How do major sins affect a believer's Iman without automatically removing Islam?
2026-09-21
T50 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Selected explanation · Selected source passage(s) — fully translated
Selected reasoning about the Bedouins discussed in Qur’an 49:14. The denial of the unrestricted designation “believer” is distinguished from declaring someone outside Islam; the final sentence classifies them among sinful Muslims rather than hypocrites. The English translates every displayed Arabic paragraph; this selection is not the complete surrounding work. Square brackets identify translator-supplied clarification.
النص العربي
المقتطف
وَقَدْ يُحْتَجُّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ بِقَوْلِهِ: {بِئْسَ الِاسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ} كَمَا قَالَ: {سِبَابُ الْمُسْلِمِ فُسُوقٌ وَقِتَالُهُ كُفْرٌ} فَذَمَّ مَنْ اسْتَبْدَلَ اسْمَ الْفُسُوقِ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ؛ فَدَلَّ عَلَى أَنَّ الْفَاسِقَ لَا يُسَمَّى مُؤْمِنًا فَدَلَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَعْرَابَ مِنْ جِنْسِ أَهْلِ الْكَبَائِرِ لَا مِنْ جِنْسِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ.
English translation
English translation reviewed against the displayed Arabic by SalafAlSalih editorial preparation (AI-assisted); explanatory additions appear in square brackets or separate notes.
Selected explanation
Evidence for this may be taken from His statement, “Evil is the name of wickedness after faith,” just as [the Prophet] said, “Insulting a Muslim is wickedness, and fighting him is unbelief.” He condemned the one who exchanged [the designation of faith] for the name of wickedness after faith. This indicates that the wicked person is not called a believer [without qualification]. It thus indicates that these Bedouins belong to the category of those who commit major sins, not to the category of the hypocrites.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 7/251
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic passage checked against the cited volume and printed page. English reviewed against every displayed Arabic paragraph on 14 October 2026.