It has been explained that there are a number of places and months that have the glory of which is the month of Ramadan that we are facing the practice of Ramadan fasting.
A good attitude for a Muslim is to glorify something that is glorified by Allah Ta’ala, for example, civilized law with the Prophet includes glorifying this month of Ramadan. His glorifying attitude is trying to do various forms of obedience to God and stay away from all immorality in this month. Now, what will one get when doing obedience or immorality in this month?
The following is a Fatwa about whether evil and goodness are multiplied during Ramadan. If the answer is yes, then does that also apply for months that have virtues other than the month of Ramadan? What if doing obedience and immorality in places that have virtue? Is it including unpardonable sin?
(Also read: 10 Miraculous Dua For the Last 10 Days of Ramadan)
Fatwa Syaikh Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid Hafizhahullah
Fatwa no. 38213: Is evil and goodness multiplied in the month of Ramadan and related to the kind of reward that is not realized?
Is it true that evil is multiplied in Ramadan, as goodness is multiplied too? Are there propositions that show that?
Answer:
“All praise is due to Allah, right, goodness and evil are multiplied at the main time and place, for example, the reward of sahur in the month of Ramadan but there is a difference between multiplying goodness and multiplying evil. The multiplication of goodness is the multiplication of quantity and quality. The purpose of quantity is a number so that one good (multiplied) becomes ten times or more.
While what is meant by (multiplication) of quality is the greater and more reward. As for ugliness, the multiplication is in quality only, that the sin is greater and the torture is heavier, but from the side of the number, one evil is counted as one (error) only. It is impossible to count more than one error. ”
In the book Mathalib Ulin Nuha (2/385):
(وتضاعف الحسنة والسيئة بمكان فاضل كمكة والمدينة وبيت المقدس وفي المساجد, وبزمان فاضل كيوم الجمعة, والأشهر الحرم ورمضان. أما مضاعفة الحسنة: فهذا مما لا خلاف فيه, وأما مضاعفة السيئة, فقال بها جماعة تبعا لابن عباس وابن مسعود… وقال بعض المحققين : قول ابن عباس وابن مسعود في تضعيف السيئات: إنما أرادوا مضاعفتها في الكيفية دون الكمية) اهـ.
“Goodness and ugliness multiply in noble places like Mecca, Medina, Baitul Maqdis, and in mosques. And (multiplied also) in a glorious time such as on Friday, the months of illegitimacy, and Ramadan. As for multiplication of goodness, this is a case where there is no dispute (among scholars) about it.
As for multiplication of evil, a group of scholars stated that they followed (opinion) Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas’ud and said that some of the scholars of the words of Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas’ud in multiplying their ugliness were only meant as (multiplication) of quality and not quantity.”
The Fatwa of Shaykh Bin Baz had been asked, “Does fasting cause a Muslim to get his sins dissolved, both small and large? Can sin multiply during the month of Ramadan?”
He replied, “The matter that is said for a Muslim in the month of Ramadan and in the month other than that is jihad to subjugate the soul which many tell to evil so that it becomes a calm soul, who likes to command goodness and love it. It is obligatory for him to fight against the enemy of Allah, namely the devil, to survive his crime and deception. Then a Muslim in this world is in a continuous activity of great jihad, both against the soul (the bad), the lust, and the devil.
Let him multiply repentance and istighfar at all times and opportunities, but that time varies from one to the other. Ramadan is the noblest month of the year. It is a month of forgiveness, mercy, and deliverance from Hellfire. If a month has virtue and that place has virtue then the merits (in it) are multiplied and become a great evil of evil (done in it).
[AdSense-B]
Ugliness Done During the Month of Ramadan
So one bad thing done in the month of Ramadan is a greater sin than one evil done outside of Ramadan, as one obedience carried out in the month of Ramadan is greater in merit by Allah than one obedience done outside of Ramadan.
When (it is known that) Ramadan has a great position, then, of course, the obedience carried out in that month has a great and multiplied virtue, while the sinful sins committed in it are more severe and more sinful than sin done on the moon other than that.
So, a Muslim should take advantage of this blessed month by observing obedience and good deeds and stopping from doing evil. May Allah The Almighty grant him the acceptance of charity and give Taufik so that istiqamah is above (the path) of truth.
However, (if) evil/sin, still such immorality, not multiplied in number, not in the month of Ramadan, and not in the month other than that. As for kindness, it is multiplied to ten times as many times, based on the word of Allah za Azza wa Jalla in the Surah Al-An’aam:
مَنْ جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا ۖ وَمَنْ جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَىٰ إِلَّا مِثْلَهَا وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
“Whoever brings good deeds, for him (reward) ten times the charity; and he who brings evil deeds is not given revenge, but is balanced with his evil, while they are not at all persecuted (harmed).” (Al-An’aam: 160)
And the verses that mean it are many in number. Likewise related to a noble place, such as two noble unclean lands (Mecca and Medina), (goodness) multiplied in both places with multiples of many, both in quantity and quality.
As for ugliness, it is not multiplied in quantity, but multiplied in quality (if done) in a noble time and place, as the signal for that has passed, wallahu waliyyut taufiq.” (Source: Majmu’ Fatawa wa Maqalat mutanawwi’ah 15/446)
The fatwa of Syaikh Ibn Uthaimin in “As-Syarhul Mumti” (7/262) says goodness and evil are multiplied in a glorious place and time. Goodness is multiplied by (multiplication) of quantity and quality, as for evil, then by multiplying quality, not by quantity.
Because Allah Ta’ala says in the Surah Al-An’aam, this is the Surah Makkiyyah:
مَنْ جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا ۖ وَمَنْ جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَىٰ إِلَّا مِثْلَهَا وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
“Whoever brings good deeds, for him (reward) ten times the charity; and he who brings evil deeds will not be given revenge, but will be balanced with his evil, while they will not be persecuted in the slightest.” (An-An’aam: 160)
And Allah says:
{مَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ}
“Whoever intends in it (the Grand Mosque) commits a crime in an unjust manner, We will certainly feel to him a part of a painful torment.” (Al-Hajj: 25) [1]
(In this verse) Allah does not say “We will multiply it for him,” but says
{نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ}
“We will surely feel for him a painful punishment.”
“So, (in conclusion) the multiplication of evil in Mecca or in Medina is a multiplication of qualities. [Meaning: The torment is more poignant and painful, (this) based on the word of Allah Ta’ala.]”
{مَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ}
“Whosoever intends in it (the Holy Mosque) commits an offense in an unjust manner; We will surely feel for him a painful punishment.” (Al-Hajj: 25) [3]
[AdSense-C]
There are Quantity and Quality
A and B do the same immorality. Each gets one sin.
Can we ensure that the sin values are the same?
Of course not. There are many factors that make the value of sin different so that one might get a sin as big as a car, while the other gets a sin the size of a pebble. All returned to their respective backgrounds when they sinned.
We believe charity is good in the month of Ramadan, the reward is multiplied. And we also need to be aware that the sinful deeds committed by humans in the month of Ramadan, their sins are also greater than those outside of Ramadan. It could be, but you can still get one sin, but the value is greater than when the immorality is done outside of Ramadhan.
The fatwa of Al-Allamah Ibn Muflih in his book Adab Syar’iyah writes,
فصل زيادة الوزر كزيادة الأجر في الأزمنة والأمكنة المعظمة
The discussion of the rules increases sin as the reward increases (when done) in a glorious time and place.
The fatwa of Ibn Muflih mentions the statement of his teacher, Taqiyuddin Ibn Taimiyah,
قال الشيخ تقي الدين: المعاصي في الأيام المعظمة والأمكنة المعظمة تغلظ معصيتها وعقابها بقدر فضيلة الزمان والمكان
Shaykh Taqiyuddin said immorality is done at a glorious time or place. The sin and the law are covered, according to the level of the glory of time and place. (Al-Adab As-Syar’iyah, 3/430)
There are many propositions that support this rule. Among them, says God,
وَمَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
“Whoever intends in it (the city of Mecca) to commit a crime in an unjust manner, We will surely feel for him a part of a painful torment.” (Surah Al-Hajj: 25)
We can note, only limited to the desire to carry out dzalim actions in the land of Haram Mecca, Allah gives a threat with painful torture. Even if it is done outside the illegitimate land, there will be no punishment until the tyranny occurs.
The reason is, that this person commits tyranny on unclean land, means to act in a noble place. Who guarded his honor by the Shari’a. (As-Sa’di, p. 535)
Similarly, when the Prophet Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam explained the primacy of the city of Medina. He said,
المدينة حرم, ما بين عائر إلى كذا, من أحدث فيها حدثا, أو آوى محدثا, فعليه لعنة الله والملائكة والناس أجمعين, لا يقبل منه صرف ولا عدل
“Medina is an unclean land with a boundary between the hills of Ir and the hill. Whoever commits crimes there or protects criminals, then he will get the curse of Allah, the Angels, and all humans. Not accepted by the Sunnah charity or obligatory.” (Narrated by Ahmad 1049 and Bukhari 1870)
He gave a very strong threat because this immorality was carried out in unclean land which was glorified by the Shari’a.
Why is Sin Bigger?
The person who committed immorality in the month of Ramadan, he made two mistakes,
- First, violating God’s prohibitions
- Second, tarnish the honor of Ramadan with the immorality that he does
This gives us a lesson to be more vigilant with the name immoral in the month of Ramadan. In addition to immorality, it will destroy the fast we are working on.
(Also read: Concept Of Moral Teaching in Islam Muslims Should Know)