Fatwa ID: 09419
Answered by Mufti Yusuf Badshah
Question:
Does the Punishment of the grave depend on an individuals good deeds outweighing their bad deeds, or can Allah punish someone in the grave for sins they committed and didn’t do tawbah for in this life, even though they did many good deeds and in the ultimate weighing their good outweighs the bad so that they would attain paradise.
For instance if someone did sins such as had a riba mortgage etc but also had many good deeds such as salaah and fulfilment of five pillars etc and they were destined for paradise. Can they still be punished in the grave for the sins they didnt repent for?
The reason I am asking is because this will ultimately make me want to avoid all sins and not see any sin as minor even if I have done a significant amount of good in this world, if I understand that I could get punished for having died with one sin I didn’t repent for in the grave and have thousands of good deeds that ultimately I would have entered paradise then I would fear the grave before the weighing of deeds and jahannum.
Please answer this thoroughly and in detail as I am someone thats learned to an extent and trying to understand the deeper realities and wisdoms of the religion.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Allah ﷻ may do as he wills. Should he choose to punish one destined for Jannah so as to expiate some of their sins and raise them in rank then he may do so, and should he choose to forgive them then he may do so [1].
There is no indication that one whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds will be safe from the punishment in the grave. Rather, we see from the narrations regarding those punished in the grave not for Kufr, but for minor sins such as urinating carelessly [2], that it is not only the disbelievers or those who commit major sins who will be punished in the grave. Thus, this indicates that the believer may be punished for their sins in the grave even if they are minor sins, and even more so when it comes to major sins such as Riba [3].
We also see there is no issue in Allah ﷻ punishing those who believe and are destined for Jannah. Rather, there will be those who will enter the extreme punishment of Jahannam before eventually being freed and entered into Jannah [4].
Thus, just as the Prophet ﷺ did, one should regularly seek protection from the punishment in the grave [5].
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Mufti Yusuf Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
Surah Ale Imran 129:
وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ يَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
[2]
Sahih Al-Bukhari 218:
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَازِمٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، عَنْ طَاوُسٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ مَرَّ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِقَبْرَيْنِ فَقَالَ ” إِنَّهُمَا لَيُعَذَّبَانِ، وَمَا يُعَذَّبَانِ فِي كَبِيرٍ أَمَّا أَحَدُهُمَا فَكَانَ لاَ يَسْتَتِرُ مِنَ الْبَوْلِ، وَأَمَّا الآخَرُ فَكَانَ يَمْشِي بِالنَّمِيمَةِ ”. ثُمَّ أَخَذَ جَرِيدَةً رَطْبَةً، فَشَقَّهَا نِصْفَيْنِ، فَغَرَزَ فِي كُلِّ قَبْرٍ وَاحِدَةً. قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، لِمَ فَعَلْتَ هَذَا قَالَ ” لَعَلَّهُ يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَيْبَسَا ”. قَالَ ابْنُ الْمُثَنَّى وَحَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مُجَاهِدًا مِثْلَهُ ” يَسْتَتِرُ مِنْ بَوْلِهِ
[3]
Raddul Muhtar, vol. 5, pg. 168-169, Darul Fikr:
بَابُ الرِّبَا هُوَ لُغَةً: مُطْلَقُ الزِّيَادَةِ وَشَرْعًا (فَضْلٌ) وَلَوْ حُكْمًا فَدَخَلَ رِبَا النَّسِيئَةِ وَالْبُيُوعُ الْفَاسِدَةُ فَكُلُّهَا مِنْ الرِّبَا فَيَجِبُ رَدُّ عَيْنِ الرِّبَا لَوْ قَائِمًا لَا رَدُّ ضَمَانِهِ لِأَنَّهُ يُمْلَكُ بِالْقَبْضِ قُنْيَةٌ وَبَحْرٌ (خَالٍ عَنْ عِوَضٍ
Surah Al-Baqarah 275:
الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا ۗ وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا ۚ فَمَن جَاءَهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ فَانتَهَىٰ فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
Surah Al-Baqarah 178-179:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ ۞ فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ۖ وَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ
Sahih Muslim 1598:
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الصَّبَّاحِ، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَعُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، قَالُوا حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم آكِلَ الرِّبَا وَمُوكِلَهُ وَكَاتِبَهُ وَشَاهِدَيْهِ وَقَالَ هُمْ سَوَاءٌ
[4]
Sahih Al-Bukhari 22:
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ يَحْيَى الْمَازِنِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ” يَدْخُلُ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ الْجَنَّةَ، وَأَهْلُ النَّارِ النَّارَ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَخْرِجُوا مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ مِنْ إِيمَانٍ. فَيُخْرَجُونَ مِنْهَا قَدِ اسْوَدُّوا فَيُلْقَوْنَ فِي نَهَرِ الْحَيَا ـ أَوِ الْحَيَاةِ، شَكَّ مَالِكٌ ـ فَيَنْبُتُونَ كَمَا تَنْبُتُ الْحِبَّةُ فِي جَانِبِ السَّيْلِ، أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّهَا تَخْرُجُ صَفْرَاءَ مُلْتَوِيَةً ”. قَالَ وُهَيْبٌ حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرٌو ” الْحَيَاةِ ”. وَقَالَ ” خَرْدَلٍ مِنْ خَيْرٍ
[5]
Sahih Muslim 588:
وَحَدَّثَنَا نَصْرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْجَهْضَمِيُّ، وَابْنُ، نُمَيْرٍ وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ جَمِيعًا عَنْ وَكِيعٍ، – قَالَ أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، – حَدَّثَنَا الأَوْزَاعِيُّ، عَنْ حَسَّانَ بْنِ عَطِيَّةَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي عَائِشَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، وَعَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ إِذَا تَشَهَّدَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ أَرْبَعٍ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ وَمِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَمِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ وَمِنْ شَرِّ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ ”