Knowing True Islaam  

The harm and bad effect of this factor upon eemaan (faith) is well known to all. Thus eemaan, as stated by more than one of the Salaf (predecessor), ‘increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience’. Just as accomplishing the obligatory and recommended deeds that Allaah has ordained increases eemaan, then likewise, performing the forbidden and disliked deeds that Allaah has not enjoined decreases eemaan.

However, sins vary greatly with respect to their rank, the evils they entail and the intensity of their harm. This is as Ibn al-Qayyim has mentioned: "Without doubt, kufr (disbelief); fusooq (evil deeds) and disobedience are of levels just as eemaan and righteous actions are of levels. Allaah says:

"They are in varying grades before Allaah and Allaah is All-Seer of what they do." [Soorah Aal-'Imraan (3):163]

He says:

"For all there will be degrees, according to that which they did. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do." [Soorah al-An'aam (6):132]

He says:

"The postponing (of a sacred month) is indeed an addition to kufr ..." [Soorah at-Tawbah (9):37]

He also says:

"... As for those who believe, it has increased their eemaan and they rejoice. But as for those whose hearts is a disease, it will add rijs [i.e., suspicion, doubt and disbelief. [t]] to their rijs." [Soorah at-Tawbah (9):124-125]

Statements of this kind are many in the Qur'aan." [Ighaathah al-Lahfaan, 2/142]

The Qur'aan and Sunnah show that sins are of major and minor types. Allaah says:

"And if you avoid the major of the sins that you are forbidden from, We shall remit for you your (minor) sins and admit you to a noble entrance." [Soorah an-Nisaa' (4):31]

Allaah also says:

"Those who avoid major sins and al-Fawaahish except the small faults ..." [Soorah an-Najm (53):32]

It is recorded in Saheeh Muslim, that Aboo Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, relates the Messenger of Allaah as saying: "The five prayers, the Friday prayer to the (next) Friday prayer and Ramadaan to (the next) Ramadaan; they expiate all (sins committed) between them as long as the major ones are avoided." [Saheeh Muslim, 1/209]

As recorded in the Saheehayn, 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Abee Bakrah relates from his father that he said: "We were with the Messenger of Allaah when he questioned three times, "Shall I not inform you o f the greatest of the major sins? Committing shirk with Allaah, disobedience to parents and issuing a false testimony" [Al-Bukhaaree, (10/405 Fath) and Muslim, 1/91]

Also recorded in the Saheehayn, the Messenger of Allaah was asked, ‘Which sin is the greatest before Allaah?’ He replied, ‘That you ascribe to Allaah an equal whilst it is He who created you.’ It was asked, ‘Then which?’ He said, ‘That you kill your child in fear that he will also need nourishment alongside you.' It was asked, 'Then which?' He answered, ‘That you have a sexual relationship with the wife of your neighbor’ [Al-Bukhaaree, (12/187 Fath) and Muslim, 1/91, from the hadeeth of Ibn Mas'ood, may Allaah be pleased with him]

Many other texts also show the varying levels of sins and that they are classified into major and minor ones.

Furthermore, from another perspective, these sins can be classified into four categories: Malikiyyah, Shaytaaniyyah, Sab'iyyah and Baheemiyyah; all sins can be classified under these types.

Malikiyyah sins are committed when one takes upon himself qualities of Lordship, which are not befitting for him, such as majesty, pride, domination, subjugation, highness, enslavement of people and other qualities of this type. Sins belonging to this category are of the most serious type.

As for Shaytaaniyyah (satanic) sins, it is by resembling Shaytaan in envy, oppression, cheating, hatred, deception, plotting evil, ordering disobedience of Allaah and beautifying it, prohibiting obedience of Allaah and censuring it, committing innovations in the religion of Allaah and the call to innovations and deviation. This category is placed second to the first type with respect to its harms, even though its harms are lesser.

Sab'iyyah sins are sins of transgression, anger, spilling blood, pouncing upon the weak and incapable. This gives birth to many types of harms to fellow humans and boldness towards committing oppression and transgression.

As for Baheemiyyah sins, examples of this are gluttony and the desire to satisfy lusts of the stomach and genital organs. This gives rise to fornication, adultery, theft, consumption of wealth belonging to orphans, miserliness, avarice, cowardice, restlessness, impatience and much more besides these.

This particular category is where most of the sins are perpetrated by people because of their incapability of committing sins of the Saba'iyyah and Malikiyyah type. It is from this category where they enter into the remaining categories, since this leads them to the rest by the reigns. Thus, as a result of this category they enter into the area of Saba'iyyah sins, then the Shaytaaniyyah, then finally, towards contesting the Lordship and committing shirk in the oneness of Allaah.

In any case, these matters show us that sins vary in their effect upon eemaan and upon its decrement and weakening of it.

This diversity of sins and of their effect upon eemaan trace back to a variety of considerations. Some of these are: the class of the sin, its amount, the degree of its harmful effects, the place, the time, with regard to its doer and other such considerations.

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, says: "On the whole, the levels of al-Faahishah (i.e., lewd and illicit deeds) are determined by their corresponding evils. Thus, the issue of a man who befriends a woman or a woman who befriends a man is deemed less evil than the issue of a man or woman who has an (illegal) sexual relationship."

The one who does the crime in secret is less sinful than the one who does it publicly. The one who conceals his sin is less sinful than the one who relates it publicly to the people; this one is far removed from receiving well being and pardon from Allaah ...

Likewise, having a sexual encounter with a woman who has no husband is less sinful than having a sexual encounter with one who has a husband, because of the oppression and transgression it entails against the husband as well as ruining his bed. The sin of this person can be greater or lesser than the mere sin of fornication.

To have a sexual encounter with the wife of a neighbor is more severe than having a sexual encounter with one who is far from home, because of its connection to harming the neighbor and not maintaining the instruction of Allaah and His Messenger with regard to the neighbor.

Similarly, having a sexual relationship with the wife of a soldier in Allaah's cause is worse than having a sexual relationship with the wife of another ...

Just as its levels differ in relation to the person one has a sexual encounter with, then likewise, it also differs according to the place, the time, the circumstances and the doer.

To fornicate or commit adultery for example, in the days and nights of Ramadaan is more sinful than at any other time. Its occurrence in the blessed and virtuous places is more sinful than in any other places.

As for its difference in relation to its doer, it being committed by a free person is more vile than it being committed by a slave. This is why the punishment of the slave is half of that of the free person. It is more repugnant from the married person than the virgin; likewise the same applies for the old person in relation to the young person.

It is more repulsive from the scholar than from the ignorant, because of the former's awareness of its abhorrence and consequences and of having embarked upon it with insight, and it is worse from one who is able to do without it than from one who is poor and weak.

However, presence of particular matters, which when associated to the types of sins that are less sinful, can deem them even greater sins than those that were initially more sinful.

For example, if one associates to this faahishah, a type of passionate love, which imposes the heart to be occupied with the loved one; deifying this person; glorifying, being humble and subservient to the beloved and placing forward obedience of the beloved and that which he or she orders over and above obedience to Allaah and His Messenger.

Hence, the matters that become connected to the love and glorification of this intimate companion, to the allegiance of whom the companion shows allegiance to, to the enmity towards whom the companion shows enmity towards and towards loving and hating that which the companion loves and hates are such that they can have a more harmful effect upon the person than simply embarking upon the lewd sin.

Shaykh Muhammad al-'Uthaymeen states: "As for the decrease of eemaan, it has causes:

1. Committing acts of disobedience, Eemaan decreases according to the class of sin, its amount, the indifference the person has towards it and the strength or weakness of the incentive to perpetrate it.

As for its class and amount; the decrease of eemaan by major sins is greater than that by the minor sins. The decrement of eemaan by killing a soul unlawfully is greater than (illegally) devouring valued wealth. Its decrease by two acts of disobedience is greater than one act of disobedience and so on.

As for being indifferent to the sin; if an act of disobedience emanates from a heart that thinks little of who it is disobeying and has little fear of Him, then the resultant decrease will be greater than if it were to emanate from a heart that glorifies Allaah and is very fearful of Him except that an act of disobedience inadvertently occurs from him.

Concerning the strength of the motive for committing the sin; if an act of disobedience emerges from a person whose incentives for doing the sin are weak, then the resultant decrease of his eemaan will be much greater than if it were to emerge from one whose incentives for doing the sin are strong.

This is why the display of arrogance by a poor person and an illegal sexual encounter by an old person are more sinful than the display of arrogance by a rich person and an illegal sexual encounter by a young person. As in the hadeeth [Related by at-Tabaraanee in al-Kabeer, 2/301; al-Bayhaqee in ash-Shu'ab. 3/220. AI-Haythamee declares in Majma' az-Zawaa'id, 4/78: "Its narrators are narrators of as-Saheeh." Al-Albaanee declared it saheeh, see Saheeh al-Jaami', 3/74] : "Three (types of people) whom Allaah will not speak to. He will not look at them on the Day of Resurrection or sanctify them and they will have a painful punishment."

Mentioned amongst these three are the gray-haired fornicator and the poor person who is arrogant, because of the lack of strong motives they have for embarking on these disobedient acts." [Fath al-Bariyyah, page 65]

With what has preceded, the conclusion is that sins decrease eemaan and that the amount of decrease varies in accordance to a multitude of considerations. Some of these are:

1 . The class of the sin

2. The degree of its harmful effects

3. The amount

4. The place and time

5. The indifference towards it

6. The doer

The explanation of this has already preceded, and with Allaah lies all tawfeeq.

Some matters that protect a person from sins and help him to remain distant from them and to not fall into them are the knowledge of their dangers, what they give rise to, their evil consequences and extreme harms.

Ibn al-Qayyim mentions in this respect a brief and yet more than adequate statement, which is to the point. He says: "Lack of tawfeeq (capability); incorrectness of opinion; concealment of truth (from him); corruption of the heart, lack of remembrance, squandering of time; dislike of creation (of him); alienation between the servant and his Lord; prevention of supplications being answered; hardness of heart; the exclusion of blessings in one's sustenance and life; deprivation of knowledge; the apparel of degradation; humiliation subjected by the enemy; constriction of the chest; being put to trial with evil companionship who corrupt the heart and waste time; lengthy anxiety and sorrow; hardship of life and gloominess of circumstance... are a result of disobedience and negligence of the remembrance of Allaah, which is comparable (in magnitude) to the vegetation that is produced by water and the burning that is caused by fire. The opposites of these matters arise from actions of obedience." [Al-Fawaa'id, page 62. Also see al Jawaab al-Kaafee of Ibn al-Qayyim, page 46 and onwards]




Taken from the book:  Causes Behind the Increase and Decrease of Eemaan by Shaykh Abdur-Razzaak al-'Abbaad, Translated by Abu Safwan Farid ibn Abdulwahid Haibatan, pgs.101-109; Publisher: Al-Hidaayah Publishing & Distribution.