Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu alaikum brother,

Most of my relatives have sound knowledge about islam but still they celebrate their children’s birthdays, women pluck their eyebrows, and wears jeans pants etc., when I asked them about this they were telling that Allah is most forgiving so Allah will forgive their smaller sins. Sometimes I also feels the same and wants to live like them. Please explsain me is this point of view is correct or not?

Allah hafiz.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Continue small sins for Allah forgives

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Without an iota of a doubt, Allah Subhanah is The Most Merciful and does forgive the sins of his repentant slaves; but one should remember that He is also the most severe in retribution and punishment.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 15 Surah Hijr verses 49-50:

49 (O Prophet (saws): Tell My slaves that I am indeed the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful;

50 And that My Penalty will be indeed The Most Grievous Penalty.

‘Minor’ or small sins are those which one does in ignorance, and one may or may not even be aware of the magnitude of ‘minor’ sins one commits…..indeed the Lord Most Merciful forgives a multitude of such ‘minor’ sins through good deeds like charity, ‘wudu’, prayers, fasting, remembrance of Allah, etc.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 11 Surah Hud verse 114:

114 And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: for those things that are good remove those that are evil: be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord).

But to intentionally insist or persist in constantly transgressing the prescribed Boundaries of the Lord, assuming that the Lord Most High will not hold one accountable for one’s sins as long as they are ‘minor’….is to make a mockery of the Grace and the Mercy of the Lord Most Merciful. The scholars and jurists in Islam are unanimous in their opinion that if one insists or persists in doing a ‘minor’ sin again and again, it would constitute a ‘major’ sin in the Scales of Justice of the Lord Most Just.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verses 17-18:

17 Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy; for Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.

18 Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil until death faces one of them and he says "Now have I repented indeed"; nor of those who die rejecting faith: for them have We prepared a punishment most grievous.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imraan verse 135-136:

Allah likes such good people very much, who, if ever they commit a base deed or wrong their own soul by the commission of a sin, remember Allah instantly, and ask for forgiveness from Him for their shortcomings. For who, but Allah, can forgive sins? (And Allah loves those) who do not knowingly persist in the wrongs they did. These will be rewarded with forgiveness from Allah, and with Gardens beneath which canals flow, and they will reside therein forever! How excellent is the reward of those who do good deeds!

Hadrat Abu Hurairah (r.a.) said: ‘The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "Allah, the Exalted, becomes Angry; and His Anger is provoked when a person does what Allah has declared unlawful.''

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan