Please could you tell me which would be regarded the greater sin
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
Please
could you tell me which would be regarded the greater sin, Having another mans
child to that of your husband or abortion.
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Answer:
Which is bigger zina or abortion
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Respected sister in Islam, ‘zina’ (fornication and
adultery) and ‘abortion’ (the intentional killing of an innocent soul), both,
without an iota of a doubt, are amongst the gravest and most heinous sins in
the Sight of Allah Subhanah.
Because both ‘zina’ and ‘abortion’ are abominations, one can
only try to determine which amongst them is bigger in the sight of Allah
Subhanah; and the way to determine that is to see what are the punishments
prescribed for each in this world and the Hereafter. The harsher the
punishment, the bigger the sin; the
stronger and more emphasized the sin in the words of Allah and His Messenger
(saws), the bigger the sin!
For example, the
single biggest sin in the sight of Allah is considered the heinous crime of
‘shirk’ or associating, invoking, or worshipping others with Allah
Subhanah! There is no bigger sin in the
sight of Allah Subhanah than this one sin!
Why??? Because Allah Subhanah
has clearly declared in the Holy Quran that on the Day of Judgment, He may,
if He so Pleases, forgives all
sins, except this one sin of
‘shirk’! And He has declared that for
people who die in the state of shirk, He
has made
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah
Maidah verse 72:
Whoever commits ‘shirk’ (invoking anything with
Allah), Allah shall forbid for him
Allah says in the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa
Verse 48
Shirk (associating other deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does
not forgive, and He forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this. For whosoever associates any other partner
with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah
Zumar verse 65-66:
If you commit ‘shirk’ all your works will be
rendered vain and you will be among the losers.
Therefore, you should worship
Allah Alone, and be among His grateful
servants.
Ref: the sin
and punishment of Zina.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah
Israa verse 32:
Do not even go near ‘zina’ (fornication or
adultery) for it is a very indecent thing and a very evil way!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 24 Surah
Noor verse 2:
The woman and the man guilty of ‘zina’
(fornication), flog each one of them
with a hundred stripes, and let not pity
for them restrain you in regard to a matter prescribed by Allah; if indeed you believe in Allah and the Last
Day! And let a section of the
believers witness the punishment inflicted on them.
Sahih Muslim Hadith 4207 Narrated by Imran ibn Husayn
A woman from Juhaynah came to the Messenger of
Allah (saws) and she had become pregnant because of adultery. She said: ‘O Messenger of Allah (saws), I
have done something for which (prescribed punishment) must be imposed upon me, so impose that.’ The Prophet (saws) called her master and said:
‘Treat her well, and when she gives birth
bring her to me.’ He did
accordingly. Then the Prophet (saws)
pronounced judgment on her. Her clothes
were tied around her and then he (saws) gave the order and she was stoned
to death. He then prayed over
her (dead body). Thereupon Umar said
to him: ‘Allah's Apostle, you offer
prayer for her although she had committed adultery!’ Thereupon he (saws) said: ‘She has made such
a repentance that if it were to be divided among seventy men of
Thus, in light of the Quran and Sunnah the punishment for
zina (fornication and adultery) is as follows:
Fornication: Flog
both the guilty man and the woman with a hundred stripes in public.
Adultery: Stone
both, the guilty man and the woman to death!
Ref: the sin and the prescribed punishment for
‘abortion’
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 140:
Most surely they became
losers, who, in their folly and ignorance killed their own children; and made unlawful what Allah had provided
them as sustenance, falsely ascribing
prohibitions to Allah. Surely, they
went astray and were not at all rightly guided.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 151 (part):
You should not kill your children for fear of poverty; for We provide sustenance for you and will
provide sustenance for them also.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 17 Surah Israa verse 31:
Do not kill
your children for fear of want; for it is We Who
provide for them, and for you as well. Indeed,
their killing is a heinous crime!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah
Nisaa verse 93:
93 If one kills a believer intentionally his recompense is Hell to
abide therein (for ever): and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him,
and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him!
Beloved Sister, because the heinous crime of ‘abortion’ is
generally done by or with the consent of the very people (mother/father) who
are the absolute closest benefactors and guardians of the innocent soul, there
is none to demand justice or retribution for the killing of the innocent soul
in the life of this world! But Allah is
our witness sister, on the Day of Judgment, that innocent soul will receive
full and complete justice and retribution in the Presence of the Lord Most
Majestic.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 81 Surah
Takweer verses 7-9:
7 When the souls are sorted out (on the Day
of Judgment);
8 When the female (infant) buried alive is
questioned
9 For what crime she was killed?
Although there is no prescribed punishment in Shariah Law
for the heinous and abominable crime of ‘abortion’ in the life of this world,
from the guidance of the Glorious Quran it would be absolutely safe to assume
that those who intentionally take the life of an innocent soul will have an
extremely severe accounting in the Presence of their Lord Most Majestic, Most
Supreme on that Inevitable Day of Judgment!
Your Question: Please
could you tell me which would be regarded the greater sin, Having another mans
child to that of your husband or abortion.
Beloved Sister in Islam, because the punishment for the
crime of ‘abortion’ is not as clearly defined in Shariah like the punishment for
‘zina’; one cannot say with conviction which amongst these two heinous crimes
is bigger.
In our humble opinion, and it is only our opinion: the
crime of ‘abortion’ or the intentional taking of the life of an innocent soul
would be considered bigger than the abomination of ‘zina’…..and Allah Alone
Knows Best.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan
