In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Islam defines sin as an act which goes against the teachings of Allah. All human beings sin, as none of us is perfect. Allah, All Knowing, Who created us and all of our imperfections, knows this about us and is All-Forgiving, Merciful, and Compassionate.
What is sin? The Prophet(Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Righteousness is good character, and sin is that which wavers in your heart and which you do not want people to know about."
We each try our best, we each fall short, and we each should seek Allah’s forgiveness for our shortcomings.
Allah, Al-Gaffur Ar-Rahim, is prepared to forgive, as the Qur'an describes,
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٣١
Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (31) [Qur'an, AleImran 3:31]
Of course, sin is something to be avoided.
From Sahl ibn Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Beware of sins which are treated as being minor, just like a people who encamp in the center of a valley, so someone brings a stick of firewood and someone else brings a stick until they are therefore able to bake their bread. Likewise sins which are treated as being minor and for which the person is taken to account will destroy him." [Ahmad & Others]
Reported in a hadith by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) in two narrations: One from the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the other from himself, saying, "The believer sees his sins as if he were sitting beneath a mountain which he feared was about to fall upon him, whereas the wicked sees his sins like a man who finds a fly settle upon his nose, so he does this (one of the narrators said: He brushes it away from his nose)."[Bukhari]
You should not think of your sin as being great or small. Rather you should think of it with regard to the One you are disobeying. When a person regards sins and acts of disobedience as something slight then he is oppressing his own soul.
Oppression (a wrong) is of two types: (1) A person oppressing (wronging) his own soul; and (2) his oppressing (wronging) others. Both types are forbidden by Allah.
A person oppressing his own soul causes him to feel at home with his sins and to commit them, and causes him to abandon acts of obedience to Allah.
One aspect of oppression is darkness. By you oppressing someone you become the means of that person entering into disobedience of Allah. You are, in fact, pushing others into darkness.
For example, the person who is being lied to or backbitten becomes angry and start backbiting; the person whose property has been stolen might miss his prayers because he is busy trying to recover his lost property; the person who has been cheated of his money in a sale/purchase is now busy going up and down the courthouse that he couldn't perform his regular worship; your poor sister (and single mother) that you (her brother in Islam) neglected to help start begging for food or waiting on tables in a nightclub. You may recall other examples that people might have done something bad to you which disorient you or detract you from your daily routine and your worship.
There is a ripple effect of your sin on you, your family and society, no matter how small. Are you ready to carry the sins of others because of your sins?
From Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Beware of committing oppression for on the Day of Resurrection oppression will be darkness, and beware of avarice for avarice destroyed those who came before you, it led them into shedding blood and into making lawful that which was forbidden for them." [Muslim]
From an Islamic perspective, there are some sins which are extremely serious and are thus known as major Sins. These are mentioned in the Qur'an as being worthy of punishment both in this world and the hereafter.
The greatest of these sins is shirk (associating others with Allah), which leads to doom with no hope of redemption, and if a person dies in this state he will abide in Hell for all eternity. [al-Maa’idah 5:72, An'am 6:151]
Witchcraft (engaging in magic or fortune telling) involves shirk because it is worshiping the jinn and is seeking the help of the jinn to misguide people. [al-Falaq 113:4], Ta-Ha 20:66, al-A‘raaf 7:116]
Disrespect (disobedience) of one's parents and ingratitude towards one's parents. [Qur'an, Al-Isra’ 17:23-24, An-Nisa 4:36, Luqman 31:14]
Killing a soul whom Allah has forbidden us to kill. [an-Nisa’ 4:93, An'am 6:151]
Adultery or fornication. [An'am 6:151]
Consuming riba – this refers to dealing with riba which Allah has prohibited. [al-Baqarah 2:275]
Slandering chaste women. [An-Nur 24:4]
Theft
Stealing from an orphan’s estate. [An'am 6:152, Al-Isra 17:34, An-Nisa 4:10]
Bearing false witness
Other missteps are known as minor sins, not because they are insignificant, but rather because they are not mentioned in the Qur'an as having a legal punishment. These so-called “minor sins” are sometimes overlooked by a believer, who then engages in them to the extent that they become part of their lifestyle. Making a habit of sinning brings a person further away from Allah, and causes them to lose faith. The Qur'an describes such people:
كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿١٤[Qur'an, Al-Mutaffifin 83:14]
No! Rather, the stain has covered their hearts of that which they were earning. (14)
Additionally, Allah says that,
إِذْ تَلَقَّوْنَهُۥ بِأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَتَقُولُونَ بِأَفْوَاهِكُم مَّا لَيْسَ لَكُم بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ وَتَحْسَبُونَهُۥ هَيِّنًا وَهُوَ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ ﴿١٥[Qur'an, An-Nur 24:15]
When you received it with your tongues and said with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge and thought it was insignificant while it was, in the sight of Allah, tremendous. (15)
One who recognizes that he is engaging in minor sins, must vow to make lifestyle changes. He must recognize the problem, feel remorse, vow not to repeat the mistakes, and seek forgiveness from Allah. Believers who sincerely care about Allah and the hereafter must do their best to avoid both Major and Minor sins.
It is difficult to list all of the minor sins according to Islam. But the list should include anything that violates Allah’s guidance. It is something you would be ashamed of if someone were to find out or something which you would not want people to find out.
May Allah protect us from anything that displease Him and save us from disobedience. May Allah make us of those who are oft-repentant. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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