According to Islam, human is not born sinner. Human is sent into the world sinless with his birth. Here, because of their own choices, they either commit sins or gain rewards: “o whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.”[1]
Is every human being born pure and sinless?
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) said, ” No one is born except according to intrinsic nature [(fitra)].”[2] The fitra of Islam means creation of human beings with good morals, through which they can seek and find Allah and that Allah’s orders are in accordance with human creation. For example, if a person has not made a habit of lying, he will feel bad when he lies. When he talks behind someone else’s back, his soul gets bored. It is not right for a person to ask for more than what is given from the lender. Such psychological states show that man was created with good morals, which is, the nature of Islam.
In the Qur’an, it is expressed as follows that Allah created people on a single nature: ” So be steadfast in faith in all uprightness O Prophet—the natural Way of Allah which He has instilled in all people. Let there be no change in this creation of Allah. That is the Straight Way, but most people do not know.”[3] When this verse is evaluated together with the hadith of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH), it indicates all human beings were created with good morals and innocent.
In another hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “The scent of Paradise is the scent of a baby.”[4] A religion that associates eternal happiness with babies cannot speak of an innate sin.
When does a person become responsible for his sins?
According to Islam, a person is held responsible for his choices as he enters puberty. It is expected the person’s thinking ability to get mature until this age. Another reason for waiting until this age is that the child is given time to learn about life.
It should also be added that in Islam, it is stated that those who die before puberty will enter Paradise without accountability.[5] The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) uses the term “bird of paradise” to describe such children.[6] Ultimately, according to Islam human is not inherently sinner.
Can a person be held accountable for the sins of others?
It should also be added that in the Islam, everyone is responsible for his own choices. No one will be held responsible for the outcome of another’s decision. As a matter of fact, this situation is expressed in the Qur’an as follows: “No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you of what you used to do. He certainly knows best what is ˹hidden˺ in the heart.”[7]
Summary:
1. Every human being is born sinless, according to Islam.
2. No one is born liable for the sins of their parents or grandparents, according to Islam.
3. In this life, a person might commit sins as a result of the decisions he/she makes of his/her own free will. Responsibility for these sins does not begin until adolescence.
4. When a Muslim decides to repent and seek forgiveness from Allah, he/she may quickly cleansed of his/her former sins.
[1] Az-Zalzalah, 7-8
[2] Al-Bukhari, Funerals (Al-Janaa’iz),79, 92, Muslim, Qadar, 22-25
[3] Ar-Rum, 30
[4] Al-Jami’ as-Saghir, 2/2285.
[5] Al-Waqi’ah, 17; Al-Insan, 19.
[6] Muslim, Qader, 6
[7] Az-Zumar, 7