What Is the Meaning of This Prophetic Narration?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
I need to ask about hadith in Muslim no. 57f. It says:
A fornicator who fornicates is not a believer as long as he commits fornication, and no one who steals is not a believer as long as he commits theft, and no one who drinks wine is not a believer as long as he drinks it, and repentance may be accepted after that.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The fornicator does not fornicate as a Believer; the thief does not steal as a Believer; and the drinker of alcohol does not drink as a Believer — and repentance is still possible.” [Bukhari]
The apparent meaning of this narration is that one who commits a major sin such as fornication is no longer a Believer and has now become a disbeliever. [Ali Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih]
This is not the correct understanding. It is the consensus of the scholars of the Sunni Mainstream that sins, no matter how major, do not take one outside the faith. [Laqqani, Jawhara al-Tawhid]
This opinion is supported by many texts of the Quran and Sunna:
Fighting is a major sin; yet Allah Most High still calls them a groups of Believers.
Allah Most High says, “And if two groups of believers fight each other, then make peace between them. But if one of them transgresses against the other, then fight against the transgressing group until they ˹are willing to˺ submit to the rule of Allah. If they do so, then make peace between both ˹groups˺ in all fairness and act justly. Surely Allah loves those who uphold justice.” [Quran, 49:9]
Understanding the Narration
Since the scholars disagreed with the apparent meaning of this narration, they looked into the possible alternative interpretations more in line with the correct beliefs. The following are some of their opinions:
1) One who commits these major sins does not have perfect/complete faith.
2) One who commits these major sins is not safe (Amn) from Allah’s punishment (from the same root word as the word translated above as Believer.
3) One who commits these major sins is not an obedient Believer
4) Or the verse entails a warning that these major sins could lead to one losing their faith and dying as a disbeliever.
[Ali Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih]
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.
