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Committer of a Major Sin

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The term Committer of a Major Sin (Arabic: مرتكب الكبيرة, murtakib al-kabira) refers to a Muslim who performs an act classified as one of the Major Sins.Disagreement regarding the status of the faith (iman) of a grave sinner was one of the earliest disputes among Muslims. Based on Qur'anic verses and narrations from the Shi'a Imams, the majority of Imamiyya scholars consider a grave sinner to be a Believer (Mu'min) but a Fasiq (transgressor), whose punishment is temporary due to their faith.

In other Islamic sects, the Khawarij consider a grave sinner to be a Kafir (disbeliever) deserving of eternal punishment, while the Murji'a regard such a person as a believer who is safe from punishment. The Mu'tazila deem the committer of major sins to be neither a believer nor a disbeliever, but in a position between the two. The People of Hadith (Ahl al-Hadith) view such a person as a believer with weak faith. The Ash'aris and Maturidiyya also do not consider the commission of major sins as a cause for exiting faith, regarding faith as a matter of the heart.

According to Shi'a jurists, committing major sins also has jurisprudential consequences, such as the loss of individual justice (probity). Furthermore, the Islamic Ruler (Hakim al-Shar') is obligated to inflict Hadd (fixed punishment) on the grave sinner in cases where it is specified, and Ta'zir (discretionary punishment) in other cases.

Introduction and Status

The Hadith "My intercession is for those of my Umma who have committed Major Sins" inscribed on the wall of Al-Masjid al-Nabawi.

Ja'far Subhani, a Shi'a theologian, considers the discussion regarding the Committer of a Major Sin to be the first theological issue among Muslims after the issue of Imamate, which divided Muslims into different sects.[1] According to him, three main questions are raised in this regard:

  1. Is the committer of a major sin a Believer (mu'min) or a Polytheist (mushrik)?
  2. Is the committer of a major sin a believer or a kafir (disbeliever)?
  3. Is the committer of a major sin in eternal punishment or not?[2]

The core of this issue returns to the relationship between action ('amal) and faith (iman).[3] If action is a part of faith, then one who commits a sin exits the circle of faith; however, if action is separate from faith, the sinner remains a believer who is a transgressor (fasiq).[4]

According to Sayyid Abd al-Husayn Dastghayb, a major sin is a sin that the Qur'an and narrations explicitly deem great or for which the perpetrator has been threatened with hellfire.[5]

View of Shi'a Scholars

Imam al-Sadiq (a):

— When a servant commits a major sin or a minor sin that God has forbidden, he exits faith and the name of faith is removed from him, but the name of Islam remains on him. If he repents and seeks forgiveness, he returns to the house of faith; unless he denies a halal or a haram, or changes a halal to haram or a haram to halal and believes in it, in which case he exits faith and enters the valley of disbelief (kufr), al-Kulaynī al-Kāfī, 1407 AH, vol. 2, pp. 27-28.

Shi'a scholars, despite their different definitions of faith, agree that the committer of a major sin is not a Kafir or mushrik, but is considered a Muslim. They also believe that God may forgive their punishment:

Al-Shaykh al-Saduq, based on his understanding of narrations, considers faith to have three pillars: confession with the tongue, belief in the heart, and action with the limbs.[6] He distinguishes between Islam and faith (iman) and introduces action as a condition for faith.[7] In his view, based on Qur'an 4: 49, God has the choice in punishing the sinner, and if He forgives him, it is out of His grace.[8]

Al-Shaykh al-Mufid also believes that Islam is different from faith and its scope is broader.[9] He considers committers of major sins to be neither absolutely believers nor absolutely transgressors (fasiq), stating that only the term "Islam" can be applied to them.[10] According to him, all Imamiyya scholars believe that a grave sinner can be included in intercession (shafa'a) and be saved from divine punishment.[11]

Al-Sharif al-Murtada considers faith to be something that intrinsically deserves eternal reward, which is not destroyed by the commission of major sins that entail temporary punishment.[12] He considers a grave sinner to be a Kafir only if he denies the prohibition and sinfulness of that major sin; otherwise, he considers that individual a believer.[13]

Al-Shaykh al-Tusi defines faith as affirmation of the heart and does not consider utterance by the tongue as having validity [for the essence of faith].[14] Citing the views of different Islamic sects regarding the grave sinner, he does not consider the abundance or magnitude of sin as a reason for the elimination of heartfelt belief and judges the grave sinner to be a Fasiq.[15] According to Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, only a Kafir incurs eternal punishment, and the grave sinner deserves reward due to his faith; thus, his punishment is temporary.[16]

Al-Allama al-Hilli also confirms Nasir al-Din al-Tusi's view, stating that fisq (transgression) and sin do not cause one to exit faith.[17] He considers the punishment of a grave sinner to be temporary for two reasons:

  1. The grave sinner deserves reward due to his faith and deserves punishment due to his sin. On the other hand, all Muslims agree that in the Hereafter, punishment precedes the reward. Therefore, if the punishment were eternal, the individual would never see the reward for his faith, and this is reprehensible(qabih).[18]
  2. If the punishment of a grave sinner were eternal, it would imply that a person who lived a life of faith and committed a sin at the end of his life would be eternally punished. This is impossible according to rational people because of its ugliness.[19]

Views of Sunni Groups

Khawarij

Judging the committer of a major sin as a Kafir is considered the first issue agreed upon by the Khawarij.[20] A group among them called the Azariqa believed that a grave sinner is an apostate (murtadd) and will be eternally in Hellfire, has no possibility of renewed faith, and must be burned in the fire along with his children.[21]

Mu'tazila

Main article: Manzila bayn al-manzilatayn

According to the Mu'tazila, a committer of major sins exits faith but is not a Kafir.[22] Such a person is neither a believer nor a disbeliever, but a Fasiq; and fisq is a station that is neither faith nor disbelief but lies between the two.[23] Based on the argument presented by Qadi Abd al-Jabbar, the grave sinner is not a believer because a believer deserves praise due to his faith, whereas a fasiq deserves humiliation due to the sin he has committed.[24] On the other hand, he does not have the status of a Kafir either, because a Kafir has specific rulings such as impurity (najasa) which do not cover the fasiq.[25]

Murji'a

The view of the Murji'a is considered to be in opposition to the theory of the Khawarij regarding the excommunication (takfīr) of the grave sinner.[26] According to Ja'far Subhani, this group differs from other Muslims only regarding the reality of faith and action, in that they consider faith to be outside of action.[27] In their opinion, faith is merely heartfelt affirmation or verbal confession and does not increase or decrease.[28] The grave sinner possesses this heartfelt faith and is therefore truly a believer.[29] Due to this faith, the grave sinner, even if he does not repent, is not eternal in the Fire and will not be judged to suffer punishment.[30]

Ahl al-Hadith

Unlike the Murji'a and Khawarij, the People of Hadith (Ahl al-Hadith) introduce faith as capable of intensity and weakness.[31] They also consider faith to be speech accompanied by action and deed.[32] The Ahl al-Hadith considered the grave sinner to be a believer who is a transgressor (fasiq) having lost the perfection of faith.[33]

Ash'aris and Maturidis

According to the Ash'aris, faith is a matter of the heart and is not related to action, although it is a condition for righteous deeds.[34] Based on this, Ash'aris consider the grave sinner a believer and deem his punishment temporary, stating that the nature of his punishment is known to God and is not clear to us.[35] In the view of the Maturidiyya, the grave sinner is not a Kafir but will be punished according to the measure of his sins.[36] According to Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, faith is heartfelt affirmation, and disbelief is denial.[37]

In Shi'a Jurisprudence

Based on the fatwa of Shi'a jurists, avoiding major sins is a condition for individual justice ('adala), and by committing a major sin, the justice of the individual is nullified.[38] Also, regarding the committer of major sins, it is said that if the sin is among those for which a Hadd (fixed punishment) is specified in religion, that hadd must be executed; if no hadd is specified, the Islamic Ruler punishes the individual with Ta'zir (discretionary punishment).[39]

See Also

Notes

  1. ↑ Subḥānī Tabrīzī, Buḥūth fī l-milal wa l-niḥal, 1427 AH, vol. 5, p. 443.
  2. ↑ Subḥānī Tabrīzī, Buḥūth fī l-milal wa l-niḥal, 1427 AH, vol. 5, p. 443.
  3. ↑ Subḥānī Tabrīzī, Buḥūth fī l-milal wa l-niḥal, 1427 AH, vol. 5, p. 443.
  4. ↑ Subḥānī Tabrīzī, Buḥūth fī l-milal wa l-niḥal, 1427 AH, vol. 5, p. 443.
  5. ↑ Dastghīb, Gunāhān-i kabīra, 1388 Sh, vol. 1, pp. 31-32.
  6. ↑ Ṣadūq, Al-Hidāya fī l-uṣūl wa l-furūʿ, 1418 AH, vol. 2, p. 54.
  7. ↑ Ṣadūq, Al-Hidāya, 1418 AH, vol. 2, pp. 54-55.
  8. ↑ Ṣadūq, Iʿtiqādāt al-Imāmiyya, 1414 AH, p. 67.
  9. ↑ Mufīd, Silsilat muʾallafāt al-Shaykh al-Mufīd (Awāʾil al-maqālāt), 1414 AH, vol. 4, p. 48.
  10. ↑ Mufīd, Silsilat muʾallafāt al-Shaykh al-Mufīd (Awāʾil al-maqālāt), 1414 AH, vol. 4, p. 84.
  11. ↑ Mufīd, Silsilat muʾallafāt al-Shaykh al-Mufīd (Awāʾil al-maqālāt), 1414 AH, vol. 4, p. 47.
  12. ↑ Sharīf al-Murtaḍā, Rasāʾil al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā, 1405 AH, vol. 1, pp. 147-148.
  13. ↑ Sharīf al-Murtaḍā, Rasāʾil al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā, 1405 AH, vol. 1, p. 155.
  14. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Iqtiṣād, 1406 AH, p. 227.
  15. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Iqtiṣād, 1406 AH, pp. 227-235.
  16. ↑ Ṭūsī, Tajrīd al-iʿtiqād, 1407 AH, p. 304.
  17. ↑ Ḥillī, Kashf al-murād, 1413 AH, p. 427.
  18. ↑ Ḥillī, Kashf al-murād, 1413 AH, pp. 414-415.
  19. ↑ Ḥillī, Kashf al-murād, 1413 AH, p. 415.
  20. ↑ Abū Ḥātim Rāzī, Kitāb al-zīna, 1988, part 3, p. 282; Baghdādī, Uṣūl al-dīn, 1346 AH, p. 332; Baghdādī, Al-Farq bayn al-firaq, 1367 AH, p. 73; Ibn Ḥazm, Al-Faṣl, 1317-1320 AH, vol. 2, p. 113; Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd, Sharḥ Nahj al-balāgha, 1385-1387 AH, vol. 8, p. 113.
  21. ↑ Ashʿarī, Al-Maqālāt wa l-firaq, 1341 Sh, pp. 85-86; Baghdādī, Al-Farq bayn al-firaq, 1367 AH, pp. 82-83; Shahristānī, Al-Milal wa l-niḥal, 1415 AH, vol. 1, pp. 140-141.
  22. ↑ Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār, Sharḥ al-uṣūl al-khamsa, 1422 AH, p. 471.
  23. ↑ Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār, Sharḥ al-uṣūl al-khamsa, 1422 AH, p. 471.
  24. ↑ Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār, Sharḥ al-uṣūl al-khamsa, 1422 AH, p. 474.
  25. ↑ Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār, Sharḥ al-uṣūl al-khamsa, 1422 AH, p. 481.
  26. ↑ Group of Researchers, "Al-Murjiʾa", Mawsūʿat al-firaq al-muntasiba li-l-Islām, vol. 3, p. 16.
  27. ↑ Subḥānī Tabrīzī, Buḥūth fī l-milal wa l-niḥal, 1427 AH, vol. 3, p. 110.
  28. ↑ Subḥānī Tabrīzī, Buḥūth fī l-milal wa l-niḥal, 1427 AH, vol. 3, p. 110; Wardānī, Firaq Ahl al-Sunna, 1424 AH, p. 51.
  29. ↑ Subḥānī Tabrīzī, Buḥūth fī l-milal wa l-niḥal, 1427 AH, vol. 3, pp. 110-111; ʿUthaymīn, Sharḥ al-ʿaqīda al-Wāsiṭiyya, 1421 AH, vol. 2, p. 69.
  30. ↑ Subḥānī Tabrīzī, Buḥūth fī l-milal wa l-niḥal, 1427 AH, vol. 3, p. 111; ʿUthaymīn, Sharḥ al-ʿaqīda al-Wāsiṭiyya, 1421 AH, vol. 2, p. 69.
  31. ↑ Subḥānī Tabrīzī, Buḥūth fī l-milal wa l-niḥal, al-Nashr al-Islāmī, vol. 1, p. 164.
  32. ↑ Subḥānī Tabrīzī, Buḥūth fī l-milal wa l-niḥal, al-Nashr al-Islāmī, vol. 1, p. 164.
  33. ↑ Taftāzānī, Sharḥ al-maqāṣid, 1422 AH, vol. 3, p. 463.
  34. ↑ Jurjānī, Sharḥ al-mawāqif, 1325 AH, vol. 8, pp. 324-325.
  35. ↑ Jurjānī, Sharḥ al-mawāqif, 1325 AH, vol. 8, pp. 309, 312, 334.
  36. ↑ Māturīdī, Al-Tawḥīd, p. 364.
  37. ↑ Māturīdī, Al-Tawḥīd, p. 380.
  38. ↑ Anṣārī, Rasāʾil fiqhiyya, 1412 AH, pp. 6-8; Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, 1362 Sh, vol. 41, p. 26.
  39. ↑ Najafī, Jawāhir al-kalām, 1362 Sh, vol. 41, p. 448.

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