The Differences Between Major Shirk/Kufr and Minor Shirk/Kufr

From: MSN NicknameUmm_Amatillaah (Original Message) Sent: 4/24/2007 11:57 AM

The Differences Between Major Shirk and Minor Shirk
(Points extracted from the book Kitaab ut-Tawheed, pp. 13-14, & 17-18,
by the Noble Shaikh
Dr. Saalih bin Fawzaan bin ‘Abdillaah Al-Fawzaan)
Translated by Aqeel Walker


The conclusion that we may draw from what we have mentioned here is that there are differences between the Major Shirk and the Minor Shirk. They are:

1. The Major Shirk expels one from the religion and the Minor Shirk does not expel one from the religion.
2. The Major Shirk causes the person who is committing it to remain in the Hell Fire forever, whereas the Minor Shirk does not cause the one who commits it to remain in the Hell Fire forever – if he enters it at all.
3. The Major Shirk nullifies all of the person’s deeds, but the Minor Shirk does not nullify all of the person’s deeds. Rather, the showing off and doing actions for the sake of worldly reasons only nullifies the deed which they are mixed with.
4. The Major Shirk makes the blood (i.e. life) and wealth of those who commit it lawful, but the Minor Shirk does not make these two things (life and wealth) lawful (for the Muslims to take).



The Differences Between Major Kufr and Minor Kufr

In summary, the differences between the Major Kufr and the Minor Kufr are as follows:

1. That the Major Kufr expels one from the religion and nullifies the deeds, while the Minor Kufr does not expel one from the religion and it does not nullify the deeds. However, it (Minor Kufr) does decrease the deeds in reward and it exposes the one who commits it to the threat of Allaah’s punishment.
2. That the Major Kufr causes the one who commits it to remain in the Hell Fire forever, while the Minor Kufr – if the person who commits it enters the Hell Fire – does not cause the person to remain there forever. For indeed Allaah may accept the repentance of the one who commits Minor Kufr, and He may not enter that person into the Hell Fire at all.
3. That the Major Kufr makes the blood (i.e. life) and wealth lawful, and the Minor Kufr does not make the blood and wealth lawful.
4. That the Major Kufr necessitates pure enmity between the one who commits it and the believers. Therefore, it is not permissible for the believers to love and befriend the one who commits Major Kufr, even if they are their closest of kin. However, regarding the Minor Kufr, then it does not prevent friendship entirely. Rather, the one who commits Minor Kufr is still loved and befriended (by the Muslims) according to the amount of what is in him of Eemaan (faith), and he is hated and disliked according to the amount of disobedience (to Allaah) that is in him.