What are the major sins?
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Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's
Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:
i would like 2 know which sins r considered
as kabeera gunaah
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Answer:
What are the major sins?
In the name of Allah, We
praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah
guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide
them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant
and the seal of His Messengers.
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 120: Eschew all sin,
open or secret: those who earn sin will get due recompense for their
"earnings."
The believers who sincerely fear Allah and the Last Day, must strive to abstain from all kinds of
sins, whether they are major or
minor!
The barometer to determine which sins fall into the ‘major’
category, and which fall into the
‘minor’ category is the terminology and the prescribed punishment of Allah
Subhanah and His Messenger (saws). The
bigger the punishment prescribed for a particular act, the major the enormity
of the sin!
For example, the single biggest
sin in Islam is the heinous act of ‘shirk’ or associating others with Allah
Subhanah; and that is because Allah
Subhanah has Himself Declared this abomination of ‘shirk’ as unforgivable for
the one who dies in that state!
Allah says in
the Quran: Chapter 4 Surah An-Nisa Verse 48: Shirk (associating other
deities with Allah) is the only sin that Allah does not forgive, and He
forgives, whomsoever He pleases, sins other than this. For whosoever associates any other partner
with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and commits the most heinous sin
Allah says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 72: Whoever commits ‘shirk’
(invoking anything with Allah), Allah
shall forbid for him
There are several other
sins, like intentional murder of a believer without just cause, or the sin of
adultery, or the usurping of someone’s inheritance, or the consumption of usury, etc., whereby Allah Subhanah Decrees that one who
does those and does not subsequently repent,
will deserve the everlasting punishment of the Hell-Fire! These will obviously be considered ‘major’
sins.
Ref: Intentional
murder of a believer without just cause:
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 93:
If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide
therein (for ever): and the Wrath and
the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him.
Ref: Shirk,
Murder, and ‘Zina’:
Allah Says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 25 Surah Furqaan verses 68-69:
68 Those who invoke not with Allah any other god, nor slay such life as Allah has made sacred
except for just cause, nor commit ‘zina’, and any that does this (not only)
meets punishment,
69 (But) the Penalty on the Day of Judgment will be doubled to
him, and he will dwell therein in ignominy
Ref: Unjust eating of the orphan’s property:
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 10: Those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, eat up a fire
into their own bodies: they will soon be enduring a blazing fire!
Ref: Not abiding by
Allah’s Boundaries, especially in
distributing inheritance.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 14: But those who disobey Allah and His Messenger, and transgress His limits, will be admitted to a fire to abide therein:
and they shall have a humiliating punishment.
Ref: The consumption of
‘riba’ or usury:
Allah says in
the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 278: O Believers!, fear Allah and give up that ‘riba’ which is
still due to you, if you are true
believers. But if you do not do so, then you are warned of the declaration of war against you
by Allah and His Messenger!
The Messenger of Allah (saws) categorized the major sins in one of his
authentic narrations:
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.28 Narrated by Abu Huraira
The Prophet (saws) said, "Avoid the seven great
destructive sins." The people enquire, "O Messenger of Allah (saws)!
What are they?" He (saws) said,
"To join others in worship along with Allah,
to practice sorcery,
to kill the life which Allah has forbidden except for a
just cause, (according to Islamic law),
to eat up riba (usury),
to eat up an orphan's wealth,
to give back to the enemy and fleeing from the battlefield
at the time of fighting,
and to accuse chaste women, who never even think of
anything touching chastity and are good believers.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.8 Narrated by Anas bin Malik
The Messenger of Allah (saws)
mentioned the greatest sins or he was asked about the greatest sins. He (saws) said, "To join partners in
worship with Allah; to kill a soul which Allah has forbidden to kill; and to be
undutiful or unkind to one's parents."
The sins which have no prescribed punishment in the Quran and
Sunnah, or the sins which are not
mentioned as ‘major’ sins by Allah and His Messenger (saws), will be deemed minor sins in Shariah. Allah and His Messenger (saws) have guided
the believers regarding and making them aware of the ‘major’ sins, and not provided the list of the minor sins
as the list of minor sins is indeed innumerable; for man is indeed prone to short-comings,
error and sin. Every sin which does not
have a prescribed punishment in the Quran or Sunnah, or which are not listed as deserving of
Allah’s Anger and Wrath and eternal Punishment,
or not mentioned as ‘major’ sins by Allah and His Messenger (saws), will be deemed ‘minor’ sins in Islam.
Whatever written of
Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever
of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows
Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
Wister