The major sins are those acts which have been forbidden by Allah in the Quran and by His Messenger (SAW) in the Sunnah (a practice of the Prophet), and which have been made clear by the actions of the first righteous generation of Muslims, the Companions of the Prophet (SAW). We should seek the company of Allah-fearing people and regularly attend sessions and lectures that instil taqwa (Arabic for piety and fear of Allah) into our hearts. Allah says:
إِن تَجْتَنِبُوا كَبَائِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُم مُّدْخَلًا كَرِيمًا
“If you avoid great (sins) (of) what you are forbidden from [t], We from you your evil deeds and (to) an entrance noble.” (Surah Al-Nisa 4:31)
The basis of Islamic Teaching starts with the “Allah is one and Muhammad Prophet SAWW is his last messenger”. And when one worships other than Allah, in terms of putting belief in anyone except Allah, it is a great sin. We should strive to concentrate on virtuous thoughts and actions and to turn our minds away from the temptations that pull us toward sin. Allah says:
وَالَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ
“And those who avoid (the) greater sins and the immoralities, and when they are angry, they forgive,” (Surah Al-Shura 42:37)
Allah (SWT) warned and threatened those who accuse chaste women, who never even think of anything affecting their chastity since they are good believers. Accusing such believing and chaste women of adultery can destroy their families and ruin their lives. This accuse also splits the unity of society and spread disorder. Hence, committing such heinous sin degrades the honour of such women and society.
Avoid these seven great destructive sins:
Muhammad Prophet (PBUH) was a blessing to all mankind, as his life is a great epitome of kindness to all the Muslims, on the other hand, he instructed about the great destructive sins which could lead anyone to Hell We should realize our own weaknesses, particularly in the matter of avoiding the pitfalls of life, and so we should earnestly seek the help and blessing of Almighty Allah in our efforts.
- Worshipping other than Allah
- To Practice Magic
- To kill a Life!
- Eating INTEREST
- Eating up Orphan’s Wealth
- Falsely Accusing Chaste Woman
- Leaving Battlefield During The Fight
Avoiding them is a great activity that every believer should commit to. To achieve this, we need to study carefully each of these sins to see if one might be doing them unknowingly and try to take all means to avoid them accordingly. Allah says:
قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُوا فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَىٰ
He said, “Nay, you throw.” Then behold! Their ropes and their staffs seemed to him by their magic that they (were) moving.” (Surah Ta-Ha 20:66)
Human accountability is an important aspect of justice as envisaged in Islam. And no one can be truly held accountable for an action he or she has no power to resist or avoid because Allah does not lay more burden on a human than he or she can bear.
The Most Destructive Sins in Islam:
- Learning knowledge of the religion for the sake of this world and concealing that knowledge
- Marrying a divorced woman in order to make her lawful for the husband
- Slaughtering an animal that has been dedicated to anyone other than Allah
- To knowingly ascribe one’s paternity to a father other than one’s own
- Cursing or insulting any of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger
- Offending people and having an arrogant attitude toward them
- A leader’s deceiving his people and being unjust to them
- Not fasting on a Day of Ramadan without excuse
- Not performing Hajj, while being able to do so
- Lying about Allah and His Messenger
- Running away from the battlefield
- Associating anything with Allah
- . Disrespect to parents
- Abandoning relatives
- Fornication and Adultery
- Homosexuality(sodomy)
- Pride and arrogance
- Bearing false witness
- Drinking Khamr (wine)
- . Practising magic
- Not Praying
- Not paying Zakat
- Committing suicide
- Frequent lying
- Judging unjustly
- Giving and Accepting Bribes
- Murder
- Interest(Riba)
- Gambling
- Slandering chaste women
- Stealing from the spoils of war
- Stealing
- Highway Robbery
- Taking false oath
- Oppression
- Illegal gain
- Being cuckold
- Not protecting oneself from urine
- Showing-off
- Betrayal of trust
- Recounting favours
- Denying Allah’s Decree
- Carrying tales
- Cursing
- Breaking contracts
- Making statues and pictures
- Treating others unjustly
- Wrongfully consuming the property of an orphan
- Consuming wealth acquired unlawfully
- Offending one’s neighbour
- Offending and abusing Muslims
- Trailing one’s garment in pride
- Men’s wearing silk and gold
- Arguing and disputing violently
- Withholding excess water
- Giving short weight or measure
- Feeling secure from Allah’s Plan
- Offending Allah’s righteous friends
- Ensuring the rights of the heir through bequests
- Deceiving and plotting evil
- Spying for the enemy of the Muslims
- Woman’s imitating man and man’s imitating woman
- Listening (to) people’s private conversations
- Believing in fortune-tellers and astrologers
- A woman’s bad conduct towards her husband
- . A slave’s running away from his master
- Not praying in congregation but praying alone without an excuse
- Persistently missing Friday Prayers without any excuse
- Overbearing conduct toward the wife, the servant, the weak, and animals
- Lamenting, wailing, tearing the clothing, and doing other things of this sort when an affliction befalls
Indeed, Islam has a unique view on the subject of sin, one not shared by other religions. According to the Qur’an, Adam and Eve, the first pair of humans, were allowed to live in the heavenly Paradise to enjoy a happy life, but they had been warned not to approach a particular tree so that their happy life would not be disrupted. Before we can speak of deserting sins, we need to have a good idea of what we mean by “sins.” A sin is a conscious and willful act that violates Allah’s rights (i.e. His commandments) or the rights of a fellow being.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:
- “Allah has permitted trading and forbidden Riba.” (Al-Baqarah 2:275)
- “If you avoid great sins which you are forbidden, We will expiate from you your (small) sins and cause you to enter an honourable (place of) entering.” (Surah 4, Verse 31)
- “So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people,” (Al-Araf 7:116)
- “And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allah are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for him.” (An-Nisa 4:93)
- “Verily, those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, they eat up only a fire into their bellies, and they will be burnt in the blazing Fire.” (An-Nisa 4:10)
- “Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases,” (An-Nisa 4:48)
- “So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic.” (Al-Araf 7:116)
Islam teaches that sin is an avoidable act that harms the perpetrator’s own soul, so there is no “original sin.” This means that there is no innate or inherited nature that prompts a person to disobey Allah; that is to say, it is a person’s choice whether to sin or not. Allah says:
وَلَقَدْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكَ لَئِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ وَلَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
“And verily, it has been revealed to you and to those who (were) before you, if you associate (with Allah) surely, will become worthless your deeds and you will surely be among the losers.” (Surah Az-Zumar 39:65)
On the other hand, we cannot consider a person to be a sinner if he or she is forced to do something prohibited against his or her own will. Likewise, acts are done because of some illnesses, such as insanity or obsessive-compulsive disorder, are not sins. Almighty Allah, by narrating this story in the Qur’an, makes us aware of the fact that He is Compassionate and Merciful to His creatures, particularly to those who repent and return to Him.
