Q:

Salam,

If somebody does something and thinks it is shirk or kufr while they are doing it, but it isn’t actually shirk/kufr, do they still get the sin of shirk/kufr?

If they do commit an act of shirk/kufr, is every action they do after that an act of shirk/kufr because they aren’t repenting?

A:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving.

All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon His Prophet Muhammad.

In principle, a Muslim has to cherish total submission to and fear of Allah (Exalted is He). If a Muslim is in doubt about a specific act, whether it is a sin or not or whether it amounts to shirk or not, he/she has to ask the people of knowledge lest that act might incur the wrath of Allah.

Intention of the doer and the type of act are essential to answer this question. We need to know what this brother’s intention was when he did that act. We need also to know the act in question to determine whether it amounts to shirk or not. Resolved intention to commit apostasy, for example, is enough to send one out of the fold of Islam.

Allah knows best.