Wasting of Good deeds (Ehbat) and Expiation of sins (Takfeer)

Wasting of Good deeds (Ehbat) and Expiation of sins (Takfeer)
Death & Purgatory

﴾And (as for) those who disbelieve, for them is destruction, and He has made their deeds ineffective. That is because they hated what Allah revealed, so He rendered their deeds null﴿. (Surah- al- Mohammad: 8-9).

"And (so for) those who believe and do good, and believe in what has been revealed to Mohammad (peace be upon him and his household), and it is the very truth from their Lord, He will remove their evil from them and improve their condition". (Surah-al - Mohammad: 2).

Ehbat (wasting of good deeds): If a person was a muslim in the former part of his life and did good deeds, but turned away from the Right path (Siratal Mustaqeem) during death and died a non -believer, none of his previous (good) deeds will benefit him and they will go wasted. If anyone argues that in the Qur'an it". (surah az-Zilzal: 7). The answer to it is that the person who died disbelieving himself wasted his (good) deeds. It is impossible for Allah to accept a non believer's (good) deeds and make him enter paradise. But the Just Lord gives them the reward for it in this very world, like ease during death, healthiness, wealth etc. as discussed earlier. But it is possible that there may be leniency in their punishment, as in the case of Hatim Tai or Nawshirwane Adil who were generous, they shall be made to enter hell, but the fire will not harm them. As said in the Qur' an: "Nor (for) those who die while they are unbelievers". (surah-an-Nisa: 18)

In another place it is stated: "And (as to) those who reject our communications and the meeting of the Hereafter, their deeds are null. Shall they be rewarded except for what they have done". (Surah Al A'raf: 147).

Many verses (ayah) of the Qur'an prove that disbelief (kufr) and polytheism (shirk) wastes away all good deeds. Then there are also such sins that obliterate good deeds and stop them from being accepted. The Holy prophet (peace be upon him and his household) has said regarding a disobedient child: "O the one shunned away by his parents do whatever you like, for none of your (good) deeds will be accepted". If a person has upon him the curses and woes of his mother, he will be thrown into hell even if his good deeds are equal to the size of a mountain. Also is the case with slander and jealousy. Ma’soom (A.S.) says, "Jealousy consumes faith (Eeman) just as fire consumes wood". (ma'ad). Shaikh Kulaini quotes Abu Baseer who narrates from Imam Ja'far- as Sadiq (A.S.) that he said, "Disbelief (kufr) has three roots (foundations): greed, pride, and jealousy". And as these roots start gaining strength, faith starts moving away and good deeds go to waste. Thus man becomes a fuel for the fire of hell. Shaitaan's good deeds lay wasted because of his pride. But he was given a long span of life in compensation for his (good) deeds. The whole narration is stated in the Qur'an.

Takfeer (Expiation of sins): It means that the sins which a person commits are compensated for acceptance of faith (Eeman) destroys all the sins committed in the past. If a person was a non-believer in the former part of life, but later accepted Islam, then the sins which he committed during that period will be forgiven and will not be taken into, the sin he committed during that period will be forgiven if he truly repents and seeks pardon. It is stated in the Qur'an: ﴾Allah changes the evil deeds to good ones﴿. (surah-al-Furqan: 70)

It is written in the fifteenth volume of Biharul-Anwaar', that once a man came to the presence of the Holy prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him and his household) and said, "O master my sin is very big (in his pre-Islamic days he had buried his daughter alive as was the custom then), you recommend to me a deed whose performance would act as compensation for it, and Allah may forgive me". The prophet (peace be upon him and his household) asked him, "Then is your maternal aunt (mother's sister) alive"? He replied "Yes, she is"

The prophet (peace be upon him and his household) told him to go and serve her (for she had a very near relation with his mother, thus serving her would mean serving his mother). Then He (peace be upon him and his household) said, "Had his mother been alive, it would have been the best compensation (for his sins). (ma'ad)

* Manazil Al-Akhira. By SHAIKH ABBAS BIN MOHAMMAD REZA AI-QUM. Chapter 7. Published in Iran, Qum.