KABEERAH SINS

"If you avoid the major sins that are forbidden from, We shall wipe out your evil actions and enter you into a place of honour." (4:31)

There are two types of gunah (sin): Gunah Kabeerah (major sin) and Gunah Sagheerah (minor sin). In light of this aayat (verse), we can deduce that whoever arms himself with a little courage and avoids committing Gunah Kabeerah, Allah Himself promises to absolve him from Gunah Sagheerah.

Not committing Gunah Kabeerah includes performing Fara'iz and Waajibaat, as abandoning them constitutes a Gunah Kabeerah. Therefore, Allah will make Kaffaarah of a person's Sagheerah sins if he regularly performs Fara'iz and Waajibaat while abstaining from other Gunah Kabeerah.

Kaffaarah means that his Aa'maal Saalihah (righteous deeds) will erase his Gunah Sagheerah, making his account blameless — he will receive sawaab instead of punishment and will enter Jannah (Paradise) and not Jahannam (Hell). As reported in a Sahih Hadith, when one performs Wudhu for Salah, washing every part of the body serves as Kaffaarah for his sins. When he washes his face, the sins committed using the eyes, nose, and ears will be forgiven; when he washes his mouth, the sins of the tongue will also be washed away; when he washes his feet, the sins committed with them will be erased. When he goes to the Masjid, every step becomes Kaffaarah for his sins. All these sins are erased, provided that the person avoids all Gunah Kabeerah. These are only forgiven after Taubah (repentance) or by the blessing of Allah Ta'ala.

Gunah refers to everything that is contrary to the orders and pleasure of Allah. From this, we can deduce that, in reality, Gunah Sagheerah does not truly exist. Disobeying Allah and going against His laws makes a person guilty of a great misdeed. Thus, it is reported from Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbaas (Radiyallahu anhuma) that:

"Whatever the Shari'ah forbids is a Gunah Kabeerah."

No one admits to committing Gunah Sagheerah except out of negligence, as they are considered insignificant and people do not bother about them at all. On the contrary, if we sin indiscriminately and carelessly, the Sagheerah will be classified as Kabeerah. A great person said that Gunah Sagheerah and Kabeerah are like a small scorpion and a big scorpion, or a small ember and a big brazier — one cannot bear even the least of the two pains.

This is why Hadhrat Muhammad Bin Qaari (Rahimahullah) said that the most beloved Ibaadah to Allah Ta'ala is to abandon the Gunah Kabeerah, because if, while performing Salah and making Tasbih, a person continues to indulge in Gunah Kabeerah, his Ibaadah is not maqbul (accepted).

Hadhrat Fuzeil bin Ayaaz (Rahimahullah) said that the more venial (light) a sin is considered, the graver it will be in the sight of Allah. And the Salf-e-Saaliheen (pious people of the past) said that every Gunah leads to Kufr, because it invites one to the Akhlaaq (character) and Aa'maal (actions) of the kuffaar.

According to Musnad Ahmad, Hadhrat Aisha (Radiyallahu anha), in a letter addressed to Mu'aawiyah (Radiyallahu anhu), wrote that when a banda (servant) disobeys Allah, his admirers become his detractors, and his friends turn against him.

Remaining indifferent to sins can lead a person to eternal ruin. According to a Sahih Hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) said that when a Mu'min commits a Gunah, a black dot stains his heart. If he repents afterward, this dot disappears. Otherwise, the dot grows larger until the heart becomes completely black. The Qur'an has called this "Raan", meaning that sins have rusted his heart.

It is because of the different consequences and punishments depending on the degree of sin committed (minor or major) that the categorization into "Sagheerah" (small) or "Kabeerah" (major) has been established.

Meaning of Gunah Kabeerah

According to the Qur'an, the Ahaadith, and the explanations of the Salf-e-Saaliheen, Gunah Kabeerah is any sin that carries:

A punishment in this world (Shar'i-Had),
A curse,
A slander,
Or a punishment in Jahannam.

It includes not only any sin whose retribution is equal to or greater than that of Gunah Kabeerah but also all Gunah Sagheerah that are committed regularly, without fear or worry.

In the presence of Hadhrat Ibn Abbaas (Radiyallahu anhuma), someone said that there are seven Gunah Kabeerah. Hadhrat Ibn Abbaas (Radiyallahu anhuma) remarked that there are more than seven and that seven hundred would be a more accurate number.

In Bukhari and Muslim, a Hadith states that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"I inform you that the worst of the Kabeerahs are three:

1. Doing Shirk with Allah,

2. Disobeying Allah,

3. Giving false testimony or lying."

It is reported in Bukhari and Muslim that someone asked Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) what the greatest sin was. He replied:

"Doing Shirk with Allah, although He created you."

The person then asked what the next worst sin was. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) replied:

"To murder your offspring for fear that you will have to feed them."

Then the person asked what sin followed in degree of gravity. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"It is to commit Zina (adultery) with the wife of your neighbour."

According to a Sahih Hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) said that it is a Gunah Kabeerah to curse one's parents. The Sahabah (Radiyallahu anhum) asked how a person could behave like that with his own parents. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) replied:

"When someone curses the parents of others, they will curse his parents as well. Thus, it is through the person himself that his parents become the target of curses."

According to Sahih Bukhari, the following acts are considered Gunah Kabeerah:

Doing Shirk.
Killing someone without valid reason.
Usurping the property of orphans.
Taking interest (Riba).
Fleeing the battlefield.
Harming the integrity of an innocent woman.
Disobeying one's parents.
Showing disrespect to the Baitullah.

There are some riwaayat (narrations) that state if someone leaves Dar-ul-Kufr (a state or country ruled by disbelievers) for Dar-ul-Islam (an Islamic state) and then renounces Dar-ul-Islam for Dar-ul-Kufr, he will be guilty of gunah Kabeerah (a major sin). The same applies, according to another riwaayat, to one who:

Swears falsely.
Keeps water in reserve and does not give it to others who need it.
Engages in magic.
Practices sorcery.
Indulges in alcoholic beverages. Wine has been described as "the worst of Kabeerahs" or "the mother of vices."

According to a Hadith, the most serious gunah is to slander a Muslim brother, thereby dishonouring him.

One riwaayat states that a person who performs two Salahs within the time allotted for one Salah (i.e., the other Salah was not performed on time and thus was made Qaza) has committed Kabeerah. According to another riwaayat, despairing of the blessings of Allah and not caring about His punishment constitute Kabeerah.

Muslim relates a Hadith in which Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) repeated three times: "They are lost, they are ruined." In the presence of Hadhrat Abu Zar (Radiyallahu Anhu), he was asked whom he was referring to. Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'Alaihi Wasallam) replied:

"He who:

1. Wears his Kurtah or trousers below the ankle out of pride.

2. Reproaches others after doing them a favour.

3. Engages in zina (adultery) despite his advanced age.

4. Continues to lie despite being a king or leader.

5. Displays Takabbur (pride/arrogance) despite being poor.

6. Pledges allegiance to the Imam (leader) for worldly reasons."

According to Sahihaan (Bukhari and Muslim), one who engages in backbiting will not enter Paradise. According to Nasai and Musnad Ahmad, the following people will be forbidden from entering Jannah:

A drunkard.
A person who is disobedient to his parents.
One who breaks family ties without a valid reason.
One who reproaches others after rendering them a service.
One who seeks to reveal hidden matters with the help of Shaitan and Jinnaat.
One who tolerates his children, wife, or other family members indulging in zina (adultery).

It is mentioned in Muslim that the curse of Allah is upon anyone who performs Qurbani (sacrificial slaughter) in the name of anyone other than Allah.

May Allah protect us from Gunah Kabeerah. (Ameen).

[English version of "Les péchés Kabeerah" – Al Haadi – Vol. 3 No. 2]