بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
When a true believer falls in sin, a black dot appears on his heart. If, after that, he repents and seeks forgiveness from Allah, this dot disappears. If he does not repent, this dot keeps on increasing, so much so that it covers his whole heart.
In the Qur'an, the name given to this dot is 'rayn', as in كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿١٤ that is, their evil deeds have rusted their hearts. [Qur'an Al-Mutaffifin 83:14]
Heedlessness towards sins is the cause of one's permanent ruin.
Allah Almighty says,
إِن تَجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَبَآئِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُم مُّدْخَلًا كَرِيمًا ﴿٣١
If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance [into Paradise]. (31)
[Qur'an An-Nisa 4:31]
This verse tells us that there are two kinds of sins. Some of them are kabirah, that is, major sins; others are saghirah, (termed as Saiyyat, in this verse) that is, minor sins. He who musters enough courage and succeeds in staying away from major sins, has been given a promise by Allah Almighty that He will forgive his minor sins on His own.
The act of staying away from major sins also includes the act of fulfilling all obligations (fard and wajib) because neglecting or abandoning obligations is a major sin in itself. If one dutifully fulfills all obligations and succeeds in saving himself from all major sins, Allah Almighty will overlook his minor sins.
The sin known as 'saghirah' or, technically, a minor sin, is, in fact, no minor sin for that matter. To disobey Allah Almighty and to oppose His will is, invariably, a grave crime. Therefore, based on this view, a large number of scholars of the Muslim community have ruled that every disobedience of Allah and every opposition to His will is nothing but 'kabirah' or major sin. The distinction between 'kabirah' and 'saghirah', major and minor sins, is made only when these are compared to each other. It is in this sense that the blessed Companion, Sayyidina 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas has been reported to have said: 'Any act forbidden by the Shari'ah is a major sin.'
In short, a sin which is technically known as minor does not mean that people should go about indulging in it neglectfully, indolently or just ignore it as something ordinary. On the contrary, the fact is that a minor sin, if done with nerve or heedlessness, does not remain minor anymore - it becomes a major sin. A good example of a major and a minor sin, as given by some sage, is that of a small scorpion and a big scorpion, or that of a large ember and a tiny spark, for man cannot bear the pain' given by any of these.
Therefore, Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi said that the greatest act of worship offered for Allah is to give up sins. The 'ibadah or worship by people, who offer prayers and remember Allah, yet do not give up sins, is not accepted. The famous mystic, Fudayl ibn 'Ayad said: 'The lighter you take a sin to be, the greater it will become with Allah as a crime.' The most righteous elders of the Muslim community used to say: Every sin is a courier of kufr which invites people to manners and morals typical of disbelievers.
According to the Musnad of Ahmad, the mother of believers Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), wrote a letter to Sayyidna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), in which she said that a servant of Allah who disobeys Allah Almighty finds his fans become fault-finders, and friends turn into enemies.
Among the major sins are:
shirk (ascribing partners to Allah)
lying about Allah and His Messenger
not performing prayers in its time
withholding/not paying zakat
not fasting in Ramadhan without excuse
not performing hajj while able to do so
unjust killing
committing murder
committing oppression
being overbearing or taking advantage of the weak, slaves, wives or animals
breaching of trusts
committing injustice
judging unjustly
harming and abusing Muslims and others
harming the Friends of Allah
abusing or reviling any one of the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace.
deceiving and plotting evil
rebellion & charging of unbelief
spreading harmful tales
wrongdoing, deception or oppression on the part of the ruler
pointing a weapon at a Muslim
spying and eavesdropping on other's private conversation
engaging in bribery
dealing in fraud
dealing in riba (usury/interest) - taking, giving, scribing, etc.
arguing or quarrelling for show & not seeking the truth
disobeying and disrespect to parents
cutting off the ties of relationships
committing adultery or fornication
committing sodomy
not fulfilling one's promises
cursing others
showing off – Ostentations
pride and arrogance
trailing one's garment in pride - i.e. below the ankles out of pride
ungratefulness
stealing
being a perpetual liar
backbiting
drinking alcoholic beverages
gambling
devouring orphan's wealth
consuming forbidden wealth or taking it by any means. Such as manipulation one's inheritance.
committing highway robbery
making false oath
slandering innocent women
women appearing like men and vice-versa
acquiring knowledge only for worldly gain or concealing knowledge
eating carrion, blood or pork meat
reminding people of one's kindness
committing suicide
not keeping clean from the remains of urine
believing in what soothsayers & astrologers
men wearing silk & gold
despairing from Allah's Help or forgiveness
disbelieving fate/destiny
... and hundreds more
Someone said before Sayyidina Ibn 'Abbas that the number of major sins was seven. He said: 'Not seven. Say seven hundred, which is better.' In his book Al-Zawajir, Imam Ibn Hajr al-Makki has given a list of all such sins with their full explanations, sins which are included under Kaba'ir. The number of major sins listed in his book reaches up to four hundred and sixty seven.
Major sins are forgiven by tawbah (repentance) only. We should hasten to repent from our sins. Delaying repentance is in and of itself a sin for which repentance is required.
Allah Most High says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّـهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا
"O you who believe! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance..."
[Qu'ran At-Tahrim 66:8]
Repentance is something more than seeking forgiveness. Because this is a serious matter, there are conditions attached to it.
1. Leaving the sin immediately
2. Regretting or being remorseful for having committed the sin
3. Resolving not to return to the sin.
4. Making amends to those you have wronged. If it relates to the rights of another person, then one return the right or property one wrongly took.
You should give up the sin for the sake of Allah alone, and not for any other reason such inability to do it or repeat it, or fear of what people think or say. If you are sincere in your repentance to Allah, then expect your sin to be forgiven.
رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِىٓ أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ﴿١٤٧
Our Lord, forgive us our sins and the excess [committed] in our affairs and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people. [Qur'an Aleimran 3:147]
Please don't forget us and the ummah in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Related Archives:
Weapon of believers and power of istighfar
Sins and Repentance
