“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about a man who commits a major sin and then dies whether it takes him away from Islam and if he will be punished, will it be like that for the pagans or will it finish on a certain time? The Imam said, ‘One who commits any of the major sins considering it to be lawful it will take him away from Islam and he will face the most severe punishment. However, if he affirms that what he has done is a sin and dies, he is taken out of belief but not out of Islam and his punishment will be less severe than the one mentioned before.’”