“Acting Upon the Injunctions Is the Business of Higher-Ranking Muslims”

Question

Some Muslims say the following: not praying, not giving zakat, not fasting, lying, watching the cinema, taking bribes — none of this makes any difference for an ordinary Muslim; all these acts are for Muslims of the first rank, and there is no need for us to perform them, since we are but ordinary Muslims. Allah the Exalted is Forgiving, Merciful, and we are entirely certain that He will surely forgive us and that we shall certainly enter Paradise. Is this correct?

Answer

Allah the Exalted is Forgiving and Merciful, and He is also the Overpowering, the Avenger. It is He who created Paradise, and He who created the Fire; He who sent down the injunctions and appointed Paradise for those who obey. To accept some of Allah’s attributes and to reject others is not what iman is. From what He has forbidden it is obligatory to abstain.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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