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Fatwa CenterRepentance Wipes Away Previous Sins
Question
The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, “All my followers are saved except those who commit sins openly.” Is this safety ensured in this life, or in the Hereafter, or in both of them? Does safety here mean pardoning and forgiving the sin for those of whom Allah does not disclose their secret sins? Would Allah punish a person who discloses a sin that he has done despite the fact that he repented of that sin?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The complete statement as narrated from the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, reads:
“All my followers are saved except those who do sins openly. For example, a person commits a sin at night without people knowing about it. Then that person comes in the morning and finds nothing wrong with publicly speaking about what he has done even though Allah has concealed his sin.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
As stated by Ibn Hajar, safety in this regard has two possible meanings:
1- That Allah saves the perpetrator by forgiving him.
2- That Allah covers up his sin. As for the case of someone who disclosed a sin that he has done and then repents of the sin, then he has to repent of disclosing the sin too; which is another sin from which the person has to repent.
Allah knows best.
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