“Mistakes Are Forgiven for Muslims”

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Some people attempt to reinforce the false notion of a polytheistic Muslim by claiming that the community of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم – that is, the Muslims – would have all their mistakes overlooked by Allah سبحانه وتعالى, as long as they did not know better. To support this claim, they cite the following verse:

Additionally, the following hadith is also cited in this context:

It is narrated from Ibnu 'Abbas that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَضَعَ عَنْ أُمَّتِي الْخَطَأَ وَالنِّسْيَانَ وَمَا اسْتُكْرِهُوا عَلَيْهِ»

Indeed, Allah has pardoned my ummah for mistakes, forgetfulness, and what they were coerced into.¹³⁷

The problem with someone who argues in this way is that he himself suffers from a misunderstanding of the fundamental principles of Islam. Such a person believes that the “ummah of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم” – as mentioned in the Qur'anic verse and the cited hadith – refers to all individuals who merely identify as part of this community. For him, it does not matter how much polytheism or what kind of polytheism these so-called “Muslims” commit.

From an Islamic perspective, the question arises: How can these people's shirk be forgiven, when the Qur'an explicitly states that this very shirk will not be forgiven?

Such ideas strongly resemble the concept of the chosen people in the Judaism of today. Whoever is born with the label “Muslim”, or has it recorded in his passport, automatically enjoys the privilege of belonging to a chosen group. No matter what he does, he will enter Paradise in the end – whether as a better or worse member of this chosen group.

This peculiar idea is, of course, absurd and completely foreign to Islam. It is all the more telling of the widespread ignorance among people who consider themselves Muslims today that so many of them – consciously or unconsciously – adhere to this chosen people theory.

This is also why people with such a mindset make little effort to strive for Paradise. They believe his or her place in Paradise is already guaranteed. The only question, perhaps, is whether they will enter immediately or first have to atone for a few minor sins. From an Islamic perspective, this outlook on life has devastating consequences.

This pseudo-argument requires no further explanation, given the many pieces of evidence that have already been mentioned. Anyone with a basic understanding of Islam could never make such a claim. A polytheist is in no way a member of the “ummah of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم”, so these texts do not apply to such people in the first place.

Additionally, a Muslim does not commit polytheism simply out of forgetfulness or a simple mistake – such ideas are absurd. Likewise, a person who is forced into “disbelief” is not the same as someone who willingly engages in acts of polytheism. This is self-evident. The topic of coercion will be discussed in more detail in an upcoming chapter.