How true is the hadith that says that all Shiites will enter Paradise despite their sins, even if they were among those who are the subject of divine wrath?
1 Answer
Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you
Looking at the collections and books of hadith, it can be seen that some narrations state that the Shiite is safe from Hell and that his fate according to The Affectionate, The Beneficent, is to enter Paradise.
It is true that His divine mercies and divine kindness are unlimited and His gifts are innumerable, but the Noble Lord built His law and based His rulings on His Wisdom, keeping the benefits [that must be secured] and the harms [that must be avoided] in view. With this in mind, His Kindness is not arbitrary, and His Gifts are not given in vain, nor are they given haphazardly. Rather, they are governed by the above-mentioned [divine governing] principle.
We all know that divine governing principles differ from governing principles [often] used by human beings [as is observable in many societies]. Of course, there is no kinship between the Creator and creation, be they descendants of the Prophets or descendants of the corrupt and wretched. For this reason, we say that a Shiite is more ready for guidance than others, naturally, given that he follows the right way, represented by the straight path, which is our Master Muhammad and his blessed family. Nevertheless, this does mean that Paradise is guaranteed for him. Nor does it mean that he is barred from entering the Hellfire, such that he can be emboldened, God forbid, to commit sins just because he has the label [of being Shia]. Afterall, who can guarantee for himself that he will remain true to their love and that he will not be robbed of their guardianship upon his death due to the multitude and severity of his sins?
Even though we believe that the door to intercession (shafa’ah) is open, after cross-examining the narrations, we see that there are a number of sins that deprive their perpetrator of intercession, even if culprit is a Shiite and is loyal to Ali including consuming alcohol and failing to perform obligatory prayers (salah), for example. The Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family, said: “He who takes his prayer (salah) lightly is not from me and he will not pass before me upon the Fountain [of Kawthar]. No, by God! He who consumes an intoxicant is not from me. He will not pass before me upon the Fountain [of Kawthar]. No, by God!” Also, our Imam Al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: “Our intercession does not reach one who neglects his prayer (salah).”
Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih - Sheikh Al-Saduq - Part 1 - Page 206
Further, some narrations even indicated that the Imam feared the torment of the barzakh for his Shiites.
He (as) said: “But by God, I fear for you in the barzakh.” I said: “What is the barzakh?” He said: “The grave from the time of his death until the Day of Resurrection.”
Al-Kafi - Al-Kulayni - Page: 3 - Publisher: Dar Al-Kutub Al-Islamiyya - Tehran / Edition: 2.
All praise belongs to Allah and may peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and his pure family.