Fatwa ID: 06316

Answered by: Mufti Muhammad Asadullah Anwar Adam

Question:

What exactly constitutes an israr i.e. a repeated minor sin turning into a major sin? If someone is trying their best to leave a minor sin they frequently commit by lessening it and limiting it, do they still fall under the category of committing Israr due to not being able to leave it? What if they have previously intended to never commit it again but then fallen into it again and have not yet been able to leave it again? There is no rebellious attitude, but there is no successful leaving of the sin either.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Abu Hurairah (Ra) has narrated saying: I heard the Prophet (SAW) saying, “If somebody commits a sin and then says, ‘O my Lord! I have sinned, please forgive me! ‘and his Lord says, ‘My slave has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them, I, therefore, have forgiven My slave (his sins). ‘Then he remains without committing any sin for a while and then again commits another sin and says, ‘O my Lord! I have committed another sin, please forgive me, ‘and Allah Says: “My slave has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them, I, therefore, have forgiven My slave (his sins). ‘Then he remains without committing any other sin for a while and then commits another sin (for the third time) and says, ‘O my Lord, I have committed another sin, please forgive me, ‘ and Allah Says: “My slave has known that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and punishes for them. I, therefore, have forgiven My slave (his sins), he can do whatever he likes.”[1]

Heedlessness, becoming bold in committing them or even continuously doing minor sins will turn them into major sins.[2] If a believer sincerely repents and tries to stay away from a minor sin, it will not become a major sin.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Mufti Muhammad Asadullah Anwar Adam

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1] [Sahih Bukhari, hadith 7507]

{نَّ عَبْدًا أَصَابَ ذَنْبًا ـ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ أَذْنَبَ ذَنْبًا ـ فَقَالَ رَبِّ أَذْنَبْتُ ـ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ أَصَبْتُ ـ فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَقَالَ رَبُّهُ أَعَلِمَ عَبْدِي أَنَّ لَهُ رَبًّا يَغْفِرُ الذَّنْبَ وَيَأْخُذُ بِهِ غَفَرْتُ لِعَبْدِي‏.‏ ثُمَّ مَكَثَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ، ثُمَّ أَصَابَ ذَنْبًا أَوْ أَذْنَبَ ذَنْبًا، فَقَالَ رَبِّ أَذْنَبْتُ ـ أَوْ أَصَبْتُ ـ آخَرَ فَاغْفِرْهُ‏.‏ فَقَالَ أَعَلِمَ عَبْدِي أَنَّ لَهُ رَبًّا يَغْفِرُ الذَّنْبَ وَيَأْخُذُ بِهِ غَفَرْتُ لِعَبْدِي، ثُمَّ مَكَثَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ أَذْنَبَ ذَنْبًا ـ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ أَصَابَ ذَنْبًا ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَبِّ أَصَبْتُ ـ أَوْ أَذْنَبْتُ ـ آخَرَ فَاغْفِرْهُ لِي‏.‏ فَقَالَ أَعَلِمَ عَبْدِي أَنَّ لَهُ رَبًّا يَغْفِرُ الذَّنْبَ وَيَأْخُذُ بِهِ غَفَرْتُ لِعَبْدِي ـ ثَلاَثًا ـ فَلْيَعْمَلْ مَا شَاءَ}

[2] [Mariful Qu’ran, page 407, volume 2]