The
major sins are those acts which have been forbidden by Allah in the Quran
and by His Messenger (SAW) in the Sunnah (practise of the Prophet), and
which have been made clear by the actions of of the first righteous generation
of Muslims, the Companions of the Prophet (SAW).
Allah Most
High says in His Glorious Book:
If
you avoid the major (part) of what you have been forbidden (to do), We
will cancel out for you your (other) evil deeds and will admit you (to
Paradise) with a noble entry. (al-Nisa 4:31)
Thus by this verse,
Allah Most High has guaranteed the Garden of Paradise to those who avoid
the major sins. And Allah Most High also says:
Those
who avoid the greatest of sins and indecencies, and forgive when they are
angry (al-Shra 42:37) Those who avoid the greatest sins and indecencies,
except for oversights, (will find that) surely your Lord is ample in forgiveness.
(Al-Najm 53:32)
The Messenger
of Allah (SAW) said: "The five [daily] prayers, Friday to Friday, and Ramadan
to Ramadan make atonement for what has happenned since the previous one
when major sins have been avoided." It is therefore very important to determine
exactly what the greatest vices, technically called "the major sins" (Kaba'ir),
are, in order that Muslims should avoid them.
There is some
difference of opinion among scholars in this regard. Some say these major
sins are seven, and in support of their position they quote the tradition:
"Avoid the seven noxious things"- and after having said this, the propeht
(SAW) mentioned them: "associating anything with Allah; magic; killing
one whom Allah has declared inviolate without a just case, consuming the
property of an orphan, devouring usury, turning back when the army advances,
and slandering chaste women who are believers but indiscreet." (Bukhari
and Muslim)
'Abdullah ibn
'Abbas said: "Seventy is closer to their number than seven," and indeed
that is correct. The above tradition does not limit the major sins to those
mentioned in it. Rather, it points to the type of sins which fall into
the category of "major." These include those crimes which call for a prescribed
punishment (HADD; plural, HUDUD), such as theft, fornication or adultery
(ZINA), and murder; those prohibited acts for which a warning of a severe
punishment in the Next is given in the Qur'an or the tradition; and also
those deeds which are cursed by our Prophet (SAW). These are all major
sins.
Of course,
there is a gradation among them, since some are more serious than others.
We see that the Prophet (SAW) has included SHIRK (associating someone or
something with Allah) among them, and from the text of the Qur'an we know
that a person who commits SHIRK will not his sin be forgiven and will remain
in Hell forever.
Allah Most
High says: Surely, Allah does not forgive associating anything with
Him, and He forgives whatever is other than that to whomever He wills.
(al-Nisa 4:48 and 116)
01. Associating anything with Allah
02. Murder
03. Practising
magic
04. Not
Praying
05. Not
paying Zakat
06. Not
fasting on a Day of Ramadan without excuse
07. Not
performing Hajj, while being able to do so
08. Disrespect
to parents
09. Abandoning
relatives
10. Fornication
and Adultery
11. Homosexuality(sodomy)
12. Interest(Riba)
13. Wrongfully
consuming the property of an orphan
14. Lying
about Allah and His Messenger
15. Running
away from the battlefield
16. A leader's
deceiving his people and being unjust to them
17. Pride
and arrogance
18. Bearing
false witness
19. Drinking
Khamr (wine)
20. Gambling
21. Slandering
chaste women
22. Stealing
from the spoils of war
23. Stealing
24. Highway
Robbery
25. Taking
false oath
26. Oppression
27. Illegal
gain
28. Consuming
wealth acquired unlawfully
29. Committing
suicide
30. Frequent
lying
31. Judging
unjustly
32. Giving
and Accepting bribes
33. Woman's
imitating man and man's imitating woman
34. Being
cuckold
35. Marrying
a divorced woman in order to make her lawful for the husband
36. Not
protecting oneself from urine
37. Showing-off
38. Learning
knowledge of the religion for the sake of this world and concealing that
knowledge
39. Bertrayal
of trust
40. Recounting
favours
41. Denying
Allah's Decree
42. Listening
(to) people's private conversations
43. Carrying
tales
44. Cursing
45. Breaking
contracts
46. Believing
in fortune-tellers and astrologers
47. A woman's
bad conduct towards her husband
48. Making
statues and pictures
49. Lamenting,
wailing, tearing the clothing, and doing other things of this sort when
an affliction befalls
50. Treating
others unjustly
51. Overbearing
conduct toward the wife, the servant, the weak, and animals
52. Offending
one's neighbour
53. Offending
and abusing Muslims
54. Offending
people and having an arrogant attitude toward them
55. Trailing
one's garment in pride
56. Men's
wearing silk and gold
57. A slave's
running away from his master
58. Slaughtering
an animal which has been dedicated to anyone other than Allah
59. To
knowingly ascribe one's paternity to a father other than one's own
60. Arguing
and disputing violently
61. Witholding
excess water
62. Giving
short weight or measure
63. Feeling
secure from Allah's Plan
64. Offending
Allah's righteous friends65. Not
praying in congregation but praying alone without an excuse
66. Persistently
missing Friday Prayers without any excuse
67. Unsurping
the rights of the heir through bequests
68. Deceiving
and plotting evil
69. Spying
for the enemy of the Muslims
70. Cursing
or insulting any of the Companiions of Allah's Messenger
