The Shaykh's response to al-Nawawi's statement: "That the actions of the heart are subject to accountability if they become settled, and as for his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):

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The questioner : It is, my Shaykh, the same paragraph: "And as for his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):

Indeed, Allah has pardoned my Ummah for what their souls have imagined, as long as they have not spoken of it or acted upon it

إن الله تجاوز لأمتي عما حدثت به أنفسها ما لم تكلم به أو تعمل

Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 8:300

this is to be understood as applying when it has not become settled." I said: That is, al-Hafiz. And it is possible to cite as evidence for this the generality of his saying:

or acted upon it

أو تعمل

that belief is the action of the heart. Now, the second paragraph: And among them is His saying, the Exalted:

Indeed, those who like that immorality should be spread

إن الذين يحبون أن تشيع الفاحشة

[An-Nur 24:19]

.

The Shaykh : Allow me a moment; it is necessary to respond to the doubt.

The questioner : Regarding the first one.

The Shaykh : He says that interpreting the hadith as applying to what has become settled is, first of all, imposing on the hadith what it cannot bear, merely for the sake of opinion and independent legal reasoning. This is exactly like when they interpreted his saying (peace be upon him):

Do not fast on Saturdays apart from days when you are obliged to fast

لا تصوموا يوم السبت إلا فيما افترض عليكم

Sunan Ibn Majah 1726Hasan (Darussalam)

and they added to this exception an exception from their own minds, saying: "unless it was not associated with another day." We said at that time that this is a correction of the Lawgiver. Similarly, here the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says in the authentic hadith:

Allah has accepted my invocation to forgive what whispers in the hearts of my followers

إن الله تجاوز لي عن أمتي ما حدثت به أنفسها

Sahih al-Bukhari 2528

then he came with the two exceptions:

so long as it is not spoken of or put into action

ما لم تتكلم أو تعمل به

Sunan an-Nasa'i 3435Sahih (Darussalam)

If My servant intends a good deed but does not do it, write it for him as a good deed. And if My servant intends an evil deed but does not do it, do not

إذا همّ عبدي بحسنة فلم يعملها فاكتبوها له حسنة وإذا همّ عبدي بسيئة فلم يعملها فلا

Now, continue with what you have.

Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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