Can a person who unintentionally commits shirk but stops as the realisation dawns expect to be pardonned?
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:
Salaam
Alaikum Brother Burhan,
A simple question from this sinful soul. I often hear people talk about Shirk
being the only sin that will not be pardonned by Allah. What I would like
to know can be broken in two or three simple questions:
1. Can a person who unintentionally commits shirk but stops as
the realisation dawns expect to be pardonned?
2. Can
someone who has never committed Shirk but keeps
committing pardonnable sins like adultery, gambling, cheating, murder,
disobedience of parents etc. till his death expect to be forgiven?
People who believe they do not commit shirk often boast of how they will be
forgiven irrespective of whatever they have done throughout their lives, while
those they allege of committing shirk are destined for hell. A simple and
straight answer will be appreciated. Many thanks. JazakAllah Khair.
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
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confidentiality.)
Answer:
Unforgiveable sin
shirk
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.
Your
Question: Can a person who unintentionally commits shirk but
stops as the realisation dawns expect to be pardonned?
Whatever sins one might have committed in one’s past, even
if it be the gravest and most heinous of all sins (shirk), as long as one turns
in ‘taubah’ unto their Lord Creator and seek sincere forgiveness for those sins
before they meet with their appointment of death…..The Lord Most Gracious Most
Merciful has Promised that He is Wiling to forgive the sins of such a sincerely
repentant believer.
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."
But if Allah forbid, one were to die in the state of
‘shirk’, then the Lord Most Majestic Most Supreme has made it absolutely clear
in His Glorious Quran that this abomination of ‘shirk’ or associating or
invoking other deities with the Lord, is absolutely unforgiveable in the
Hereafter!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah
Zumar verse 65-66:
If you
commit ‘shirk’ (invoking or associating anything with or besides Allah) all
your works will be rendered vain and you will be among the losers. Therefore,
you should worship Allah Alone,
and be among His grateful servants.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah
Maidah verse 72:
Whoever
commits ‘shirk’, Allah shall forbid for him
Allah
says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48
‘Shirk’ 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
Thus in response to your question, if a person intentionally
or unintentionally is involved in the abomination of ‘shirk’, but before he
meets with his appointment of death he realizes his transgression and turns
unto his Lord Creator in ‘taubah’ and seeks sincere repentance….it is expected
that He will find His Lord Forgiving and 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."
Your Question: Can
someone who has never committed Shirk but keeps
committing pardonnable sins like adultery, gambling, cheating, murder,
disobedience of parents etc. till his death expect to be forgiven?
Regardless of the quality or quantity of the sins one
might have done in one’s past, if before one meets with their appointment of
death, one turns to Allah Subhanah in ‘taubah’, seeks sincere forgiveness for
their past sins, and subsequently amends their conduct…..it is expected that
the Lord Most Gracious Most Merciful will forgive all the sins of such a
repentant believer, even if his sins were as grave as ‘shirk’! But if Allah forbid, one dies in the state of
‘shirk’, there is absolutely no chance for the forgiveness of such a person.
If one has saved oneself from the abomination of ‘shirk’,
but was involved in other grave transgressions like adultery, or gambling, or
disobedience of parents, or even murder, etc…..and one died in a state whereby
he did not seek forgiveness for these heinous sins…..then his case rests with
Allah Subhanah. If The Lord Most
Majestic Most Supreme Wills and Pleases, He may take full retribution from the
person for his evil deeds; and if the Lord Most Gracious Most Merciful Wills
and Pleases, He may forgive all the sins of the person.
Your
Question: People who believe they do not commit shirk often boast of how they
will be forgiven irrespective of whatever they have done throughout their
lives, while those they allege of committing shirk are destined for hell. A
simple and straight answer will be appreciated. Many thanks.
Respected brother, it is not as if one who does not commit
the abomination of ‘shirk’ has a license to commit other grave sins…..but the
guidance of Allah unto His believing slaves is to fear Him and His Day of
Tribunal and strive their absolute utmost to save themselves from falling into
any type of sin, whether open or secret!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 21 Surah
Anbiyaa verse 47:
47
We shall set up the Scales of
Justice for the Day of Judgment so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly
in the least. And if there be (no more
than) the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it (to account): and enough
are We to take account!
Allah is our witness brother,
if only the person who ‘claims’ to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and in
his arrogance and albeit utter ignorance dares to ‘boast’ that he is one of
those who expects to be forgiven by the Lord only knew what tumult, turmoil,
furor, mayhem, and utter and absolute turbulence that Inevitable Day of
Tribunal will bring…..never, never, never, ever would he make such absolutely
obnoxious claims!!!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah
Hajj verses 1-2:
1 O mankind! Fear your
Lord! For the convulsion of the Hour (of Judgment) will be a thing terrible!
2 The Day ye shall see it
every mother giving suck shall forget her suckling-babe; and every pregnant
female shall drop her load (unformed); thou shalt see mankind as in a drunken
riot yet not drunk; but dreadful will be the Wrath of Allah.
Allah is our witness brother,
believers who came before including the Noble Prophets of Allah Subhanah
including the Last and Final Messenger of Allah (saws) Himself, his eminent and
noble companions of the likes of Hadrat Abu Bakr (r.a.), Hadrat Umar (r.a.),
Hadrat Uthmaan (r.a.), Hadrat Ali (r.a.) and the likes would spend their nights
in prostrations and soaked eyes beseeching their Lord Most Majestic to forgive
them their errors and their short-comings and their sins!
It is reported in authentic
traditions that the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself, for whom the Lord Most
Merciful had forgiven his past and future errors, used to seek the forgiveness
of Allah at least seventy times a day!
It is reported that Hadrat Abu
Bakr (r.a.) used to look at a bird and his heart would soften and his eyes
would shed tears…and he (r.a.) is recorded to have said how fortunate was the
bird for it would have to give absolutely no account to Allah for its deeds on
the Day of Judgment….in absolute fear and awe of the Lord and the Last Day, he
(Abu Bakr (r.a.)) is reported to have said “What will you do (O Abu Bakr) when
The Lord Most Majestic Asks you why you did such and such a thing and/or why
you did not do such and such a thing?”
Hadrat Umar (r.a.) is reported
to have declared that if on the Day of Judgment, his evil and his good deeds
are balanced in the Scales of Allah, he would consider himself the most fortunate
and successful in creation!
It is reported that Hadrat Ali
(r.a.) would start shivering as the time of prayer would get near in absolute
and utter fear of standing in the Majestic Audience of his Lord Most Supreme in
prayer!
….and this was the state of the
believers whom Allah Subhanah Himself and His Messenger (saws) had promised
For a believer like you and me
to scoff at others and/or assume that we will be amongst those who will
definitely be forgiven by the Lord Most Majestic Most Supreme on that
Tumultuous Day of Judgment would be the height of foolishness and of arrogance
and of ignorance, to say the absolute least!!!
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
Wister