Responsibility for deeds committed in ignorance

It is narrated on the Authority of Abdullah bin Mas’ud  (RA) that some people said to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him): Messenger of Allah, would we be held responsible for our deeds committed in the state of ignorance (before embracing Islam)? Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) remarked: He who amongst you performed good deeds in Islam, he would not be held responsible for them (misdeeds which he committed in ignorance) and he who committed evil (even after embracing Islam) would be held responsible for his deeds that he committed in the state of ignorance as well as in that of Islam.

It is narrated on the authority of Abdullah bin Mas’ud (RA): We once said: Messenger of Allah, would we be held responsible for our deeds committed in the state of ignorance? He (the Holy Prophet) observed: He who did good deeds in Islam would not be held responsible for what he did in the state of ignorance, but he who committed evil (after having come within the fold of Islam) would be held responsible for his previous and later deeds.

Hadith No.217 &  No.218   Book of Faith      Sahih Muslim Vol.1 p.68.

Washington State University

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Perth City Musallah Association Incorporated (PCMA) is a not-for-profit charitable trust that advocates and provides for religious needs of Perth city’s Muslim workers.

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