If a person(male) borns in a muslim family commits shirk unknowingly.
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:
If a
person(male) borns in a muslim family commits shirk unknowingly. What is the
ruling on such a person? Are people who commit disbelief unknowingly considered
kuffar? If he repents sincerely will Allah forgive him in the life after death.
(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:
Commit shirk
forgiven
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.
Ignorance of a law is not admissible as an excuse even in
the courts of this world! One cannot
take drugs to a country which prohibits the entry of drugs in their country and
say he is unaware of their laws therefore he should not be prosecuted…..the law
of the land will be applied in full to this drug carrier, absolutely regardless
of whether he was aware of the harsh penalties of the law for drugs carriers or
not.
Similarly, in the Just and Supreme Court of the Lord Most
Majestic, one will not be able to present an excuse that he committed the grave
crimes and abominations of ‘shirk’ (associating other deities with Allah) or
‘kufr’ (disbelief) unknowingly!
Thus brother, absolutely regardless of whether one commits
the grave sins of ‘shirk’ or ‘kufr’ knowingly or unknowingly, without an iota
of a doubt, one will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law in the
Presence of their Lord Most High, Most Supreme!
Just as ignorance of the law is not admissible as an excuse in the
courts of this world, we absolutely assure you from the guidance of the Quran
and the Sunnah, that neither will ignorance of the Laws of Allah be admissible
as an excuse in the Presence of the All-Knowing All-Wise Judge on that
Inevitable and Tumultuous Day of Judgment.
Your
Question: If he repents sincerely will Allah forgive him in the life after
death .
Whatever deeds one might have done in one’s past, if one turns to Allah Subhanah in sincere
Taubah and seeks forgiveness before one has met with one’s appointment of death,
Allah Subhanah has promised in His Glorious Quran that He will forgive all the
sins of such a believer, even if one has committed the gravest sins of all:
‘Shirk’ or ‘Kufr’.
The conditions or ways to seek sincere Taubah or
Repentance from the Merciful Lord are:
- One
is aware that he has sinned, and
feels sorry and ashamed at his sin.
- Makes
a solemn covenant and promise with Allah that he will not repeat his sin
again.
- Turns
to Allah and seeks forgiveness,
before he has met with his appointment of death.
- Is
a believer and does righteous good deeds thereafter.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah
Zumur verses 53-54:
(O Prophet) say: “O My servants who have wronged
their own souls….Do not despair of Allah’s Mercy! Surely,
Allah forgives all sins. He
indeed is the All Forgiving, All
Merciful. Return to your Lord and
submit to Him before the scourge overtakes you;
for then you may get no help from anywhere.”
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!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah
Anaam verse 54:
When those come to you who believe in Our
Signs, say: "Peace be on you! Your Lord had inscribed for Himself (the rule
of) Mercy. Verily if any of you did evil
in ignorance, and thereafter repented
and amended (his conduct), Lo! He is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2357 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "He who
repents of a sin is like him who has committed no sin."
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2338 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Allah
accepts a servant's repentance (taubah) till he gives up his spirit in
death."
Allah Subhanah, in His Sublime and Infinite Mercy has left
the doors of ‘taubah’ or repentance open for each individual until that
individual meets with his/her appointment of death. Thus absolutely regardless of the sins one
might have committed in one’s past, even if they be as grave and as heinous as
‘shirk’ and/or ‘kufr’……if one turns unto their Lord and seeks sincere
repentance for their sins before one comes face to face with one’s appointment
of death, it is expected that they will find their Lord Forgiving and Merciful.
Your
Question: If he repents sincerely will Allah forgive him in the life after
death
But if Allah forbid, one were to die without seeking
sincere repentance from their Lord for their heinous and abominations of
‘shirk’ or ‘kufr’ ….. the Lord Most Majestic Most High has Declared in His
Glorious Quran that He has made it incumbent upon Himself that He will never
never ever forgive the doers of ‘shirk’ in ‘kufr’ in the Hereafter……He may, if
He so Wills, turn in mercy and forgive those who might have died committing
sins other than these, but He will never forgive one who dies in the state of
‘shirk’ in the Hereafter.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah
Maidah verse 72:
Whoever commits ‘shirk’ (associating
other deities with Allah), Allah shall
forbid for him
Allah
says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48
Shirk (associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that
Allah does not forgive, and He
forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this. For whosoever associates any other partner
with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin
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