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سلسله احاديث صحيحه
Silsilah Sahihah
الايمان والتوحيد والدين والقدرBook of Faith, Monotheism, Religion, and Divine Decree
If a Muslim becomes apostate after Hajj and returns, is his Hajj valid?
Hadith 47
اُردوEn
- " إذا أسلم العبد، فحسن إسلامه، كتب الله له كل حسنة كان أزلفها، ومحيت عنه كل سيئة كان أزلفها، ثم كان بعد ذلك القصاص، الحسنة بعشر أمثالها إلى سبع مائة ضعف، والسيئة بمثلها إلا أن يتجاوز الله عز وجل عنها ".
Sayyiduna Abu Sa‘id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When a person accepts Islam and his Islam becomes good, then whatever good deed he had done, Allah Almighty writes it down (and preserves it), and whatever sin he had committed is erased. Then (after that, from Allah Almighty) the further reward is such that one good deed takes the form of ten to seven hundred times, and as for the matter of sin, it remains only one, unless Allah Almighty forgives that as well."
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Mahfooz Ahmad
Benefits:
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah, using this hadith as evidence, has discussed in detail the point that the good deeds performed by a disbeliever before accepting Islam are also preserved and he will be rewarded for them in the Hereafter. A complete explanation of this has already been given under the title “The Importance of Good Deeds Performed in the State of Disbelief After Accepting Islam.”
Here, we will only quote the discussion relevant to this topic:
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah says:
Another jurisprudential issue arises from this discussion, and that is: if a Muslim, after performing Hajj, becomes an apostate, and then after apostasy returns to Islam, then his previous Hajj will not be invalidated and it will not be obligatory for him to perform Hajj again. This is the position of Imam al-Shafi’i, and one statement of Layth ibn Sa’d is also in support of this. Imam Ibn Hazm preferred this position and spoke about it in a very excellent and solid manner; I consider it appropriate to mention it. He says:
If a Muslim, after performing Hajj and ‘Umrah, becomes an apostate, and then Allah the Exalted guides him and saves him from Hell and he becomes a Muslim again, then it will not be obligatory for him to perform Hajj and ‘Umrah again. This is the position of Imam al-Shafi’i, and one statement of Layth ibn Sa’d is also the same. Whereas Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Malik, and Abu Sulayman are of the opinion that his previous Hajj or ‘Umrah will be invalidated and he will have to perform this obligation again. They have presented this verse as evidence for their opinion:
«لئن أشركت لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِين» [سوره زمر: 65]
“If you associate partners (with Allah), surely your deeds will become worthless and you will certainly be among the losers.”
The proponents of this position have presented only this evidence, but in reality, this evidence cannot serve as proof for them, because the meaning stated in this verse is that if a polytheist dies in the state of polytheism, then his deeds will be wasted. But if he becomes a Muslim, then his previous righteous deeds will be preserved. This is the truth, and there is no doubt in it. Yes, it is established that if a polytheist, in the state of polytheism, performs acts such as Hajj, ‘Umrah, prayer, fasting, and zakah, then these obligations will not suffice for him (because it is necessary to perform these acts with the conditions and restrictions of the Shari’ah).
Consider the last phrase of this verse:
«وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ» (and you will certainly be among the losers.)
Reflect on this phrase. From this phrase, it is also correct to deduce that if an apostate returns to Islam, then the righteous deeds performed before accepting Islam will not be wasted, rather they will be recorded and he will be rewarded for them. Because the Muslim Ummah is agreed that if an apostate accepts Islam again, then he will certainly be among the successful and prosperous, and will no longer be among the losers. Thus, it is clear that the one whose deeds are wasted is the one who dies in the state of disbelief, polytheism, and apostasy. Reflect, the statement of Allah the Exalted is:
«وَمَن يَرْتَدِدْ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ» [سورة بقره: 217]
“And whoever among you turns back from his religion and dies while he is a disbeliever, then their deeds will become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and they are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein forever.”
In this noble verse, it has been clarified that the deeds of an apostate will be wasted only when he dies in the state of disbelief.
Furthermore, the following statements of Allah the Exalted are general regarding the preservation of good deeds:
«أَنِّي لَا أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِّنكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ» [سوره آل عمران: 195]
“I do not let the work of any worker among you, male or female, go to waste.”
«فَمَنْ يَعْمَلُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَه» [سوره زلزله: 7]
“Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it.”
These are general hadiths regarding the preservation and non-wastage of good deeds; without any indication, they cannot be specified. Thus, it is clear that when an apostate accepts Islam again, his previous Hajj and ‘Umrah are preserved. [صحيحه: 247]
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah, using this hadith as evidence, has discussed in detail the point that the good deeds performed by a disbeliever before accepting Islam are also preserved and he will be rewarded for them in the Hereafter. A complete explanation of this has already been given under the title “The Importance of Good Deeds Performed in the State of Disbelief After Accepting Islam.”
Here, we will only quote the discussion relevant to this topic:
Imam al-Albani rahimahullah says:
Another jurisprudential issue arises from this discussion, and that is: if a Muslim, after performing Hajj, becomes an apostate, and then after apostasy returns to Islam, then his previous Hajj will not be invalidated and it will not be obligatory for him to perform Hajj again. This is the position of Imam al-Shafi’i, and one statement of Layth ibn Sa’d is also in support of this. Imam Ibn Hazm preferred this position and spoke about it in a very excellent and solid manner; I consider it appropriate to mention it. He says:
If a Muslim, after performing Hajj and ‘Umrah, becomes an apostate, and then Allah the Exalted guides him and saves him from Hell and he becomes a Muslim again, then it will not be obligatory for him to perform Hajj and ‘Umrah again. This is the position of Imam al-Shafi’i, and one statement of Layth ibn Sa’d is also the same. Whereas Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Malik, and Abu Sulayman are of the opinion that his previous Hajj or ‘Umrah will be invalidated and he will have to perform this obligation again. They have presented this verse as evidence for their opinion:
«لئن أشركت لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِين» [سوره زمر: 65]
“If you associate partners (with Allah), surely your deeds will become worthless and you will certainly be among the losers.”
The proponents of this position have presented only this evidence, but in reality, this evidence cannot serve as proof for them, because the meaning stated in this verse is that if a polytheist dies in the state of polytheism, then his deeds will be wasted. But if he becomes a Muslim, then his previous righteous deeds will be preserved. This is the truth, and there is no doubt in it. Yes, it is established that if a polytheist, in the state of polytheism, performs acts such as Hajj, ‘Umrah, prayer, fasting, and zakah, then these obligations will not suffice for him (because it is necessary to perform these acts with the conditions and restrictions of the Shari’ah).
Consider the last phrase of this verse:
«وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ» (and you will certainly be among the losers.)
Reflect on this phrase. From this phrase, it is also correct to deduce that if an apostate returns to Islam, then the righteous deeds performed before accepting Islam will not be wasted, rather they will be recorded and he will be rewarded for them. Because the Muslim Ummah is agreed that if an apostate accepts Islam again, then he will certainly be among the successful and prosperous, and will no longer be among the losers. Thus, it is clear that the one whose deeds are wasted is the one who dies in the state of disbelief, polytheism, and apostasy. Reflect, the statement of Allah the Exalted is:
«وَمَن يَرْتَدِدْ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ» [سورة بقره: 217]
“And whoever among you turns back from his religion and dies while he is a disbeliever, then their deeds will become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and they are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein forever.”
In this noble verse, it has been clarified that the deeds of an apostate will be wasted only when he dies in the state of disbelief.
Furthermore, the following statements of Allah the Exalted are general regarding the preservation of good deeds:
«أَنِّي لَا أُضِيعُ عَمَلَ عَامِلٍ مِّنكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ» [سوره آل عمران: 195]
“I do not let the work of any worker among you, male or female, go to waste.”
«فَمَنْ يَعْمَلُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَه» [سوره زلزله: 7]
“Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it.”
These are general hadiths regarding the preservation and non-wastage of good deeds; without any indication, they cannot be specified. Thus, it is clear that when an apostate accepts Islam again, his previous Hajj and ‘Umrah are preserved. [صحيحه: 247]
Source: Silsilah Ahadith Sahihah: Commentary by Muhammad Mahfooz Ahmad, Page: 47
