Avoiding Major Sins Is a Condition for Entering Paradise and the Expiation of Minor Sins

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Is it a condition to avoid major sins, as is known in such principles, O Shaykh?
Answer: Yes, it is a principle. These great promises from the Lord, Exalted and Majestic, or from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), according to the majority of scholars, are conditioned upon avoiding major sins. This is because Allah, the Exalted, said:

If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance [into Paradise].

إِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُمْ مُدْخَلًا كَرِيمًا

[Surat al-Nisa: 31]. Thus, the Exalted made it clear that the condition for entering Paradise and the expiation of minor sins is avoiding major sins. He said:

If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance [into Paradise].

إِنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُمْ مُدْخَلًا كَرِيمًاا

[Surat al-Nisa: 31]. This indicates that whoever does not avoid them will not attain the result, because "if" is conditional: "If you avoid," and the result is "We will expiate." According to the principle, the result is contingent upon the condition; so whenever the condition is present, the result and the reward are present, and otherwise, they are not. Therefore, the believer must stay away from major sins and guard against them, and so must the believing woman. Major sins are the great transgressions for which there is a threat, such as a curse, anger, or the Fire, or for which there is a fixed punishment in this world, such as unlawful sexual intercourse, theft, undutifulness to parents, severing family ties, consuming usury or interest, and consuming the property of orphans... backbiting and talebearing... cursing and insulting, and other such major sins. It is obligatory to guard against them with the utmost caution.
Included in this is what is reported in the authentic hadith where he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The five [daily] prayers, Friday to Friday and Ramadan to Ramadan make atonement for what has happened since the previous one when major sins have been avoided

الصلوات الخمس، والجمعة إلى الجمعة، ورمضان إلى رمضان، مكفرات لما بينهن ما لم تغش الكبائر

Mishkat al-Masabih 564

, and in the other wording:

If he avoids major sins.

إذا اجتنب الكبائر

. This indicates that these great acts of worship only expiate minor sins when major sins are avoided. Thus, it corresponds to the noble verse. This hadith corresponds to the noble verse. Similarly, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the prescribed ablution once, he mentioned:

That whoever performs ablution and perfects his ablution, his sins are forgiven.

أن من توضأ فأحسن وضوءه غفر له

. In one narration, he said:

Provided that he does not commit a major sin.

ما لم تصب المقتل

Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq 1:144

, and that is a major sin.
Therefore, the believer, and so the believing woman, should strive to seek good deeds and compete in righteous works, while guarding against sins and committing them, especially major sins. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah bless you. May Allah reward you with good.

Source binbaz.org.sa

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

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