A Muslim should avoid all sins, both major sin and minor sin. A faithful Muslim is careful with their words and actions, ensuring they avoid anything that could invite Allah’s punishment or His Wrath.
Major sins in Islam are those forbidden by Allah in the Qur’an and by His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Sunnah, and these prohibitions were confirmed by the actions of the Prophet’s Companions, the first generation of righteous Muslims. Allah Almighty says,
If you avoid the major sins forbidden to you, We will absolve you of your ˹lesser˺ misdeeds and admit you into a place of honour. (Quran 4:31)
In this verse, Allah Almighty promises Paradise to those who stay away from the major sins of Islam. And Allah Almighty also says,
“who avoid major sins and shameful deeds, and forgive when angered;” (Ash-Shura 42: 37)
“those who avoid major sins and shameful deeds, despite ˹stumbling on˺ minor sins. Surely your Lord is infinite in forgiveness. He knew well what would become of you as He created you from the earth1 and while you were ˹still˺ fetuses in the wombs of your mothers.2 So do not ˹falsely˺ elevate yourselves. He knows best who is ˹truly˺ righteous.”
(An-Najm 53: 32)
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was also reported to have said,
“The five (daily) Salat (prayers), and from one Jumu’ah prayer to the (next) Jumu’ah prayer, and from Ramadan to Ramadan are expiations for the (sins) committed in between (their intervals); provided the major sins are not committed.” (Riyad as-Salihin 130)
It is therefore very significant to determine exactly what the greatest vices, technically called the kaba’ir (major sins), are so that Muslims should avoid them.
There is some difference of opinion among scholars on this matter. Some say there are 7 major sins of Islam, citing the hadith in support of their view:
“Avoid the seven noxious things. It was said (by the hearers): What are they, Messenger of Allah? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Associating anything with Allah, magic, killing of one whom God has declared inviolate without a just cause, consuming the property of an orphan, and consuming of usury, turning back when the army advances, and slandering chaste women who are believers, but unwary.” (Sahih Muslim 89)
`Abdullah ibn `Abbas said:
“Seventy is closer to their number than seven,”
and indeed that is correct. The hadith mentioned does not limit the major sins Islam to just those listed, but rather highlights the types of sins considered major. These include crimes that have a prescribed punishment (hadd), such as theft, fornication or adultery, and murder. It also includes actions that the Qur’an or Sunnah warns will bring severe punishment in the Hereafter, as well as those deeds cursed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). All of these are Islamic major sins.
Of course, there is a gradation among them, since some are more biggest sins in Islam than others. We see that the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) has included shirk (associate others with Allah) among them, and From the Qur’an, we learn that a person who commits shirk will not be forgiven and will remain in Hell forever. Allah Most High says:
Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating others with Him ˹in worship˺, but forgives anything else of whoever He wills. And whoever associates others with Allah has indeed committed a grave sin. (An-Nisaa’ 4: 48)
List of 70 major sins in Islam:-
Imam Al-Dhahabi listed 70 major sins islam in his book Kitab al-Kaba’ir, which I will outline below to provide a clear understanding of the actions that many of us, either knowingly or unknowingly, may have engaged in or been involved with in the past. Once we become aware of these Greater sins, we must resolve to avoid them in the future and take all the necessary steps to ensure we stay away from them.
This list is not exhaustive, so there may be more Major sins.
- Shirk – associate others with Allah (SWT).
- Murder – Killing someone unlawfully.
- Practicing magic (sihr) – whether performing it yourself or through another person.
- Neglecting the praying –this can refer to someone who skips salah out of laziness, but it can also apply to a person who does not believe that offering salah is an obligation, or they may say “Allah doesn’t need my salah”.
- Refusing to pay paying Zakat — We may consistently pay other taxes, but that does not excuse us from paying our due zakat. It is an obligation ordained by Allah (SWT), whom we must prioritise above any government or authority.
- Not fasting during Ramadan without a valid reason (such as due to , travelling, illness, Children under puberty, breastfeeding, pregnancy etc.)
- Not performing Hajj when one is financially and physically capable.. This could refer to intentionally postponing Hajj for reasons like buying a house or waiting for our children to finish university or get married.
- Disobedience or Disrespecting our parents—such as saying “uff” or “ugh” to them and walking away. Any form of disrespect toward them is not allowed.
- Shunning or abandoning relations/relatives.
- Fornication and adultery.
- Homosexuality.
- Riba (Interest).
- Wrongfully consuming the wealth or property of an orphan.
- Lying against Allah (SWT) and His Messenger Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).
- Consistently telling lies.
- Running away from the battlefield.
- A leader misleading his people and being unfair to them..
- Pride and arrogance.
- Ar-Riya (Showing off).
- Giving falsely testifying as a witness.
- Drinking alcohol.
- Gambling.
- Slandering chaste women.
- Stealing from the spoils of war.
- Stealing (through theft or robbery).
- Highway robbery (Ḥirābah) — as aggravated robbery or grand larceny, unlike theft, which has a different punishment
- Swearing a false oath.
- Oppression – this can range from small acts like mistreating a sibling or taking their belongings due to being older, to larger injustices such as denying the poor access to basic necessities.
- Illegal gains.
- Using wealth that has been acquired unlawfully.
- Committing suicide – A person who commits suicide is warned of facing eternity in the Fire of Hell, where Allah will punish them using the very method they chose to commit suicide
- Judging unjustly.
- Bribes – accepting them or giving them.
- Men to imitate women and Women to imitate men.
- Being a cuckold – a man whose wife’s unfaithful or is considered as an object of ridicule.
- Marrying a divorced woman for the purpose of making her lawful again for the first husband.
- Not protecting oneself from urine.
- Learning religious knowledge for the purpose of gaining worldly praise and withholding that knowledge from others (or not sharing the knowledge for the benefit of others). For example, memorizing the Qur’an just to be called a hafiz or hafizah, or encouraging your children to memorize it for the sake of receiving praise as their parent(s).
- Betrayal of trust.
- Reminding others of the favors you’ve done for them.
- Denying Allah’s (swt) decree.
- Listening in on or eavesdropping on others’ private conversations.
- Namimah (Carrying tales) – this means to repeat false or questionable or doubtful stories about what you’ve heard..
- Cursing.
- Breaking contracts.
- Trusting in or visiting fortune-tellers and astrologers (practices such as tarot card reading, palm reading, etc.). Only Allah (SWT) possesses knowledge of the Unseen.
- A woman’s disrespectful behavior toward her husband.
- Creating statues and pictures.
- Wailing loudly, tearing clothes, hitting oneself, or pulling one’s hair during times of hardship.
- Treating others unjustly.
- Abusive or oppressive conduct toward one’s wife, servants, the vulnerable, and animals.
- Harming or ill-treating a neighbor.
- Insulting or mistreating other Muslims.
- Disrespecting others and showing arrogance towards them.
- Trailing one’s garment in pride.
- Men wearing gold or silk.
- A slave running away from their master.
- Slaughtering an animal which has been dedicated to anyone or anything else other than Allah (swt).
- Falsely to Knowingly ascribing claiming someone other than one’s real father as one’s parent.
- Arguing and disputing violently.
- Withholding excess water.
- Giving short in weight and measure (for example, selling something for the price of a specific weight, but intentionally cheating in the weighing of it).
- Feeling secure from Allah’s (SWT) plan, assuming that you know better.
- Disrespecting or offending Allah’s (SWT) righteous servants/friends.
- Neglecting to pray in congregation, but choosing to pray alone without a valid excuse.
- Regularly missing Friday prayers without a valid excuse.
- Usurping the rights of the heir through bequests.
- Deceiving others and devising evil plans..
- Spying – whether it involves gathering information for the enemies of Muslims or spying on your own family members, For example, looking through someone’s phone without permission. This also includes parents spying on their children’s phones unless they made a contract or agreed upon it.
- Cursing or insulting any of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
How to seek forgiveness
It is possible to erase minor sins by performing good deeds or giving charity, but in order to be forgiven for major sins, one must seek forgiveness directly from Allah. Take responsibility for the sin and seek Allah’s forgiveness. If the sin involves harming others or violating their rights, then you must also seek forgiveness from them too. Read Dua for forgiveness of Major sins in Islam Click Here..
May Allah guide us and keep away all Muslims from the above-mentioned Sins…
(Ameen)
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