Does Allaah accept the tawbah of the apostate or the innovator

بســـم اللــه الرحــمــن الـرحـــيــم

Answered by our Shaykh, the 'Allāmah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu 'Abdirrahmān Yahya bin 'Ali Al-Hajūri - may Allāh preserve him - on the 27th, Muharram, 1443H

📥Question:

The questioner is asking about the hadith 'Allaah doesn't accept the repentance of a slave who disbelieved after accepting Islaam'?

📥Answer:

This is if he dies upon kufr, 

(وَمَن يَرْتَدِدْ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِۦ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَٰلُهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةِۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ) 

"And whosoever of you turns back from his religion and dies as a disbeliever, then his deeds will be lost in this life and in the Hereafter, and they will be the dwellers of the Fire. They will abide therein forever."

[Al-Baqarah: 217]

The Hadith Allaah doesn't accept the repentance of a slave who disbelieved after accepting Islaam is upon this (meaning), whoever apostated and died upon kufr, his tawbah is not accepted, the meaning is Allaah will not bestow repentance upon him 

Untill His statement;

 (وَلَا ٱلَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌۚ )

"Nor of those who die while they are disbelievers."

[An-Nisaa: 18]

i.e Allaah will not bestow his mercy upon them.

As for the Hadith ;

أَبَى اللهُ أن يقبلَ عملَ صاحبِ بدعةٍ ، حتى يَدَعَ بدعتَه

"Allaah doesn't accept the repentance of the perpetrator of bid'ah until he leaves his bid'ah"

i.e he won't be granted success to it, as for if he's granted success to it, it's accepted. Allaah accepts the tawbah of a Kaafir or not if he repents;

(قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِن يَنتَهُوا۟ يُغْفَرْ لَهُم مَّا قَدْ سَلَف)َ 

"Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from disbelief) their past will be forgiven."

[Al-Anfaal: 38]

And likewise the mubtadi's tawbah is accepted, but verily Allaah doesn't grant him success, we ask Allaah for Aafiyah, we seek refuge with Allaah from bid'ah.

The mubtadi' is not granted success to tawbah. Imaam Ahmed said he's not granted success to it, and a number of the people of knowledge said that he's not granted success.

So beware BaarakAllaah Feek upon yourselves from hizbiyyah and bid'ah, it's bid'ah! For verily you see many people falling into bid'ah and hizbiyyah and you say the proof is clear infront of the man, what's wrong with him that he doesn't fear Allaah, he wasn't granted success.

We ask Allaah for success upon His obedience.

You find he's not granted success. And tawbah amongst the people of sin is more than the people of bid'ah, more than it. 

Rather perhaps he increase in evil, if he innovates or opposes, he increase in evil, and the proof for that is the statement of the Prophet ﷺ;

تَجَارَى بِهِمْ تِلْكَ الأَهْوَاءُ

"Dominated by desires"

Ya'nee it starts of small then it increases, he's pushed towards evil, and he's pushed more and he extends more, and the Shaytaan follows him more, we ask Allaah for safety;

(فَأَتْبَعَهُ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْغَاوِين)َ 

"So Shaitan (Satan) followed him up, and he became of those who went astray."

[Al-A'raaf: 175]

i.e he seek dominance over him more, I add to this the Hadith;

أَقْوَامٌ تَجَارَى بِهِمْ تِلْكَ الأَهْوَاءُ كَمَا يَتَجَارَى الْكَلْبُ لِصَاحِبِهِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ عَمْرٌو ‏"‏ الْكَلْبُ بِصَاحِبِهِ لاَ يَبْقَى مِنْهُ عِرْقٌ وَلاَ مَفْصِلٌ إِلاَّ دَخَلَهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

"People who will be dominated by desires like rabies which penetrates its patient until there remains no vein nor joint except it penetrates it.”

So the beginning of his affair is simple easy, then the condition gets worse for him then the Shaytaan follows him up, and the desire penetrate him until perhaps he's prevented from tawbah.

So we ask Allaah to be in Aafiyah of all of that, we ask Allaah for Salaamah and Aafiyah, and to take our souls while we are upon Islaam and the Sunnah. 

Some of them say I'm going to stand in enmity against this Da'wah, I'm against this Da'wah, by Allaah there's no problem, by Allaah there's no problem man, for indeed every forsaker has enmity to it, whoever shows enmity towards it Allaah shows enmity towards him;

 من عادى لي ولياً فقد آذنته بالحرب

"Whoever shows enmity to a waliy of mine I declare war on him."

The meaning is you want to wage war against the Lord of the worlds and showing enmity towards the righteous, this is no problem, the problem is on you, and noone showed enmity to the Da'wah or harmed it or rejected it or caused fitnah for the truth and it's people except a person whom Allaah intended evil for, as long as Allaah doesn't submerse him in His mercy and he repents, and it will fall back on him in a worst condition;

(إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْۖ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَاۚ)

(And We said): "If you do good, you do good for your ownselves, and if you do evil (you do it) against yourselves." 

[Al-Israa': 7]

So upon a Muslim is to be gentle to himself and seek refuge from decrease after increase, and it's not allowed for him to show enmity or harm a believer/believers, don't show enmity font cause harm without due right there's no need.

The point of benefit is there's no problem, the enmity of the people of falsehood in all it's forms is no problem;

(إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُدَٰفِعُ عَنِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ۗ)

"Truly, Allah defends those who believe."

[Al-Hajj: 38]

Abu Jahl stood (in enmity), Abu Lahb stood, Abu Lahb is the relative of the Prophet ﷺ and with that he showed enmity him and his wife and stood with the upmost harm, they didn't harm;

(لَن يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلَّآ أَذًى)ۖ 

They will do you no harm, barring a trifling annoyance; 

[Aal-Imraan: 111]

Verily the harms goes back on the person of fitnah;

(وَتَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِمَا صَدَدتُّمْ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِۖ وَلَكُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ) 

"And you may have to taste the evil (punishment in this world) of having hindered (men) from the Path of Allaah, and yours will be a great torment (i.e. the Fire of Hell in the Hereafter)."

[An-Nahl: 94]

The magicians with the severity of their fitnah didn't do anything, magicians, and they didn't do anything by the permission of Allaah;

(وَمَا هُم بِضَآرِّينَ بِهِۦ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّه)ِۚ 

"But they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's Leave."

[Al-Baqarah: 102]

A magician!, magician!, so what about other than him?

The summary is be upon Istiqaamah and relax yourself, and know that Allaah is you Waliy;

ٱللَّهُ وَلِىُّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِۖ 

"Allaah is the Waliy (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light."

[Al-Baqarah: 257]

So the guardianship of Allaah to you O believer, be upon Istiqaamah and relax yourself, 

من عادى لي ولياً فقد آذنته بالحرب

"Whoever shows enmity to a waliy of mine I declare war on him."

Allaah's Angels are with you,

(إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَقَٰمُوا۟ تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا۟ وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا۟ وَأَبْشِرُوا۟ بِٱلْجَنَّةِ ٱلَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ) ○ (نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَآؤُكُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِۖ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِىٓ أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُون)َ 

"Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allah (Alone)," and then they Istaqamu, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised! "We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter."

[Fussilat: 30-31]

What can you do, Allaah's Angels are with you, if the Istiqaamah of of a person is correct and his uprightness, then he is in the protection of Allaah, Allaah will protect you, and Allaah's Angels protect by the command of Allaah;

(لَهُۥ مُعَقِّبَٰتٌ مِّنۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِۦ يَحْفَظُونَهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِ ٱللَّه)ِۗ 

"For each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allah."

[Ar-Ra'd: 11]

____

Transcribed to Arabic and summarised by:

Thaabit Al-Hadhrami

- may Allaah reward him with good - 

on the 27th, Muharram, 1443H

Translated by: 

Abū 'Abdillāh 'Omar bin Yahya Al-'Akawi

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