻ, and there remains in the Fire a remainder of the sinners from the people of tawhid and Islam, so the Lord the Exalted takes them out by His grace and mercy without the intercession of anyone, and there remains in the Fire none but those whom the Qur'an has judged with eternal abiding –we ask Allah for safety– and they are the disbelievers.
And by this, the questioner learns the reconciliation between the two verses, and the texts that came in their meaning, and that the hadiths of promise for the one who died upon Islam are in their generality, except for the one whom Allah wills to punish and whom Allah wills to punish for his sin, so He the Exalted is the Wise, the All-Knowing in that, doing what He wills and judging what He desires, (Exalted and Majestic is He).
And among them are some who are not punished, so this is a grace from Allah for many reasons: from righteous deeds, and from the intercession of the intercessors, and above that, His mercy and His grace ﷻ for those who remained in it of the sinners, for those who remained in the Fire of the sinners, and Allah is the Helper. Yes.
The presenter: And Allah is the Helper, may Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.