Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (11/655)

Second: Allah says:

“If you avoid the major sins you are forbidden to commit, We will expiate your misdeeds and admit you to a place of honor.”

He has thus promised those who avoid major sins that their misdeeds will be expiated and that they will receive what He has graciously promised. Anyone threatened with Allah’s wrath, His curse, the Fire, exclusion from Paradise, or anything implying these consequences falls outside this promise and therefore cannot be among those who avoid major sins. Likewise, someone who deserves a prescribed legal punishment has not had his misdeeds expiated through avoiding major sins. Were that so, he would have no sin for which he deserved punishment, whereas someone who deserves a prescribed legal punishment has committed a sin for which he deserves to be punished.

Third: This criterion rests on what Allah and His Messenger have said concerning sins. It is therefore a definition derived from the words of the Lawgiver. The other criteria are not derived from the words of Allah and His Messenger; rather, they express their proponents’ personal opinions and intuitions, without evidence from revelation. Relying on opinion and intuition without evidence from revelation is not permissible.

Fourth: This criterion makes it possible to distinguish major sins from minor sins, whereas those other criteria do not. There is no evidence to support those characteristics, for the distinction between matters on which the revealed laws agree and those on which they differ cannot be known unless it is possible for someone to have an accurate knowledge of those laws; and that is not known to us.

الثَّانِي: أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَالَ: {إنْ تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُمْ مُدْخَلًا كَرِيمًا} فَقَدْ وَعَدَ مُجْتَنِبَ الْكَبَائِرِ بِتَكْفِيرِ السَّيِّئَاتِ وَاسْتِحْقَاقِ الْوَعْدِ الْكَرِيمِ. وَكُلُّ مَنْ وُعِدَ بِغَضَبِ اللَّهِ أَوْ لَعْنَتِهِ أَوْ نَارٍ أَوْ حِرْمَانِ جَنَّةٍ أَوْ مَا يَقْتَضِي ذَلِكَ؛ فَإِنَّهُ خَارِجٌ عَنْ هَذَا الْوَعْدِ فَلَا يَكُونُ مِنْ مُجْتَنِبِي الْكَبَائِرِ. وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ اسْتَحَقَّ أَنْ يُقَامَ عَلَيْهِ الْحَدُّ لَمْ تَكُنْ سَيِّئَاتُهُ مُكَفَّرَةً عَنْهُ بِاجْتِنَابِ الْكَبَائِرِ إذْ لَوْ كَانَ كَذَلِكَ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذَنْبٌ يَسْتَحِقُّ أَنْ يُعَاقَبَ عَلَيْهِ وَالْمُسْتَحِقُّ أَنْ يُقَامَ عَلَيْهِ الْحَدُّ لَهُ ذَنْبٌ يَسْتَحِقُّ الْعُقُوبَةَ عَلَيْهِ. الثَّالِثُ: أَنَّ هَذَا الضَّابِطَ مَرْجِعُهُ إلَى مَا ذَكَرَهُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ فِي الذُّنُوبِ؛ فَهُوَ حَدٌّ يُتَلَقَّى مِنْ خِطَابِ الشَّارِعِ وَمَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ لَيْسَ مُتَلَقًّى مِنْ كَلَامِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ؛ بَلْ هُوَ قَوْلُ رَأْيِ الْقَائِلِ وَذَوْقِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ دَلِيلٍ شَرْعِيٍّ وَالرَّأْيُ وَالذَّوْقُ بِدُونِ دَلِيلٍ شَرْعِيٍّ لَا يَجُوزُ. الرَّابِعُ: أَنَّ هَذَا الضَّابِطَ يُمْكِنُ الْفَرْقُ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْكَبَائِرِ وَالصَّغَائِرِ وَأَمَّا تِلْكَ الْأُمُورُ فَلَا يُمْكِنُ الْفَرْقُ بِهَا بَيْنَ الْكَبَائِرِ وَالصَّغَائِرِ؛ لِأَنَّ تِلْكَ الصِّفَاتِ لَا دَلِيلَ عَلَيْهَا لِأَنَّ الْفَرْقَ بَيْنَ مَا اتَّفَقَتْ فِيهِ الشَّرَائِعُ وَاخْتَلَفَتْ لَا يُعْلَمُ إنْ لَمْ يُمْكِنْ وُجُودُ عَالَمٍ بِتِلْكَ الشَّرَائِعِ عَلَى وَجْهِهَا وَهَذَا غَيْرُ مَعْلُومٍ لَنَا.