8.10. THE CATEGORIES OF THE HEART’S ACTIONS
• The First type: action that is a good deed or a sin in and of itself.
• The second type: action that is not a sin until it is done (this is the sin that one is able to do).
• The third type: action that is like an already committed good deed or a sin when one is unable to act, but not when one is able to act.
The first type pertains to the foundations of faith, belief, rejection, love, hate and everything that follows them. They lead to reward or punishment and elevated statuses or the lowest bottoms as actions of the heart, even if they do not manifest themselves on the limbs. Indeed, the hypocrites say and do good things with their limbs but their punishment of dwelling in the lowest bottoms of Hell is due to the illnesses in their hearts. The state of their hearts is sometimes accompanied by hateful speech or action, but they do not get punished only for this slight hate as that is but a sign (that they are total hypocrites). Allah, Most High, says:
“And if We willed, We could show them to you, and you would know them by their mark; but you will surely know them by the tone of (their) speech.” (Muhammad (47): 30)
As you can see, Allah says that they will always be known by their tone. The second and third type of the heart’s actions relate to actions that do not negate the very foundation of faith, namely natural acts of disobedience like adultery, theft, and drinking wine. It occurs in the Sahih that the Prophet said: ‘Whowever dies while bearing witness that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger, will enter Paradise even if he has fornicated, even if he has stolen, even if he has drunk wine.’’ In another sound hadith he attest the love of a man who used to drink a lot and whom he used to lash every time he was brought to him. One time a man cursed this drinker so the Prophet said: ‘Do not curse him, for he loves Allah and his Messenger.’’ Another report reads that someone said: ‘My Allah humiliates him! Look how often he is brought here because of drinking!’’ so the Prophet said: ‘Do not help the Devil against your brother.’’ This is narrated in al-Bukhari by Abu Hurayrah (radiyAllahu ‘anhu)
By Shaykhu’l-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
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