Sin

In a religious context, sin is an act of transgression against divine law. In Islamic ethics, Muslims see sin as anything that goes against the commands of Allah (God).

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Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ragheb, Sayyed Muhammad Husaini Ragheb has a BA in Law from Guilan University, Iran and has also undertaken Hawzah studies in Qom. He used to be a Cultural Affairs director of Ethics Group of Al-Mustafa... Answered 4 years ago

Assalamu Alaikum
Allah (swt) states in the Holy Quran that He will forgive all the sins:
Surah Zumar(39) verse (59)
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّـهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ 
Say [that Allah declares,] ‘O My servants who have committed excesses against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed Allah will forgive all sins. Indeed, He is the All-forgiving, the All-merciful.

But we have to bear in mind that repentance has some conditions:
 

Tawbah is not accepted from one who merely declares, “I repent.” There are a number of conditions that must be fulfilled before the acceptance of Tawbah. These are mentioned below in the following hadith:

• It is narrated that someone said: Astaghfirullah (I seek God's forgiveness) before Imam ‘Ali (a). He said to him. "May your mother mourn for you! Do you know what istighfar is? Verily istighfar is a degree of the 'illiyyun (people of high station) and it is a word that means six things. First is remorse over the past. Second, the resolution not to return to it ever. Third, to return to creatures their (formerly usurped) rights so that you meet God Almighty in a state of purity in which no one has any claim against you. Fourth, that you fulfil every duty that you neglected in order to satisfy your obliga­tion in respect to it. Fifth, that you attend to the flesh of your body that has grown on unlawful nourishment so that it melts away as a result of grief and mourning and your skin adheres to your bones, after which new flesh grows in its place. Sixth, that you make your body taste the pain of obedience in the same way as it earlier tasted the pleasure of sins. When you have done these things then say Astaghfirul­lah! [Nahj al‑Balagha, saying # 417]

This noble tradition mentions two prerequisites for Tawbah (remorse and resolution), two important conditions for its acceptance (returning the rights of creatures and of the Creator), and finally two points for the perfection of repentance.

read more here:
https://www.al-islam.org/articles/merits-soul-repentance-tawbah

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Sayed Mohammad Saleh Qazwini, Sayed Mohammad Saleh Qazwini has a BA from the University of Michigan and an MA from Wayne State University. He is a graduate of the Islamic Seminary of Qom, Iran. Answered 4 years ago

Allah has promised to forgive all sins with the exception of associating a partner with Him (shirk). The only condition for a sin to be forgiven is sincerity. If a person is sincere in their repentance, meaning that they do not go back to the same sin, then that is a sign that Allah has forgiven them. Allah knows best. 

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Abbas Di Palma, Shaykh Abbas Di Palma holds a BA and an MA degree in Islamic Studies, and certifications from the Language Institute of Damascus University. He has also studied traditional Islamic sciences in... Answer updated 4 years ago

as salam alaikum

it may be true in some cases but we cannot generalize for all people and all illnesses. For example books of history tells us that Abu Lahab got very ill during his last stages of life and it was not for wiping out his sin.

With prayers for your success.

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Abbas Di Palma, Shaykh Abbas Di Palma holds a BA and an MA degree in Islamic Studies, and certifications from the Language Institute of Damascus University. He has also studied traditional Islamic sciences in... Answer updated 4 years ago

as salam alaikum

the Qur'an does not approve the belief that Allah has taken to Himself a son. It says: "They said:- The Most-Gracious has taken to Himself a son-. Say:- You have uttered something hideous-. The heavens are about to burst on account on that, and the earth about to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in pieces because they have ascribed a son to the Most-Gracious whereas it does not behove the Most-Gracious that He should take to Himself a son" (19:88-92).

With prayers for your success.

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Seyed Ali Shobayri, Seyed Ali Shobayri is of mixed Iranian and Scottish descent who found the path of the Ahlul Bayt (a) by his own research. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University through the... Answer updated 4 years ago

Bismillah, 

Asalamu Alaykom, 

When our jurists produce religious rulings, they have done so based on  the religious sources and principles. This is  according to their best efforts. It could be that a jurists’s ruling in reality isn’t correct, however the jurist exhausts his upmost efforts to produce something that they think is closest to the sources. 

Therefore, even if a ruling wasn’t correct in reality, someone wouldn’t be accountable as he has only followed this jurist’s ruling while considering him to be a qualified expert in Islamic jurisprudence. 

When it comes to one’s own theological beliefs such as proving God, they must establish and prove this for themselves and can’t just say: “A scholar told me to believe in God so I do so”. 

May Allah grant you success

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 4 years ago

Bismillah 

Thank you for your question. There is no problem in repeating the formula for nikah. With the first pronouncement of the marriage formula the couple will be married.

May you always be successful 

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Seyed Ali Shobayri, Seyed Ali Shobayri is of mixed Iranian and Scottish descent who found the path of the Ahlul Bayt (a) by his own research. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University through the... Answer updated 4 years ago

Bismillah, Asalamu Alaykom,

The primary or default ruling is that a virgin girl wanting to marry, MUST seek permission of her current guardian such as her father or her parental grandfather. Marrying without their permission wouldn’t be permissible. If neither were present however - which meant that it wasn’t possible for a girl to obtain their permission - then their permission wouldn’t be required. It could also be possible that both of them are deceased which would make the matter in the girl’s hands.

An important question arises though, and I believe that this matter must be addressed as I haven’t seen many scholars speak on it. The matter is as follows:

If you are enquiring about a secondary ruling on this matter, and are wanting to know if it’s possible in any circumstances for a girl to marry without the consent of her guardian, then the answer is yes.

The religion of Islam gives women rights and in extreme circumstances of hardship, the guardianship of the father can be dropped. Let us say that a family is oppressing their daughter by stopping her to marry for no legitimate Islamic reasons. Let us say that by preventing this girl to marry, she will fall into sin and start losing her religion; in such cases, a virgin girl may marry a suitable believer without permission provided that such a decision isn’t based on emotions or a haram so called ‘love marriage’. She should also be of sound mind and distinction.

We have faced many cases in our communities where due to racism or cultural reasons, parents have rejected suitable believing brothers to marry their daughters! Or even the other case where a son is stopped marrying a suitable believing woman due to non-Islamic reasons and family pressure. I have personally met brothers in their mid-thirties still unmarried due to past believing sisters never being able to satisfy their families’ cultural expectations. Such practices contradict the many ahadith from our Prophet and imams (peace be upon them) and people should reflect on the following narration:

فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ص قَالَ إِذَا جَاءَكُمْ مَنْ تَرْضَوْنَ خُلُقَهُ وَ دِينَهُ فَزَوِّجُوهُ إِنَّكُمْ إِلَّا تَفْعَلُوا ذَلِكَ تَكُنْ فِتْنَةٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ فَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ ‘

Verily the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said: “If someone comes to you and you are satisfied with his manners and religion, marry him. Verily, if you do not do that, there will be fitnah (sedition) on the earth and great fasād (corruption)”

This is why we see many fall into corruption or even leave the religion due to not being married. Therefore, this is why some scholars have conducted marriage contracts without consent of the guardian as the refusal cannot be based on non-Islamic reasons.

Please check the rulings of some Maraja below:

2440. If a guardian’s refusal to allow a virgin to marry will cause her serious harm, or contribute to social corruption, or cause her unbearable hardship, then his guardianship is nullified and she can marry immediately without his permission. But if she is not intellectually mature, then she becomes a ward of the religious authority (the marjaʿ).

- S. Taqi Al-Moddaressi, The Laws of Islam, p.439.

"Q: If a baligh and mature girl wishes to marry a devout Muslim young man but her father refuses this for material reasons, is it permissible for her to marry him without the consent of the father, if the latter continues to insist on his refusal?"

A: It is permissible, if the husband is of equal or comparable status to her.

S. Sadiq Al-Shirazi, Islamic Laws, p.486 ​​​​

2441. If a girl is not a virgin, or if she is a virgin but seeking the consent of her father or paternal grandfather is not possible, or entails a lot of hardship and she needs to get married, then the consent of her father or paternal grandfather will not be mandatory.

-  Wahid Khorasani, Islamic laws, p.518.

Q [45]                                                                                          

If the guardian of a virgin girl refuses to grant her permission to get married, is the girl allowed to get married?

A - if the guardian refuses to give his permission for her marriage for the sake of her own welfare then she is not permitted to marry without the consent. If the person that approached her for marriage was suitable for her and the refusal of the guardian was out of stubbornness, then his permission is not required." - From the official website of Sayed Sa’eed Al-Hakeem.

So to answer the question, if a girl married without permission for no valid Islamic reason, then it would be sinful. If she however had no choice due to extreme circumstances and was forced to flee her home, then no sin has been committed inshallah.

Please note that the above rulings should be taken into consideration as a very LAST resort. Even if a sister’s parents reject a suitable believer, she should do everything possible to try and convince them. She may also seek help from reputable scholars or members of her Muslim community to mediate between her and her parents.

May Allah grant you success

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answer updated 4 years ago

You need to :

1. Seek forgiveness for breaking your oath.

2. You need to pay the penalty of breaking the oath which is feeding or clothing ten poor believers or fasting three days.

3. You must refrain from committing that sinful act again.

Wassalam.

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 4 years ago

Well, people tend to become like their friends, so it is good to have friends who have ethical conduct that you want to follow. Of course, it is also helpful to have friends who have other qualities that we want to model - for instance, if you want success in a certain field, it is helpful to be friends with people who are successful in that field. Still, ethics is a higher priority than career success. 

It is one thing that they do something that you disapprove of and another for them to encourage you to do it. Of course, human nature is such that people are rarely happy unless they get the people around them to do the same things they are. (This is one reason why choosing quality friends is so important!) 

Anyway, if you wish to remain friends, you could try drawing the line with them and telling them that if you are going to remain friends, they need to respect your beliefs and stop encouraging you to do things that are against your beliefs. If they aren't willing to do that, they aren't really friends - true friends respect each others' beliefs.

Or you could cut down on the time you spend with them. It is natural for people to move on in life anyway. 

In any case, if you decide to remain friends, you need to be extra careful not to be influenced. 

Maybe Allah will grant you new friends who both share/respect your ethical beliefs and also give good career advice. 

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 years ago

Praying in congregation is highly recommended and the reward of every
Raka’at of it is multiplied by thousands of times. If you are in a
place where congregational prayers are held and your not participating
in it amounts to an insult to the Imam of the Jama’at or the
Mo’meneen, it will then be sinful not to participate in the said
congregational prayers.

There is another case, when the person does not know how to pray
individually or cannot recite the Qira’at properly, then he must join
an available congregational prayer.

Wassalam.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 years ago

It is disliked ( Makrouh) to say Wallah ( By Allah) or any word with the same meaning to prove a claim if you believe that the claim is genuine. The Hadeeth says: True oaths destroys the houses.

Obviously, false oath is a major sin and it is called the sinful immersing oath because it immerses the liar inside the hellfire.

If you thought that something happened and said Wallah, then discovered that you were not right, you did not commit a sinful act, but a disliked act. You need to inform every one who heard you that you have misunderstood.

Wassalam.

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 4 years ago

A similar question has been answered here, but I'm sure there is no harm if others want to add more answers! https://www.al-islam.org/ask/can-any-spiritual-leader-claim-that-he-has-the-authority-to-forgive-the-sins-of-a-person

It seems as if you may have a specific spiritual leader in mind. Anyway, I don't know who it is, but no, they don't have the authority to forgive even one sin of a person let alone all of their sins. It sounds like they are playing psychological games or perhaps they are genuinely confused. Sometimes people who go heavily into mysticism become a little deluded or psychologically unbalanced and believe things about themself or their spiritual capabilities that are not true, this is not to say it is bad to go into mysticism and 'irfan but just that there are some dangers associated with it that it is good to be on the lookout for with respect to one's self and those one looks to for spiritual guidance. You should not trust wholeheartedly someone who claims to be able to forgive peoples' sins. 

Also as a general rule it is always wise to keep one's eyes open around spiritual guides (as you are doing), there is no harm in taking the good from them and benefitting from whatever good they have to offer, but some people treat their spiritual guides as if they are walking gods and infallibles and no human being, except the prophets and Imams, can live up to that. Unless someone is in a complete state of denial, it often leads to a letdown, abuse, or loss of faith, because they are human beings. Anyway this may be veering off topic, wishing you the best in your spiritual pursuits.