Question:
Assalamu ‘alaykum.
Does Allah forgive all sins, including kufr, murder, adultery, if genuine repentance is sought before death – even if these sins are committed multiple times?
If a Muslim died while consuming alcohol is there a chance that his sins will be forgiven if in his heart he had genuine remorse and uttered the Shahada?
Answer:
Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
I pray you are well.
All Sins Can Be Forgiven
Allah forgives all sins before the death of a believer – even if he falls into them again and again. This when there is sincere tawba. “Say, ‘O My Servants who have gone to excesses against their own selves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins entirely. Indeed, He is the All-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.’” (Qur’an, 39:53)
Verses such as this should not embolden us to sin. Rather, they are a reminder to us when we slip and the Devil tries to make us lose hope in Allah. They are reminders of Allah’s mercy being greater than our flaws. As long as there is true remorse, Allah will forgive – even in the scenario you mentioned.
Repenting From Disbelief
Kufr and Shirk are heinous acts, and they entail an active refection and denial of God or one of the matters He has deemed obligatory for us to believe. Repenting from it once is the case of those who enter Islam. However, falling into kufr and repenting time and time again indicates that there is not genuine belief in this person.
This repeated rejection is a mockery of a Shari’a. Mockery makes the crime worse. Therefore, it is unlikely that their repentance is sincere. ”Indeed those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe, then disbelieve, then increase in rejection Allah will not forgive them, nor lead them to anyway [of guidance]. (Qur’an, 4:137)
This matter, however, is Allah’s decision. A person could repent sincerely even from this. Allah knows, and He could choose to forgive one who repents from repeated kufr sincerely before death. After death, no such repentance will be accepted.
Please see:
Allah knows best.
May Allah keep us firm on faith until we meet Him. Amin.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani