FISQ - فسق ‎

Etymology and Literal Meaning:

Literally derived from the Arabic root f-s-q (ف-س-ق ), which means "to emerge, break out, or strip off." It classically describes a ripe date bursting out of its protective skin or a mouse leaving its burrow. Linguistically, it signifies the act of abandoning a protective boundary or deviating from the proper path. Its general meaning is immorality, wickedness, lewdness and debauchery.

As an Islamic term:

In Islamic terminology, it is the act of willful disobedience toward Allah by transgressing His commands and deviating from as-sirât al-mustaqîm. A person who commits fisq is called a fâsiq.

The Three Degrees of Fisq defined in the Sharî’ah:

1. Occasional Transgression: Sinning occasionally due to human weakness, while fully recognising and feeling remorse for the ugliness of that sin.

2. Habitual Fondness: Becoming fond of or persistent in sinning, where the habit of disobedience begins to dominate the individual's lifestyle.

3. Defiant Denial and Justification: Committing sins while explicitly denying, rejecting, or making light of their haram status. This third degree is kufr, due to its essence of denial and rejection of the decisive decrees of Allah.

The Status of a Fâsiq in Ahl al-Sunnah:

According to Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamâ'ah, as long as a fâsiq has not reached this third degree (denial and justification), he still retains the title of mu’min.

Consequently, the term fâsiq functions as a broad category in Islamic terminology:

• It encompasses those who have lost their îmân and become kâfir due to their arrogant denial of the laws of Allah.
• It also encompasses those who have preserved their îmân but have compromised their religious life due to their active sins.

Excerpts from the Risale-i Nur on the haqiqah of fisk:

1. From the Tafsir of Âyahs 2:26–27, on the Nature and Essence of Fisq:

The word order of the phrase

 وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ اِلَّا الْفَاسِقِينَ1

is as follows:

Since the phrase 2 يضل به كثيرًا was left ambiguous,3 the listener's mind immediately paid attention and was filled with apprehension. Seeking clarity, the listener asked:

"Who are these people that go astray? What is the cause of their dhalâlah? And how can darkness emerge from the nûr of the Qur'an?"

The Qur'an answered:

"Because they are fâsiqs; falling into dhalâlah is the punishment for their fisq. And because of fisq, nûr transforms into the fire for the fâsiq, and light transforms into darkness." Do you not see that sunlight rots and putrefies filthy substances?

As for the reason for describing the fâsiq with these specific attributes in the phrase

اَلَّذِينَ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللّٰهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ وَ يَقْطَعُونَ مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ اَنْ يُوصَلَ وَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْاَرْضِ4

it is because this description serves as a detailed exposition and disclosure of what fisq truly is.

Indeed, fisq is a deviation from the haqq, a transgression of the limits and a rupture from the fortified, protective shell. Furthermore, fisq occurs through ifrât or tafrît in the three powers (quwwa):

1. Quwwa al-aqliyyah5

2. Quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah6

3. Quwwa ash-shahawiyyah7.

And indeed, ifrât and tafrît within these powers are two causes for rebellion against the evidences, which constitute the covenants (al-'uhûd) of Allah within the fitrah.8 Ifrât and tafrît are also two causes of sickness in personal life, which this âyah indicates through the first attribute of fisq. They also act as two catalysts for rebellion against social life, severing social bonds and laws, which this âyah indicates through the second attribute of fisq. And they are two causes of corruption and revolution that result in the disruption of the order of the earth, which this ayah indicates through the third attribute.

Yes, by allowing the quwwa al-aqliyyah to transgress the limits of istiqâmah, the fâsiq breaks the bonds of aqâid and ruptures the fortified shell, that is, his eternal life. By allowing the quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah to transgress its limits, he tears apart the protective shell of social life. And by allowing the quwwa ash-shahawiyyah, the power of animal appetites, to transgress its limits and by following the desires of the nafs (hawâ), he eradicates from his heart all compassion for his fellow human beings. Consequently, he falls into corruption, entangles others in the very ruin he has brought upon himself, and ultimately becomes a cause of harm to mankind and the corruption of the order of the earth.

The word order of the phrase

اُولئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ9

is as follows:

Having recounted the grave crimes of the fâsiq to awaken a sense of dread, the Qur’an reinforces this warning with their ultimate consequence and punishment, thereby maximising the impact of the intimidation.

Thus, it declares:

“They are the ones who have indeed lost by trading the âkhirah for this world and exchanging guidance (hudâ) for the desires of their nafs (hawâ).”

…

As for the form of the phrase يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيرًا وَ يَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيرًا10:

Know that the essence of the sentence's arrangement requires the second part of the phrase to be placed first.11 However, since the primary objective is to refute the objections of those who are hesitant, questioning, objecting and finding the parables repugnant, starting the sentence with

يُضِلُّ12

carries greater importance.

As for departing from the nominal forms الضَّلَالَة  (dhalâlah) and الْهِدَايَة  (hidâyah), which would have been the appropriate, direct answers to the question

فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَا اَرَادَ اللّٰهُ بِهٰذَا مَثَلًا13

and turning instead to the verbal form of mudhâri‘ (the present/future tense), it is an indication that the darkness of their kufr intensifies, layer upon layer, in proportion to the continuous and gradual revelation of the Qur’an; just as the mu’min’s îmân increases in

نُورٌ عَلٰى نُورٍ14

with every degree of revelation.

Furthermore, using the verbal form  يُضِلُّ — given that it serves as an answer — contains a subtle allusion that describes the state of both groups, mu’mins and kâfirs, and explains the underlying cause of their conditions.

As for 15 كَثِيرًا :

The first كَثِيرًا expresses quantity and number, while the second كَثِيرًا expresses quality and value. Yes, generous and noble people are numerous due to their high worth, even if they are few in number.

The use of the word كَثِيرًا in the second instance is also a subtle allusion to the mystery of how the Qur'an is a rahmah to all of mankind. 16 Consider this!

As for the phrase وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ اِلَّا الْفَاسِقِينَ :

Know that having mentioned كَثِيرًا in the first instance, the Qur’an dispels all waswasa, fear, hesitation and any accusation of deficiency in the Qur’an by clarifying exactly who those 17 ضالين are.

It further explains that:

• The source of their dhalâlah is their own fisq,
• The cause of it is their own kasb,
• The deficiency lies entirely with them, not with the Qur’an,
• And the creation of dhalâlah by Allah is a just recompense for their own actions.

‌ …

As for the form of the phrase

 اَلَّذِينَ يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللّٰهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ وَ يَقْطَعُونَ مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ اَنْ يُوصَلَ وَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْاَرْضِ18

Know that there is an elevated and subtle suitability in describing here the fâsiq — who harbour doubts about the Qur’an's miraculousness and word order — with these specific attributes.

It is as though the Qur'an is saying:

 "It's not at all surprising that the fâsiq should be hesitant and ignorant about the miraculousness of the Qur'an’s order, since they fail to see the miraculousness of Qoudrah in the order of the universe, which is the Greater Qur'an. Just as they view the order of the universe as merely coincidental and its fruitful transformations as futile, accidental occurrences; therefore, its underlying hikmahs are concealed from them due to the corruption of their rûh. So too, through their sick fitrah and corrupt whims, they perceive the miraculous order of the Qur’an as a disordered muddle, its premises as barren, and its fruits as bitter."

As for the phrase يَنْقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللّٰهِ :

Since أن النقض  literally means untying and tearing apart the strands of a rope, its use here points to an elevated style.

It is as though the covenant with Taâ’lâ is a luminous rope twisted with hikmah, ‘inâyah and will, extending from azal to eternity. It manifests in the universe in the form of a universal order. This great chain has sent down its individual chains to all the species, and its most wondrous extremity19 has been extended to mankind. Within the rûh of man, it has bequeathed the seeds of potentialities and abilities, yielding fruits from them. These seeds of potentiality are watered and brought to bloom through juz’ al-ikhtiyârî, which is rectified and balanced by the legislative command, that is, the textual evidences (al-dalâil al-naqliyyah20).

Thus, the covenant is fulfilled by employing these potentialities and dispositions for the very purposes they were created for. Conversely, breaking the covenant is to do the exact opposite, which is to unravel and separate the strands of that rope.21 Examples of this include believing in some prophets while denying others, accepting some religious decrees (ahkâm) while rejecting others, or approving of some âyahs while disapproving of others.22 For indeed, this disrupts the order, the harmony and the overall regularity.

As for the phrase 23 وَ يَقْطَعُونَ مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ اَنْ يُوصَلَ :

Know that 24 مَا اَمَرَ اللّٰهُ encompasses both the commands of Sharî’ah and the takwînî commands, both of which are embedded within 'Âdâtullah and the laws of fitrah25. Thus, severing what has been commanded to be maintained in terms of the Sharî‘ah means actions such as severing sila ar-rahm26 and disconnecting the hearts of believers from one another; and you may make further analogies along these lines.

And in terms of the takwînî Sharî’ah, it means:

• Severing action (‘amal) from ‘ilm,
• Severing ‘ilm from intelligence,
• Severing intelligence from dispositions,
• Severing ma’rifatullah from the mind (‘aql),
• Severing labour from strength,

• And severing jihad from courage, and so forth...

For indeed, the granting of strength is a ma’nawî takwînî command to strive and work, and the granting of intelligence is a ma’nawî takwînî command to acquire ‘ilm, and so on.

As for the phrase 27 وَ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْاَرْضِ :

Know that whoever becomes corrupt and embroiled in the mire [of sin] seeks to have companions who are similarly embroiled, in order to alleviate the terror of his own state through the mystery: "When a calamity becomes widespread, it becomes bearable."

Likewise, if a subversive corruption falls into someone’s heart, the perfections within his heart are ruined, and his elevated feelings decline. Consequently, an inclination toward destruction is born within him; he begins to derive a certain pleasure from destruction, and thus actively seeks his gratification in corruption and disorder.

If you ask: "How can the corruption perpetrated by a single fâsiq affect the entire earth, as indicated by the comprehensive phrase فِي الْاَرْضِ ?"

You are told in response: Wherever there is an established order, there is a precise balance; indeed, order itself is built entirely upon balance. Even the intrusion of a tiny, insignificant object between the cogs of a massive machine will affect its operation, even if it goes unnoticed. Similarly, a colossal scale holding a mountain on each of its pans will be affected by placing a single walnut upon one of them.

Signs of Miraculousness 413-421-424-425

(For further explanation, please refer to the compilation on As-sirât Al-mustaqîm)

2. On fâsiq al-mutajâhir:

Ghiybah can be permissible (jâiz) in a few specific cases:

…

Fourth: The one spoken about is a fâsiq al-mutajâhir. That is, he is not ashamed of his wrongdoing; rather, he takes pride in the sins he commits; he takes pleasure in his dhulm without being embarrassed, committing it openly without any shame.

 The Twenty-Second Letter/Conclusion