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سلسله احاديث صحيحه
Silsilah Sahihah
الايمان والتوحيد والدين والقدرBook of Faith, Monotheism, Religion, and Divine Decree
Is forgiveness possible for sinful Muslims who die without repentance?
Hadith 38
اُردوEn
- " تعالوا بايعوني على أن لا تشركوا بالله شيئا، ولا تسرقوا، ولا تزنوا، ولا تقتلوا أولادكم، ولا تأتوا ببهتان تفترونه بين أيديكم وأرجلكم، ولا تعصوني في معروف، فمن وفى منكم فأجره على الله، ومن أصاب من ذلك شيئا فعوقب به في الدنيا فهو كفارة له، ومن أصاب من ذلك شيئا فستره الله فأمره إلى الله ، إن شاء عاقبه، وإن شاء عفا عنه ".
Sayyiduna ‘Ubādah bin Sāmit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Come and pledge allegiance to me on the condition that you will not associate anything with Allah, you will not steal, you will not commit adultery, you will not kill your children, you will not slander anyone, and you will not disobey me in matters of goodness. Whoever fulfills this pledge, his reward is with Allah. And whoever commits (any sin) and is punished for it, that will be an expiation for him. And whoever commits (any sin) and Allah conceals it for him, then his matter is with Allah; if He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him.”
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Mahfooz Ahmad
Benefits:
This is the principle of allegiance (bay‘ah): that people are taken an oath from to perform righteous deeds and to abstain from evil deeds. Nowadays, specific personalities have been singled out for bay‘ah, and where this bay‘ah is considered necessary, not only are others encouraged to pledge allegiance, but those servants of Allah who are deprived of this type of bay‘ah are subjected to taunts, insults, and abuse. All of this is baseless and without reality.
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah writes: In this blessed hadith is a refutation of the Khawarij, who declare the people of tawhid to be disbelievers due to major sins, and also a refutation of the Mu‘tazilah, who consider punishment necessary for a sinful Muslim who dies without repentance, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that the matter of punishing or not punishing a sinful monotheist is subject to the will (mashiyyah) of Allah, He may punish if He wills and may forgive if He wills. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not say that Allah will definitely punish.
This is also the meaning of the statement of Allah Ta‘ala:
«إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ» [سوره نساء: 116، 47]
“Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives whatever is less than that for whom He wills.”
Allah Ta‘ala has made a distinction between shirk (associating partners) and other sins, meaning that shirk is unforgivable, and other sins are subject to His will—He may forgive them or He may hold one accountable for them.
It is necessary that this verse and hadith be applied to the person who dies without repenting from sins, because the one who repents from shirk during his lifetime is forgiven, and the one who repents from other sins will, of course, be forgiven (provided that Allah Ta‘ala accepts his repentance).
Through this reasoning, I wish to refute those people of the present age who sometimes declare Muslims to be disbelievers due to major sins, and at other times are seen saying that these sins will not be forgiven without repentance, and if a Muslim commits a major sin and dies without repenting, he will definitely be punished.
These people, in opposition to the Book and the Sunnah, have equated shirk and lesser sins in this regard, that punishment is necessary for both. I have, at various times and gatherings, refuted these people with evidence; some, being affected, repented from this belief and joined the ranks of the best Salafi youth. May Allah Ta‘ala guide the rest. [صحيحه: 2999]
This is the principle of allegiance (bay‘ah): that people are taken an oath from to perform righteous deeds and to abstain from evil deeds. Nowadays, specific personalities have been singled out for bay‘ah, and where this bay‘ah is considered necessary, not only are others encouraged to pledge allegiance, but those servants of Allah who are deprived of this type of bay‘ah are subjected to taunts, insults, and abuse. All of this is baseless and without reality.
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah writes: In this blessed hadith is a refutation of the Khawarij, who declare the people of tawhid to be disbelievers due to major sins, and also a refutation of the Mu‘tazilah, who consider punishment necessary for a sinful Muslim who dies without repentance, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that the matter of punishing or not punishing a sinful monotheist is subject to the will (mashiyyah) of Allah, He may punish if He wills and may forgive if He wills. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not say that Allah will definitely punish.
This is also the meaning of the statement of Allah Ta‘ala:
«إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ» [سوره نساء: 116، 47]
“Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives whatever is less than that for whom He wills.”
Allah Ta‘ala has made a distinction between shirk (associating partners) and other sins, meaning that shirk is unforgivable, and other sins are subject to His will—He may forgive them or He may hold one accountable for them.
It is necessary that this verse and hadith be applied to the person who dies without repenting from sins, because the one who repents from shirk during his lifetime is forgiven, and the one who repents from other sins will, of course, be forgiven (provided that Allah Ta‘ala accepts his repentance).
Through this reasoning, I wish to refute those people of the present age who sometimes declare Muslims to be disbelievers due to major sins, and at other times are seen saying that these sins will not be forgiven without repentance, and if a Muslim commits a major sin and dies without repenting, he will definitely be punished.
These people, in opposition to the Book and the Sunnah, have equated shirk and lesser sins in this regard, that punishment is necessary for both. I have, at various times and gatherings, refuted these people with evidence; some, being affected, repented from this belief and joined the ranks of the best Salafi youth. May Allah Ta‘ala guide the rest. [صحيحه: 2999]
Source: Silsilah Ahadith Sahihah: Commentary by Muhammad Mahfooz Ahmad, Page: 38
