Belief, Dought & clear,- * Will the person who commits a major sin be punished if his good deeds out weigh his bad deeds?

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I find a contradiction in the views of the scholars concerning two matters, as they say that the one who commits a major sin is subject to the will of Allah, if He will sHe will punish him and if He wills He will forgive him, whilst they also say that the one whose good deeds outweigh his bad deeds will be one of the people of Paradise. What is the solution to this problem? It is as follows: in the case of the one who commits a single major sin, if his good deeds outweigh his bad deeds, can we say that he is promised Paradise and will not be one of the people of Hell, or can we say that he is subject to the will of Allah, and if He wills He will punish him and if He wills He will forgive him?
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Praise be to Allah.
There is no contradiction between the views of the scholars concerning this issue, praise be to Allah. That may be explained as follows:
Firstly:
Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah are unanimously agreed that in the case of one who has committed major sins, if he meets Allah, may He be exalted, having repented sincerely from it, Allah will not punish him for it or take him to task for it, because the one who repents from sin is like one who did not commit sin. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[al-Furqaan 25:70].
Secondly:
The one who meets Allah having not repented from his major sin is subject to the will of Allah: if He wills He will punish him and if He wills He will forgive him. This is unlike the view of those who say that the warning of punishment will inevitably be carried out on those who commit major sins, and even ruled that they will abide for ever in Hell because of that, such as the Khawaarij and Mu‘tazilah, or – on the other hand – those who denied that the warning of punishment will ever be carried out on any of the “people of the qiblah”, such as the extreme Murji’ah.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases”
[an-Nisa’ 4:48].
Ibn Jareer at-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This verse highlights the fact that anyone who commits a major sin is subject to the will of Allah: if He wills He will forgive him for it, and if He wills He will punish him for it, so long as his major sin is not that of ascribing partners to Allah (shirk). End quote.
Tafseer at-Tabari(8/450)
Thirdly:
When a person who affirmed the Oneness of Allah (Tawheed) but committed sins, major or otherwise, meets Allah, if his good deeds outweighed his bad deeds, he will enter Paradise and will not be punished, but if his bad deeds outweighed his good deeds, he will enter Hell in a manner commensurate with his bad deeds, then his ultimate destination will be Paradise.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… So as for those whose scale (of good deeds) will be heavy, they will be the successful (by entering Paradise).
And as for those whose scale will be light, they are those who will lose their ownselves (by entering Hell) because they denied and rejected Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc)”
[al-A‘raaf 7:8-9].
“Then as for him whose balance (of good deeds) will be heavy,
He will live a pleasant life (in Paradise).
But as for him whose balance (of good deeds) will be light,
He will have his home in Hawiyah (pit, i.e. Hell)”
[al-Qaari‘ah 101:6-9].
Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The Sahaabah and Ahl as-Sunnah are of the view that those who committed major sins will be brought out of Hell, and intercession will be made for them. A single major sin will not cancel out all of one’s good deeds, but it may cancel out some, according to most of Ahl as-Sunnah. Nothing cancels out all good deeds except disbelief (kufr), just as nothing cancels out all bad deeds except repentance. If the one who has committed major sin does good deeds, seeking thereby the pleasure of Allah, Allah will reward him for that even if he deserves punishment for his major sin.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ al-Fataawa(10/321-322).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Some people may mix a righteous deed with a bad deed, so they do both good deeds and major sins, and they meet Allah persisting in that and not having repented from it, but their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds. So when their deeds are weighed, and the good deeds weigh more heavily, they will also be saved and be successful. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And the weighing on that day (Day of Resurrection) will be the true (weighing). So as for those whose scale (of good deeds) will be heavy, they will be the successful (by entering Paradise).
And as for those whose scale will be light, they are those who will lose their ownselves (by entering Hell) because they denied and rejected Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc)”
[al-A‘raaf 7:8-9].
Hudhayfah, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood and others among the Sahaabah said: On the Day of Resurrection, the people will be gathered in three categories. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, even by one, will enter Paradise. Those whose bad deeds outweigh their good deeds, even by one, will enter Hell. And those whose good deeds and bad deeds are equal will be among the people of the Heights (al-A‘raaf, between Paradise and Hell).
This weighing up of good and bad deeds will come after scores have been settled and those who were wronged have had their rights restored by taking from the good deeds of those who wronged them. Then if any of their good deeds are left, they will be weighed, as will their bad deeds.
Tareeq al-Hijratayn(1/562)
Fourthly:
This does not mean that one whose bad deeds outweigh his good deeds by one will enter Hell; rather he deserves punishment for his deeds, yet despite that he is also subject to the will of Allah, may He be exalted, as is the principle of Ahl as-Sunnah with regard to those who commit major sins: if Allah wills He will forgive him and if He wills He will punish him.
Shaykh Haafiz al-Hakami (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Question: how can we reconcile between the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in this hadith, “… Then he case rests with Allah; if He wills He will forgive him and if He wills He will punish him” (agreed upon), and what was mentioned previously, that the one whose bad deeds outweigh his good deeds will enter Hell?
Answer: there is no contradiction between them. For the one whom Allah wants to forgive, He will give him an easy reckoning which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) described in the following terms: “One of you will be brought near to his Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, until He places His concealment over him, and will say: ‘You did such and such’ and he will say, ‘Yes,’ and He will say: ‘You did such and such’ and he will say, ‘Yes,’ and will make him admit it, then He will say: ‘I concealed you in the (former) world, and I have forgiven you for it this Day.’” (Agrees upon).
As for those who will enter the Fire for their sins, they are among those for whom the reckoning will be examined thoroughly. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever is given a thorough reckoning will be punished.” (Agreed upon). End quote.
A‘laam as-Sunnah al-Manshoorah(171)
And Allah knows best.

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI

Belief, Dought & clear,- * The Throne is created; Allah, may He be exalted, created it and it is the first and greatest of creations

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I want to ask, did Allāh exist without a place? I'm really confused, please explain it, so that I can understand this issue. What is the correct 'Aqeedah regarding it? As far as my knowledge goes, the Ashā'ira hold this 'Aqeedah. They mention this hadith:
"Allah was when there was nothing else than Him, and His Throne was upon the water..." The hadith is in Sahih Bukhari. One of them gave this explanation:
"The hadith is direct. Allah existed and there was NOTHING before him. So that means everything other than Allah is a creation. Allah is the only One without a beginning. If you believe the throne is eternal with Allah like the Wahhabis (believe), then that is explicit blasphemy. Because Allah created the throne."
So was the Throne present with Allāh, before Allāh created everything, or is it part of His creation, or is there entirely, some other explanation?
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Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Part of the ‘aqeedah (belief) of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah is to believe that Allah, may He be exalted, rose above His Throne (in a manner that befits His Majesty); His Throne is above His heavens; and He, may He be glorified, is not encompassed by any of His creation.
Please see the answer to question no. 124469
Secondly:
The Throne is created; it did not exist then it existed, and it is the greatest of all created things.
Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said, as was narrated from him inMaraatib al-Ijmaa‘:
(The scholars) are unanimously agreed that Allah is One and has no partner or associate, and He is the creator of all things other than Himself; and that He, may He be exalted, was One, and there was nothing besides Him with Him. Then He created all things as He willed. And (the scholars) are unanimously agreed that the soul is created, the Throne is created, the entire universe is created.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, in his commentary on that:
With regard to the unanimous agreement of the early generations and Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah that Allah alone is the Creator of all things, this is true.
End quote fromNaqd Maraatib al-Ijmaa‘(303).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) also said:
The Throne is created. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):“and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne” [at-Tawbah 9:129]. He is the Creator of all things, the Throne and everything else, and the Lord of all things, the Throne and everything else. End quote.
Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa(18/214)
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The Throne is a great creation; no one knows its size except Allah. End quote.
Majmoo‘ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Ibn ‘Uthaymeen(7/287)
If anyone claims that any of Ahl as-Sunnah, or those whom they call Wahhabis, says that the Throne existed from eternity and was not created, and that it is eternal like the Creator, may He be glorified, he has fabricated a lie and is claiming something false. This is the way of many of the followers of innovation who seek to undermine Ahl as-Sunnah and falsely accuse them of falsehood. It may be said to these people:“Produce your proof if you are truthful” [al-Baqarah 2:111]. So produce a single letter of the words of Ahl as-Sunnah to suggest that the Throne is eternal like Allah and was always with Him, may He be glorified!
Thirdly:
The majority of scholars are of the view that the Throne was the first thing to be created. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The first thing that Allah created of the things that are known to us was the Throne, and He rose over it (in a manner that befits His Majesty) after He had created the heavens, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“And He it is Who has created the heavens and the earth in six Days and His Throne was on the water, that He might try you, which of you is the best in deeds” [Hood 11:7].
End quote fromFataawa wa Rasaa’il al-‘Uthaymeen(1/62)
Please see also the answer to question no. 145809.
Fourthly:
Al-Bukhaari (7418) narrated from ‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) that some people from Yemen asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about how the matter was from the very beginning. He said: “There was Allah and nothing existed before Him, and His Throne was on the water. Then He created the heavens and the earth, and He wrote in all things in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz.”
According to another report (3191) he said: “There was Allah and nothing existed except Him.”
The Throne of the Most Gracious, may He be glorified, is part of His creation. He created it before He created the heavens and the earth and all that is therein. The hadith quoted above indicates that in the beginning there was nothing except Allah, may He be exalted: no Throne and no other created thing. Then He, may He be glorified, created the Throne, then He created all other created things.
Please see the answers to questions no. 146779and 184797.
Fifthly:
The deniers among the Jahamis and others who followed their path in denying the divine attributes added something odd to this hadith for which there is no basis. They said: “Allah was and there was nothing with Him, and He is now as He was then.” What they mean by that is to deny what the Lord, may He be exalted, has affirmed for Himself of rising and descending.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
One of the most significant foundations on which these pantheists, heretics and claimants of true gnosis rely is what they claim to narrate from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), according to which he said: “Allah was and there was nothing with Him, and He is now as He was then.”
This additional material, namely the words “and He is now as He was then” are a lie and falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The scholars are unanimously agreed that this hadith is fabricated and made up, and it is not to be found in any of the compilations of hadith, whether major or minor. It was not narrated by any of the scholars with any isnaad, be it saheeh (sound) or da‘eef (weak), or with an unknown isnaad. Rather these words were spoken by some of the later Jahami philosophers, and were taken from them by these people who reached the most extreme form of Jahami thought, namely denial of the divine attributes and heresy.
What the Jahami philosophers meant by this heretical additional material, which is the words “and He is now as He was then” was to deny the attributes with which Allah described Himself, namely His rising over the Throne and His descending to the lowest heaven, and so on. They said: He existed from eternity, and had not risen over the Throne, and He is now as He was then; so He is not over the Throne, because that is suggestive of change and alteration.
End quote.
Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa(2/272-273)
He also (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
An important principle: based on sound narration, confirming that Allah, may He be exalted, is the Most High. This is something which all people must believe in. And He is above His Throne, as is confirmed in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and by scholarly consensus, sound rational thinking, and sound, unchanged, human nature.
What must be said is: Allah was and there was nothing with Him, then He created the universe. One of the following must be the case:
either He created it within Himself and is attached to it, which is impossible, because Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is far above contact with or attachment to filth, impurities, and devils;
or He created it outside Himself, then He entered it, which is impossible because Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is far above residing in any created things. These two scenarios are wrong, and this is one of the matters concerning which there is no dispute at all among the Muslims;
or He created it outside Himself, and He is not residing in it. This is the truth, and nothing else is possible. Allah will not accept anything else from us; rather He has forbidden to us that which contradicts it.
This argument is one of the arguments that Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) used against the Jahamis during the turmoil they put him through.
Hence according to a sound report narrated from him, when it was said to ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubaarak: How do we know our Lord? He said: By the fact that He is above the heavens, above His Throne, distinct from His creation.
It is on this basis that the consensus of the Sahaabah, the Taabi‘een, their followers and all the imams who are known among the ummah for their sincerity, is based, and no one of any merit differed with them.
If anyone claims that rational thinking contradicts and differs from the religious texts, his claim is false, because it cannot be imagined that sound rational thinking would contradict the soundly narrated text.
Those who differ from the Qur’an and Sunnah, and scholarly consensus, and claim that they have sound rational arguments, only have arguments that appear to be rational but are not. Whoever wants to reach the right conclusion concerning this matter should base his argument on definitive and overwhelming proof that is mentioned elsewhere.
End quote fromJaami‘ al-Masaa’il(1/63-64)
Sixthly:
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) spoke of the statement made by one who says that the idea that Allah should be regarded as being far above place and direction is not correct, because this idea is not befitting to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. He said:
This is not correct in general terms. But if he means that Allah is not encompassed by any place, may He be glorified and exalted, then this is correct. For Allah, may He be exalted, cannot be encompassed by anything of His creation, for He is too great and mighty to be encompassed by anything. How could that be so when He says (interpretation of the meaning):“And on the Day of Resurrection the whole of the earth will be grasped by His Hand and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand” [az-Zumar 39:67]? If what he means by his denial of place (in relation to Allah) is to deny that Allah is high or above His creation, then this denial is not correct; rather it is invalid according to the Qur’an and Sunnah, the consensus of the earlier generations, rational thinking and common sense.
It is proven from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he said to the slave woman: “Where is Allah?’ and she said: “Above the heavens. He said to her owner: “Set her free, for she is a believer.”
Everyone who calls upon Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will only direct his focus upward. This is the natural instinct that Allah has instilled in His creation, so no one deviates from it except one who has been confused by the devils. You will not find anyone who calls upon Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and still possesses sound human nature, turning his focus (when praying to Allah) towards the right or the left, or downwards, or in any other direction. Rather the focus of his heart will always be upwards.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-‘Uthaymeen(1/196-197)
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked about the phrase: “Be certain that Allah exists beyond place or direction.”
They replied:
This phrase is false, because it is contrary to what is proven in the Qur’an and Sunnah, that Allah, may He be exalted, is above His heavens, risen over His Throne, distinct from His creation. This is contrary to what the deniers among the extreme Jahamis, and those who followed their false path, said.
Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah(2/386)
And Allah knows best.

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI

Da'eef (weak) hadeeths, Dought & clear, - * The hadeeth “Every merchant will enter Hell except those who are pious.”

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Is this hadeeth saheeh: “Every merchant will enter Hell except those who are pious”?.
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Praise be to Allaah.
We could not find this hadeeth in this wording in any of the books of Sunnah, but there are similar reports in the saheeh Sunnah, including the following:
It was narrated from Rifaa’ah ibn Raafi’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The merchants will be raised on the Day of Resurrection as evildoers, apart from those who fear Allaah and are honest.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1210), al-Daarimi (2/247), Ibn Maajah (2146) and Ibn Hibbaan (11/276).
Al-Tirmidhi said: It is hasan saheeh. Al-Haakim said: Its isnaad is saheeh, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him.
It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inal-Silsilah al-Saheehah(994).
Al-Mubaarakfoori said inTuhfat al-Ahwadhi(4/336):
“apart from those who fear Allaah” by not committing any major or minor sin, such as deceiving and cheating, i.e., they treat the people well in their business dealings or they obey and worship Allaah. “And are honest” means they are truthful in their oaths and in everything they say.
Al-Qaadi said: Because it was the habit of merchants to be deceitful in their dealings and ruthless in selling their products in whatever ways they could, such as swearing false oaths and the like, they were judged to be evildoers, but an exception is made for those of them who avoid haraam practices, are honest in their oaths and truthful in their speech.
This was also the view of commentators, who interpreted evildoing (fujoor) as referring to idle talk and false oaths, as it says inal-Marqaah. End quote.
There is also an indication in the saheeh Sunnah of the reason why merchants were described as evildoers, which is because of their wrong deeds such as false oaths and broken promises.
It was narrated from ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Shibl (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Merchants are the evildoers.” It was said: O Messenger of Allaah, has Allaah not permitted buying and selling? He said: “Yes, but they speak and tell lies, and they swear oaths and sin (as a result).”
Narrated by Ahmad (3/428); al-Haakim (2/8) – he said its isnaad is saheeh; it was classed as saheeh by the commentators on al-Musnad and by al-Albaani inal-Silsilah al-Saheehah(366).
But trade is one of the best ways of earning a living for those who are honest and sincere, for the honest, trustworthy merchant will have a great reward.
It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The honest, trustworthy merchant will be with the Prophets, siddeeqs and martyrs.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (1209) who said: This is a hasan hadeeth but we know it only through this isnaad. Ibn Taymiyah said its isnaad is jayyid, as noted inal-Mustadrak ‘ala Majmoo’ al-Fataawa(1/163).
Abu Haamid al-Ghazaali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inIhya’ ‘Uloom al-Deen(2/79):
These reports may be reconciled in several ways. We say:
We do not say that trade is better in all cases, rather trade may be used to seek sufficient provision or more than what is sufficient.
If it is used to seek more than what is sufficient and to increase and accumulate wealth that is not spent on good works and charity, then it is blameworthy, because it is focusing on love of this world which is the root of all evil. If the person also mistreats others and deceives them, then it is wrongdoing and evil.
But if it is used to seek sufficient provision for oneself and one’s children, then engaging in trade as a means of keeping oneself from asking others for help is better.

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI