Answer: This issue is one that scholars have differed on. There is agreement that righteous deeds are multiplied in reward during Ramadan, but the question of whether sins are also multiplied is a matter of scholarly discussion. This discussion has been documented in the books of Ikhtilāf (differences of opinion).
Let me break down the difference of opinion and then mention what appears to be the strongest view. Ultimately, knowledge belongs to Allah ﷻ.
From what is apparent, both good and evil deeds are multiplied in Ramadan. That is, the good that a person does is multiplied, and the evil that a person does is also multiplied. However, the multiplication is based on factors such as place and time. A good deed performed in a certain place may be multiplied more than if done elsewhere, and a good deed done at a particular time may carry greater reward than at another time. Similarly, sins committed in a particular place or time may carry a greater consequence than if committed elsewhere or at another time.
However, the multiplication of good and evil deeds is not the same. The opinion of Ibn ʿAbbās and Ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنهما), who held that sins are multiplied, clarifies that sins are multiplied in their severity, not in their quantity.
What does this mean? The good deeds that a person performs are multiplied in number—one good deed is rewarded tenfold, up to 700 times, or even more. Additionally, the way in which a person is rewarded is also multiplied; the value of each multiplied good deed is increased.
As for sins, they do not multiply in number. If a person commits a sin in Ramadan, it remains one sin—it does not become ten or more. However, the severity of the punishment for that sin increases because of the sacredness of the time. The punishment for the same sin in Ramadan is far greater than it would be in any other month.
The evidence for this is the statement of Allah ﷻ in the Qur’an:
مَن جَآءَ بِٱلْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُۥ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا ۖ وَمَن جَآءَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَىٰٓ إِلَّا مِثْلَهَا وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ ١٦٠
"Whoever comes with a good deed will have ten times the like thereof, but whoever comes with an evil deed will only be recompensed for the like thereof, and they will not be wronged." (Surah Al-Anʿām 6:160)
This shows that good deeds are multiplied in number, whereas sins remain singular. However, the way a sin is punished in Ramadan differs from how it would be punished in other months.
A similar example is found in the ruling regarding Makkah. Allah ﷻ says:
وَمَن يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍۭ بِظُلْمٍ نُّذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ٢٥
"And whoever intends a deviation therein (i.e., in Makkah) or to wrongfully act therein, We will make him taste a severe punishment." (Surah Al-Ḥajj 22:25)
Here, Allah ﷻ does not say that sins are multiplied numerically in Makkah. Rather, He emphasizes that the punishment for wrongdoing in Makkah is far more severe than elsewhere. The same applies to sins in Ramadan.
So, to summarize:
- Good deeds are multiplied in both number and reward. One deed can be multiplied ten times, up to 700 or more, and the way Allah ﷻ rewards it is also greater.
- Sins are not multiplied in number. A sin committed in Ramadan remains one sin—it does not become ten or more.
- However, the severity of the punishment for a sin in Ramadan is far greater than in any other month. The same applies to sacred places like Makkah or sacred times like the Ashhur al-Hurum (the sacred months).
I hope this answers your question. Anything I have said that is incorrect is from me and Shayṭān, and Allah and His Messenger are free from it.
— Answered by Ustadh Abdulrahman Hassan
