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Refutations

Even If He Committed Adultery and Even If He Stole" — Does Islam Permit Major Sins

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“Even If He Committed Adultery and Even If He Stole” — Does Islam Permit Major Sins?

The Doubt

The Claim Critics claim that this hadith suggests Islam permits or trivialises adultery and theft — using the Prophet’s ﷺ words “even if he committed adultery and even if he stole” as supposed evidence.

The Hadith

The Hadith Muhammad ibn Bashar told us, Ibn Abi Uday told us, on the authority of Shu’bah:

“Even if he steals and commits adultery? He said: Yes, and even if he drinks alcohol.”

The Response

What Imam al-Nawawi Said

Imam al-Nawawi — on “even if he drinks alcohol” This phrase is a severe prohibition of alcohol. The statement is very clear — had the matter not been so serious, the Prophet ﷺ would not have brought these as examples of serious matters.
Imam al-Nawawi — on “even if he commits adultery and steals” This is an argument for the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah: that those who commit major sins are not certain to be in Hell forever, and that if they enter it, they will eventually be taken out and their eternal stay will be in Paradise.

The Prohibition Is Definitive — There Is No Permission

Theft Is Absolutely Forbidden Allah the Most High says: “And as for the thief, male or female, cut off their hands. It is the recompense for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment from Allah. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” — Al-Ma’idah: 38
Adultery Is Absolutely Forbidden Allah the Most High says: “And do not come near adultery. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.” — Al-Isra’: 32
Surah Al-Furqan (68–70) “And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden except in truth, and they do not commit adultery. And whoever does that will meet a penalty. The punishment will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated — except for those who repent, believe, and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

The Correct Understanding

What the Hadith Actually Means The one who commits these major sins will not be removed from Islam completely. He is a disobedient Muslim who will receive punishment for his disobedience.

Every Muslim who believes in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection:

  • If his good deeds outweigh his bad → he enters Paradise
  • If his bad deeds outweigh → he enters Hellfire proportionate to those sins
  • But he will not remain in Hellfire forever because of his belief in Allah

The Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari

Sahih al-Bukhari — via Abu Hurayrah Yahya ibn Bakir told us, al-Layth told us, on the authority of Aqeel, on the authority of Ibn Shihab, on the authority of Abu Bakr ibn Abd al-Rahman, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah — that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“The adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer, nor does the drinker drink while he is a believer, nor does the thief steal while he is a believer, nor does the plunderer plunder while people look up to him while he is a believer.”

Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi — Commentary on Jami’ al-Tirmidhi On “The adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer” — the waw is for the state (hal). Al-Nawawi said:

“This hadith is one of the hadiths about which scholars differed in meaning. The correct statement made by the scholars is that it means he does not commit these sins while he has complete faith.”

Then he said, with the consensus of Ahl al-Haqq: “The adulterer, the thief, the murderer, and others who commit major sins other than polytheism do not become disbelievers because of that. Rather, they are believers whose faith is deficient. If they repent, their punishment is dropped. If they die persisting in major sins, they are subject to the will of Allah — if He wills, He pardons them; if He wills, He punishes them and then admits them into Paradise.”

Sheikh al-Islam Ibn al-Qayyim — on the hadith “And he does not plunder an honourable property that people look up to when he plunders it while he is a believer. And he does not steal while he steals while he is a believer. So beware, beware!!!”

Turning the Question Around

A Question for the Christian Critic Didn’t the Lord Christ allegedly atone for your sins at the alleged crucifixion?
  • What is the punishment for the adulterer in Christianity?
  • What is the punishment for the thief in Christianity?
  • If he believes in Jesus and the alleged salvation — will he enter the kingdom without being held accountable?

In Islam, the sinner is held accountable. The hadith does not permit the sin — it addresses what happens to the believing sinner in the Hereafter. The prohibition stands. The punishment stands. The accountability stands.

Conclusion — The Doubt Collapses There is nothing in the hadith that permits adultery or theft. The hadith addresses the theological status of the Muslim sinner — not a licence to sin. The Quran is explicit in forbidding both crimes. The Prophet ﷺ legislated punishments for both. The hadith simply affirms that major sins do not permanently expel a believer from Islam or condemn him to eternal Hellfire.