The Ruling on the One Who Commits a Major Sin in Islam
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Does committing some sins—may the Shaykh be respected—especially major sins, affect this pillar of the pillars of Islam?
Answer: Yes, committing major sins such as unlawful sexual intercourse, drinking intoxicants, killing a soul without right, consuming usury or interest, backbiting, talebearing, and similar sins and major sins affects the oneness of Allah and faith in Allah, and weakens it. That is, one becomes weak in faith, but it does not make him a disbeliever, as the Khawarij say. No, the Khawarij declare him a disbeliever; they make him a disbeliever if he commits unlawful sexual intercourse, or steals, or is undutiful to his parents, or consumes usury or interest, making him a disbeliever even if he does not consider it permissible. This is an error on the part of the Khawarij. The people of the Sunnah and the community say: No. He is a sinner, and he is weak in faith, deficient in faith, and deficient in the oneness of Allah. This weakens his testimony and weakens his faith, but it does not make him a disbeliever in major shirk. Rather, there is a deficiency in him, and there is weakness. For this reason, Allah prescribed a fixed punishment for the one who commits unlawful sexual intercourse: if he is a virgin, he is flogged one hundred times and exiled for one year. If the unlawful sexual intercourse were apostasy, he would be killed. This indicates that it is not apostasy. The thief is not killed; his hand is cut off. This indicates that these sins are not apostasy, but rather weakness in faith and deficiency in faith. For this reason, Allah prescribed disciplining them and imposing discretionary punishments with these fixed punishments so that they may repent and return to their Lord, and be deterred from what their Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, has forbidden them.
And the Mu'tazilah said: He is in a position between the two positions, but he will remain in the Fire eternally if he dies upon it. Thus, they differed from the people of the Sunnah in the eternalization of the sinner in the Fire, and they agreed with the Khawarij in that. The Khawarij said: He becomes a disbeliever and remains in the Fire eternally. And a group called the Mu'tazilah, these people, said: He remains in the Fire eternally, but we do not call him a disbeliever, meaning: major shirk. Both of them, and both groups, have strayed from the path.
The correct view is the saying of the people of the Sunnah and the community: that he does not become a disbeliever, meaning: major shirk, but he becomes a sinner, and he is weak in faith, deficient in faith, in great danger of disbelief, but he is not a disbeliever if he did not consider it permissible. If he did not consider this sin permissible, but committed it while knowing that it is a sin, aware that it is a sin, but Satan, desire, and the soul that commands evil drove him to it, then this is the saying of the people of truth.
His faith becomes weak, and his oneness of Allah becomes weak, but he does not become a disbeliever in the major shirk which is apostasy from Islam; we seek refuge in Allah from that. And he does not remain in the Fire eternally if he dies upon it. If the one who commits unlawful sexual intercourse dies upon unlawful sexual intercourse without repenting, or upon theft without repenting, or upon usury or interest without repenting, and he knows that it is forbidden, then this is under the will of Allah. If Allah wills, He forgives him, and if He wills, He punishes him according to His sins, Glorified and Exalted is He. The punishment that His wisdom, Glorified and Exalted is He, requires. Then, after the passage of what Allah has decreed for him, Allah takes him out of the Fire into Paradise.
This is the saying of the people of truth, and this is what the reports have been mass-transmitted regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), contrary to the Khawarij and the Mu'tazilah. And Allah says, Glorified is He: [Surat al-Nisa: 48]. Thus, He suspended what is less than shirk upon His will, Glorified and Exalted is He.
As for the one who dies upon shirk, it is never forgiven for him, and Paradise is forbidden to him; we seek refuge in Allah from that. And he remains in the Fire eternally, forever and ever. As for the sinner, if he enters the Fire, he does not remain in it eternally, forever and ever, but he remains in it as long as Allah wills. His duration may be long, and this may be considered eternalization, but it is a temporary eternalization, not like the eternalization of the disbelievers. As He said in the verse of al-Furqan, when He mentioned the one who associates partners with Allah, the killer, and the one who commits unlawful sexual intercourse, He said: [Surat al-Furqan: 69]. So it is a temporary eternalization with an end, meaning: long, we ask Allah... As for the one who associates partners with Allah, no, his eternalization is permanent, we seek refuge in Allah, forever and ever. For this reason, He said, Glorified is He, regarding those who associate partners with Allah: [Surat al-Baqarah: 167]. This is in Surat al-Baqarah. And He said in Surat al-Ma'idah regarding the disbelievers: [Surat al-Ma'idah: 37]. We ask Allah for safety. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
Answer: Yes, committing major sins such as unlawful sexual intercourse, drinking intoxicants, killing a soul without right, consuming usury or interest, backbiting, talebearing, and similar sins and major sins affects the oneness of Allah and faith in Allah, and weakens it. That is, one becomes weak in faith, but it does not make him a disbeliever, as the Khawarij say. No, the Khawarij declare him a disbeliever; they make him a disbeliever if he commits unlawful sexual intercourse, or steals, or is undutiful to his parents, or consumes usury or interest, making him a disbeliever even if he does not consider it permissible. This is an error on the part of the Khawarij. The people of the Sunnah and the community say: No. He is a sinner, and he is weak in faith, deficient in faith, and deficient in the oneness of Allah. This weakens his testimony and weakens his faith, but it does not make him a disbeliever in major shirk. Rather, there is a deficiency in him, and there is weakness. For this reason, Allah prescribed a fixed punishment for the one who commits unlawful sexual intercourse: if he is a virgin, he is flogged one hundred times and exiled for one year. If the unlawful sexual intercourse were apostasy, he would be killed. This indicates that it is not apostasy. The thief is not killed; his hand is cut off. This indicates that these sins are not apostasy, but rather weakness in faith and deficiency in faith. For this reason, Allah prescribed disciplining them and imposing discretionary punishments with these fixed punishments so that they may repent and return to their Lord, and be deterred from what their Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, has forbidden them.
And the Mu'tazilah said: He is in a position between the two positions, but he will remain in the Fire eternally if he dies upon it. Thus, they differed from the people of the Sunnah in the eternalization of the sinner in the Fire, and they agreed with the Khawarij in that. The Khawarij said: He becomes a disbeliever and remains in the Fire eternally. And a group called the Mu'tazilah, these people, said: He remains in the Fire eternally, but we do not call him a disbeliever, meaning: major shirk. Both of them, and both groups, have strayed from the path.
The correct view is the saying of the people of the Sunnah and the community: that he does not become a disbeliever, meaning: major shirk, but he becomes a sinner, and he is weak in faith, deficient in faith, in great danger of disbelief, but he is not a disbeliever if he did not consider it permissible. If he did not consider this sin permissible, but committed it while knowing that it is a sin, aware that it is a sin, but Satan, desire, and the soul that commands evil drove him to it, then this is the saying of the people of truth.
His faith becomes weak, and his oneness of Allah becomes weak, but he does not become a disbeliever in the major shirk which is apostasy from Islam; we seek refuge in Allah from that. And he does not remain in the Fire eternally if he dies upon it. If the one who commits unlawful sexual intercourse dies upon unlawful sexual intercourse without repenting, or upon theft without repenting, or upon usury or interest without repenting, and he knows that it is forbidden, then this is under the will of Allah. If Allah wills, He forgives him, and if He wills, He punishes him according to His sins, Glorified and Exalted is He. The punishment that His wisdom, Glorified and Exalted is He, requires. Then, after the passage of what Allah has decreed for him, Allah takes him out of the Fire into Paradise.
This is the saying of the people of truth, and this is what the reports have been mass-transmitted regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), contrary to the Khawarij and the Mu'tazilah. And Allah says, Glorified 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 يَشَاءُAs for the one who dies upon shirk, it is never forgiven for him, and Paradise is forbidden to him; we seek refuge in Allah from that. And he remains in the Fire eternally, forever and ever. As for the sinner, if he enters the Fire, he does not remain in it eternally, forever and ever, but he remains in it as long as Allah wills. His duration may be long, and this may be considered eternalization, but it is a temporary eternalization, not like the eternalization of the disbelievers. As He said in the verse of al-Furqan, when He mentioned the one who associates partners with Allah, the killer, and the one who commits unlawful sexual intercourse, He said:
and he will abide therein humiliated -
وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًاThus will Allah show them their deeds as regrets upon them. And they are never to emerge from the Fire.
كَذَلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْْ 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 مُقِيمٌThe presenter: May Allah reward you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.