Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

ASSALM-O-ALAIKUM

MY QUESTION IS COMMITING A SMALLER SIN TO FORBID ONES SELF FROM COMMITING A BIGGER SIN. IS THAT RIGHT OR WRONG. SOMETIMES IF A MALLER SIN STOPS U FROM COMMITING A BIG SIN.

THANK YOU 

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Answer:

Committing small sin

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 120:

120 Eschew (to keep far away, shun, avoid, scrupulously guard agasint, etc.) all sin, whether open or secret: those who earn sin will get due recompense for their "earnings."

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 151:

151 Say: "Come! I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from: join not anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents: kill not your children on a plea of want; We provide sustenance for you and for them; come not nigh to shameful deeds whether open or secret; take not life which Allah hath made sacred except by way of justice and law: thus doth He Command you that ye may learn wisdom.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 7 Surah Aaraaf verse 33:

33 Say: ‘The things that my Lord hath indeed forbidden are: shameful deeds whether open or secret; (all) sins and trespasses against truth or reason; assigning of partners to Allah for which he hath given no authority; and saying things about Allah of which ye have no knowledge.’

The Messenger of Allah (saws) declared in his ‘Khutbatul-Wida’ or ‘Last Sermon’ during his ‘Farewell Hajj’: ‘……O believers! Beware of the Shaytaan, for your safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things……’

Any act or deed which transgresses the clearly prescribed Boundaries of the Lord would be considered a sin in the Sight of Allah Subhanah; thus it the duty of the believers to fear their Lord and His Day of Accounting and strive their absolute utmost to abstain from all sins, big and small.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 99 Surah Anbiyaa verses 6-8:

6 On that Day (of Judgment) will men proceed in companies sorted out to be shown the deeds that they (had done).

7 Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good see it!

8 And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 21 Surah Anbiyaa verse 47:

47 We shall set up Scales of Justice for the Day of Judgment so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least. And if there be (a deed no more than) the weight of a mustard seed (good or evil), We will bring it (to account): and enough are We to take account.

Your Question: ….IS COMMITING A SMALLER SIN TO FORBID ONES SELF FROM COMMITING A BIGGER SIN. IS THAT RIGHT OR WRONG.

Beloved brother, committing a sin can never never ever be right in the Sight of the Lord Most High; thus the duty of the believers who sincerely fear their Lord and His Day of Accounting must, and I reiterate must strive to abstain from all sins, big or small.

But indeed there are times, situations, and conditions where one is so overcome by emotions or anger….that try as one may, one miserably fails in their trial and embattles upon sin…..

For example….someone does or says such a ghastly statement or does such a heinous act against someone, that one’s anger overtakes his good judgment and one is so driven by their emotion of anger that instead of just walking away one is instigated by their anger to hurt or even kill that person…….in such a situation, if the person simply retorts with words of abuse instead of hurting or Allah forbid killing that person….he would have committed a smaller sin instead of committing a bigger one! But that would not make their deed right or acceptable in the Sight of the Lord….for the best course of action for that person would have been to control his anger and simply walk away from indulging in the evil.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan