Biddat And Forgiveness In This World
Honest mistakes do not make a person accountable before God; accountability arises from deliberate and intentional sins. Thus, if someone knowingly commits biddah ( religious innovation ) and, out of bias or prejudice, rejects intellectual correction, then dies without repentance, such a person will indeed be answerable to God. However, it is incorrect to claim that such a sin cannot be forgiven in this world. The Quran affirms that every sin is forgivable when accompanied by sincere repentance. As Allah says in Surah Al-Furqan (25:70–71) , those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds will have their evil deeds replaced with good, for Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful. For further study, see Javed Ahmad Ghamidi’s commentary on Surah Al-Furqan .