GREATER SINS AND SMALLER SINS

Abstaining From the Greater Sins Cause the Lesser Sins to be Overlooked

If one avoids the Greater Sins, the Lesser sins shall be overlooked. Allah, the Almighty, by His grace, excuses the Lesser sins. As it is mentioned in the following verse of the Holy Qur'an
"If you shun the Greater Sins which you are forbidden, We will do away with your smaller sins and cause you to enter an honourable place of entering."
(Surah Nisa 4: 31)

The Gates of Paradise are Open for the Pious

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) is reported to have said,
"I swear by Allah, in Whose power is my life, there is not a single person who prays five times a day, fasts during the month of Ramadhan and abstains from sins that the gates of Paradise will not be opened for him."
After this he recited the Qur'anic verse quoted above.
(Tafseer Minhaajus Saadeqeen)

Intercession

A person who commits a Greater Sin and does not repent for it, is a transgressor. Namaz is not allowed behind him (he cannot lead a prayer assembly). His testimony is unacceptable. After death, he is liable for Divine punishment. By the Grace of Allah such a person may yet get salvation; and the Grace of Allah that can make this possible is the intercession of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) and his Progeny (a.s.).

As the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) says in one of his traditions:
"My intercession has been kept for the sinful among my followers."
(Behaarul Anwaar vol.3).

He (s.a.w.s.) also said,
"My intercession is specially for the sinful ones among my followers. But those who abstain from the Greater Sins, for them there is no accounting (of deeds)."

That is, they would be admitted to Paradise right away.

Intercession Should not Prompt one to Commit Sins

There is hardly any doubt regarding the reality of Shafa'at (intercession). Actually it is the right bestowed upon the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and the purified Imams (a.s.), by Allah, to show their greatness and position. The other aim of intercession is to make their respect evident. The people who have committed Greater Sins shall be entrusted to them. By the grace of their intercession the sinful people will be able to ascend the heights like other groups of people. All this is evident from the Holy Qur'an and the authentic reports. It is also clear from Mutawatir (most frequently related) traditions. It would be needless to relate all such traditions for such a short discussion.

Only one point must be stressed at this stage. Intercession should not be taken as a license for committing sins nor should it make one heedless of repentance.

Suicide in the Hope of Salvation

To sin and not to repent in the hope of intercession is akin to consuming poison or putting ones hand in the snake's mouth with the hope that a doctor would arrive and cure you. It is against logic, because after consuming poison it cannot be taken for granted that medical assistance would be available. Even if a doctor and medicines arrive on time it is still difficult to say that life would be saved. Before the medicine could have any effect the poison may spread to the whole body and death may occur.

In the same way, one who performs lewd actions in the hope that he would be interceded after death; cannot be confident that intercession will come to the rescue immediately.

Death is of Three Types

Imam Muhammad Taqi (a.s.) has related from his forefathers that Amirul Momineen Ali (a.s.) was queried by someone about death. He replied,
"You have come to the knowledgeable (personality)." "Death occurs to a person in one of the three ways:
He is given the good news of everlasting bounties, or informed of the never-ending retribution or he remains in a perpetual state of terror and fear.

His affair lingers undecided and unpredictable, and it is not known about the kind of future that awaits him. Then (you must know) that our devotee who is obedient of our command and does not sin, is given the good news of everlasting bounties. But our opponent shall forever be involved in Divine punishment. And the person who has been unjust to his soul and who has abused it will be found in an unsure condition. Unaware of what the future will hold. Such a person is a sinner whose death will be accompanied with terror and fear. But Allah will not consider him on the same level as our enemy. Rather he would be removed from Hell because of our intercession.

Then, act (rightly) and obey the commandments of Allah. Do not consider the Divine punishment to be trifle, and certainly there are such people who would not be able to receive our intercession till after 3,00,000 years."(Behaarul Anwaar vol.3 quoted from Ma'aniul Akhbaar)

I am Concerned About You Regarding Barzakh

Umar ibne Yazid says that, "I asked Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.), "I have heard you saying that all our Shia's will enter Heaven however sinful they may be?" Imam replied,
"By Allah I had truly said, they shall all belong to Heaven."

Then I asked, "May my life be sacrificed upon you, even if their sins are great and in large number?" Imam said,
"All of you (Shias) shall enter Paradise by the intercession of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) or his successors on the Day of Judgement. But, by Allah I fear for you the Barzakh."

I asked,"What is Barzakh?"

He replied,
"Barzakh is the grave. Its duration commences from the time of death until the Day of Judgement."
(Al Kafi)

Tears of Blood

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) called the attention of Ibne Masud and imparted some advice to him. He said in this regard.

"Never imagine a sin to be trifle and miniature and abstain from the Greater Sins, because, on the Day of Judgement, when the slave beholds his sins, tears of blood and puss shall flow from his eyes. At that moment Allah shall say, "This is the day when everyone shall see his good or bad deeds, and wish there be a great distance between them and their sins."
(Behaarul Anwaar vol.17)

It is also related from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) that he said,
"Verily, a person shall be kept captive in Hell for a hundred years for each of the sins (that he commits)."
(Al-Kafi)

No Intercession for Those Who Regard Namaz Unimportant

Making light of Salaat is counted among the Greater Sins. It is mentioned in some reports that the one who considers the prayers unimportant is not eligible for intercession.

Thus Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said:
"Our intercession is not for those who consider the Prayers unimportant."

Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said:
"Our intercession is not for those who considered the Prayers lightly."
(Behaarul Anwaar vol.3)

It is related from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) that he said:
"One who considers prayers unimportant is not from me. By Allah, he is not from me. By Allah, he cannot reach near me at the Haudh-e-Kauthar." (the cistern in Paradise)
(Beharul Anwaar)

The above discussion makes it evident that not avoiding sins, committing sins blatantly and then repenting in the hope of intercession is foolishness and a sign of arrogance and negligence.

Excessive Sins Destroy the Faith (Belief)

Whatever has been mentioned in the discussion of intercession states that intercession comes to the rescue when the person concerned has died with correct belief. It happens, sometimes that, due to excessive involvement in sins and delay in repentance, faith in religion is erased from the heart. Subsequently he enters the limit of doubt and reaches the point of denial (Kufr). At this time if he is taken away by death, such a person is similar to the one who had consumed poison in the false hope that the doctor would save his life. But when the doctor arrives, death had already preceded him. What can the doctor do to cure him. In the same way the request of the intercessors is ineffective for the one who has died as an unbeliever.

"So the intercession of intercessors shall not avail them."
(Surah Muddassir 74:48)

In order to prove my statement I propose to quote one verse from the Holy Qur'an and two traditions:
"Then evil was the end of those who did evil, because they rejected the communications of Allah and used to mock them."
(Surah Rome 30:10)

Sins Blacken the Heart

The first tradition is reported from Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.): He said,
"There is no man who does not have a white spot in his heart. When he commits a sin a black spot emerges from this spot. If he repents, the blackness goes away but if he sinks in sin and continues to sin the blackness keeps on increasing till it surrounds the whiteness of the heart completely. When the white spot is totally covered by the blackness, the owner of this heart will never revert towards goodness. This tradition is in consonance with the utterance of Allah:
"By no means! But on their hearts is the stain of the (ill) which they do."
(Surah Mutaffefeen 83:14)

The Blackened Heart is Immune to Advice and Counsel

The people with the 'blackened heart' are totally unaffected by any counsel because their sins have caused the darkness to spread all over their heart. The loss of the inner eye prevents them from perceiving truths nor can they recognise the truth when they see it. They cannot accept any exhortation and revert to the path of virtue. It is in this connection that Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) explains:
"A man resolves to perform a sinful action but does not act upon it, but sometimes does commit it; Allah sees him and says: "By My Glory, after this I shall never forgive you."

According to another report, the person (sinner) is kept away from the Mercy of Allah due to his sin. He also does not get the impetus to seek repentance, hence his sin is never forgiven. Allama Majlisi (r.a.) writes in the explanatory note of the above tradition: "The purport of this tradition of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.) is that, the Imam has commanded us to fear all types of sins because every sin seems to be such that it may not qualify being overlooked.

To Be Fearful of the Past Sins

The believing people should always be fearful of the sins committed in the past and should mourn for them since we do not know which of our sins can bring about out destruction. The Imam (a.s.) has not informed us of any sin that we can ignore and remain bereft of the Mercy of Allah. However, it is certain that the sin for which we have not repented would be sure to prevent our salvation. So we must enter the domain of Allah's grace through the door of repentance. We should sincerely repent for those sins, which are forgotten by us and especially seek forgiveness of those sins that we remember. The method of repenting shall be explained later Inshallah.

Intercession Should Neither Raise False Hope, Nor be a Cause to be Arrogant

The preceding discussion has shown that the element of intercession does not become the cause of arrogance and disobedience. Rather, intercession imparts strength to the sinner in a state of despair. It creates in him the habit of repenting with fervour. Consequently, he would be able to reach a high position and achieve nearness to the Lord of the Worlds.

The Fear and Dread of Sins is Still Necessary

It should not be so, that a person is hopeful of intercession and is negligent at the same time. Along with the hope of intercession the fear of Allah is also a must. Because fear is not contrary to intercession. The one who is hopeful of the grace and mercy of the Almighty Lord may also experience fear. Otherwise he may not be able to obtain intercession of his masters [The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and the Imams (a.s.)] for a very long time. In other words, such a person would be able to receive intercession only after being afflicted with the punishment of the grave for a long period of time. In the meantime the fear, awe, agony, suffering and misery that he is experiencing, may become the cause for him to receive intercession of the purified Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). It may also spur him to be attached to them steadily.