This is a good question and requires a full article. I seek Allāh’s Help and say:
Firstly, repentance from sin is obligatory, whether it is a new sin or a repeated one. The texts from the Quran and Sunnah have repeatedly urged the sinner to repent and declared that the door of repentance is open to the servant as long as he has not died, nor the sun has not risen from the west. Allāh says: “Indeed, Allāh loves those who are constantly repentant” (2: 222). The word “at-Tawwāb” (the one who is constantly repentant) is an exaggeration form that indicates the repetition of the act, and the act here is a sin that requires repentance. Allāh also says: “O you who believe! Repent to Allāh with sincere repentance” (66:8).
Sincere repentance requires three things:
1. It must encompass all new and repeated sins.
2. At the time of repentance, repentance must be decisive that there will be no repetition of the sin, and if the sin happens again, it occurs unintentionally, not deliberately.
3. It must be solely for the sake of Allāh, not for fearing social shame or blame, etc.
After this important introduction, let me return to the question:
As for the situation of the sinner who intends to repeat the sin, there are cases:
First case: The sin is a minor sin.
Repeating it deliberately and with prior intention turns it into a major sin, not for its essence but for doing it deliberately. The Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him) said in a ḥadīth narrated by Imam ʼAḥmad from Sahl ibn Saʽd (may Allāh be pleased with him): “Beware of the minor sins that are belittled. They are just like a group of people in a valley, and each of them has collected a twig until they have enough to cook their bread. The minor sins, when they overwhelm a person, can also destroy him.” Ibn Ḥajar said that this ḥadīth’s chain of narrators is Ḥasan (good). So, the accumulation of minor sins, whether they are one repeated sin or different sins, can lead to a grave consequence if they are done deliberately, even though minor sins are the forgiven small faults, as mentioned in Sūrat An-Najm and other ḥadīths such as the following: “Friday to Friday, and Ramadan to Ramadan wipe out what is committed between each of them.”
Second case: The sin is a major one, such as committing adultery, for example, and the doer intends to repent later. This case has different interpretations:
1. The doer underestimates the punishment while believing in it. Even if he is not considered a disbeliever for not denying the punishment, his faith is still under great risk.
2. The doer is aware of the punishment but intends to repent, but he is weak in the face of his desires. If Allāh does not give him time to repent and he dies before repenting, he falls under Allāh’s will. If Allāh wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will have mercy on him. This is a matter that cannot be determined, and the evidence for it is the ḥadīth that states: “No one who commits Zina (adultery) is a believer at the moment when he is committing Zina; no one who drinks wine is a believer at the moment when he is drinking it; no one who steals is a believer at the moment when he is stealing; and no robber is a believer at the moment when he is robbing and the people are looking on.” (This ḥadīth is recorded by Al-Bukhāriy and Muslim)
So, although the ḥadīth negates perfect faith for committing sins, not negating faith itself, death before repentance opens the door to punishment, which is the default principle, as Allāh says: “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” (99: 7-8).
3. The doer is unsure whether the act he is doing begets punishment or not. This is a lighter situation, like someone who smokes and is unsure if it is forbidden or not. If you tell him it is forbidden, he may interpret the opinion of another scholar to conceal his weakness. We hope that this person will be forgiven because he is following the opinion of a scholar and for his personal interpretation.
4. The sin falls under the rights of another accountable person. This case complicates the matter. Regardless of its repetition, harm has been inflicted on another person. Thus, repentance requires seeking forgiveness from that another person. If the doer was not forgiven by the other person, he will be judged for the act itself and its repetition. For example, a woman who refuses having sexual intercourse with her husband without a legitimate excuse has committed two sins: first, she has violated the Quranic and Sunnah commandments, and second, she has violated the obligations of marital contract, including permitting him to have sexual intercourse with her. She has thus incurred a sin that falls under the rights of others, which can only be forgiven by those entitled to it. Moreover, she may bear some of her husband’s burden if her refusal led him to commit a sin. I cited this example because I have heard some women say when they are reminded of this matter, “Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” This is true with regard to Allāh’s rights, but it does not negate the fact that a person may commit sins that harm others, such as theft, bribery, and others.
Third case: When the sin is committed by a person, whether minor or major, who insists on committing it. In this case, the punishment is severe.
There is a ḥadīth narrated by Imam ʼAḥmad and others from ʽAbdullāh ibn ʽAmr ibn al-ʽAāṣ from the Messenger (peace be upon him) that he said while standing on minbar: “Be merciful to others, Allāh will be Merciful to you. Forgive others, Allāh will forgive you. Woe to those who listen but do not understand (do not be ʼAqmāʽ), woe to those who persist in sin while they know.” (This ḥadīth is recorded by ʼAḥmad in his Musnad)
The word “al-ʼaqmāʽ” is the plural form of “qimaʽ” with a kasrah under the letter “qāf”. It is a tool with a wide head and a narrow tail used to fill containers. It is used here metaphorically to refer to someone who hears something but does not understand anything from it, so he is like a funnel that liquid passes through but does not retain anything.
Fourth case: It is another level of sinners, who think good of Allāh – thinking good of Allāh requires the intention to abandon sin – and they believe that Allāh’s Forgiveness is vast and His mercy will encompass them. They strive to attain that Forgiveness even if they repeat from the sin many times.
Al-Bukhāriy and Muslim narrated from the ḥadīth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allāh be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A servant [of Allāh’s] committed a sin and said: O Allāh, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for sins. Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you.” (This ḥadīth is recorded by Al-Bukhāriy and Muslim)
This ḥadīth does not contradict what was mentioned earlier, as it focuses on the importance of repentance.
After all, Allāh knows best.
Fatwa by Dr. Khāid Naṣr