How Much Is One Responsible for Aiding Others in Committing Sins?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
How much evil is it to assist someone in doing evil? Is someone equally or less guilty if he assists someone in doing evil? And, if he is guilty, will his guilt be proportional to how much he helped him?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
If a person directly assists another in sin, they are party to that sin.
They will be responsible for a three-fold portion of the sin:
- The sin of the evil deed committed;
- The sin of inviting to sin;
- The sin of all who accept that invitation and commit the sin.
Allah Most High says, “Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And be mindful of Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment.” [Quran, 5:2]
Prophetic Warnings
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever calls to misguidance (sin) has of the sin the like of the sin of those who follow it till the Day of Judgment, and they will not be diminished in their sin at all.” [Muslim]
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever establishes an evil practice, has the burden of its sin and the sin of those who acted upon it without decreasing from their sin at all.” [Ibid.]
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever assists someone in killing a Believer, even with half a word, they will meet Allah ‘on the Day of Judgment’ having the words ‘Despondent from Allah’s mercy’ written on their forehead.” [Ibn Majah]
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.
He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.
In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
