No Excuse for Sinners

Shaykh al-`Uthaymeen said:

We believe that the sinner has no excuse in Allaah’s divine decree, because he commits his sin by his free will, without knowing that Allaah has decreed for him, for no one knows Allaah’s decree before it takes place:

«No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow» [31:34]

How can it be possible, then, to present an excuse that is not known to the person who is advancing it when he commits his offense? Allaah invalidated this type of argument by saying:

«Those who took partners (in worship) with Allaah will say: “If Allaah had willed, we would not have taken partners (in worship) with Him, nor would our fathers, and we would not have forbidden anything (against His Will). Likewise belied those who were before them, (they argued falsely with Allaah’s Messengers), till they tasted of Our Wrath. Say: “Have you any knowledge (proof) that you can produce before us? Verily, you follow nothing but guess and you do nothing but lie.» [6:148]

We say to the sinner who is using divine decree as an excuse: ‘Why did you not perform deeds of obedience, assuming that Allaah has decreed them upon you, since you did not know the difference between good deeds and sins? That is why, when Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam) told his Companions that everyone’s position in Paradise or Hell has been assigned, they said: ‘Should not we rely on this and stop working?’ He said: «No, work and everyone will be directed to what he is created for» [Bukhaaree and Muslim].

We say to the sinner who is trying to find an excuse in the divine decree: “Suppose you want to travel to Makkah. There are two roads that may take you there. You are told by a truthful person that one of these roads is dangerous and difficult, the other is easy and safe. You will take the second one. You will not take the first road and say it is decreed upon me. If you did, people would consider you crazy.”

We may also say to him: “If you are offered two jobs, one of which has a higher salary, you will certainly take the one with the higher salary. Why do you choose what is lower in the Hereafter and use the divine decree as an excuse?”

We may further say to him: “We see you when you are afflicted with a disease, you knock at every physician’s door looking for treatment and bearing whatever pain that may result from surgical operations and the bitterness of medicine. Why do not you do the same when your heart is spiritually sick with sins?“

the Muslim’s Belief.