Muslims see sin (dhanb, thanb ذنب) as anything that goes against the commands of Allah (God). Islam teaches that sin is an act and not a state of being. The Qur'an teaches that "the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil, unless the Lord does bestow His Mercy" and that even the prophets do not absolve themselves of the blame (Qur'an [Quran 12:53]). Muhammad advised:
"Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and rejoice, for no one's good deeds will put him in Paradise." The Companions asked, "Not even you O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "Not even me unless Allah bestows His pardon and mercy on me".[1]
In Islam, there are several gradations of sin:
It is believed that Iblis (Satan) has a significant role in tempting humankind towards sin. Thus, Islamic theology identifies and warns of an external enemy of humankind who leads humankind towards sin ([Quran 7:27], [Quran 4:199], [Quran 3:55] etc.) The Qur'an in several verses ([Quran 2:30], [Quran 7:11], [Quran 20:116]) states the details of the Iblis’s temptation of Adam and in (Qur'an [Quran 7:27]) states that the Iblis’s pattern of temptation of man is the same as that of Adam, i.e. Allah decrees a law for man but instead man obeys his own base desires and does not guard himself against the allurements of his enemy. Iblis deceives a human being with vain hopes whereby he is led astray and fate helps him in that respect. Thus he transgresses some of the limits set for him by Allah and disobeys some of Allah's commandments. He therefore becomes justifiably liable to Allah's judgement and afflictions. But as proposed in the Qur'anic version of the story of Adam, man can turn towards Allah by the words inspired by Allah after being failed in Allah's test, because He is Oft-Returning and Most Merciful (Qur'an [Quran 2:37]).
Muslims believe that Allah is angered by sin and punishes some sinners with the fires of جهنم jahannam (Hell), but that He is also ar-rahman (the Merciful) and al-ghaffar (the Oft-Forgiving). It is believed that the جهنم jahannam fire has purification functionality and that after purification, an individual who has been condemned to enter جهنم jahannam is eligible to go to جنّة jannah (the Garden), if he "had an atom's worth of faith." Some Qur'anic commentaries such as Allameh Tabatabaei [Quran 4:10], [Quran 2:174] state that the fire is nothing but a transformed form of the human’s sin itself:
| “ | Those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, eat up a Fire into their own bodies: They will soon be enduring a Blazing Fire![2] | ” |
| “ | Those who conceal Allah's revelations in the Book, and purchase for them a miserable profit - they swallow into themselves naught but Fire...[3] | ” |
Some Islamic scholars such as Ibn Sina and Eghbal believe that jahannam (Hell) is not material.
In Islam there are opposing views that if a person commits a sin, he will be out of Islam.
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Qur'an teaches that the main way back to Allah is through genuine tawbah (repentance) which literally means 'to return'). See Repentance in Islam for further discussions.
| “ | Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Turn ye to our Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (will), before the Penalty comes on you: after that ye shall not be helped.[4] | ” |
| “ | Verily! Allah Accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards, to them Allah will turn in Mercy, for Allah is Full of Knowledge and Wisdom. And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil, until death faces one of them and he says "now have I repented indeed", nor of those who die rejecting faith: for them have we prepared a chastisement most grievous.[5] | ” |
Islam does not accept any blood sacrifice for sin. The Islamic understanding of forgiveness is that it is made on the basis of divine grace and repentance. According to Islam, no sacrifice can add to divine grace nor replace the necessity of repentance. In the Islamic theology, the animal sacrifices or blood are not directly linked to atonement (Qur'an [Quran 22:37]: "It is not their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah. it is your piety that reaches Him..."). On the other hand, the sacrifice is done to help the poor, and in remembrance of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son at God's command. In many verses of the Qur'an, Allah promises to forgive the sins of Muslims (those who believe and do good works) ([Quran 47:2], [Quran 29:7], [Quran 14:23] etc.)
Prayer and good deeds can also be atonements for sins (Qur'an [Quran 11:114]). The Islamic Law, Sharia specifies the atonement of any particular sin. Depending on the sin, the atonement can range from repentance and compensation of the sin if possible, feeding the poor, freeing slaves to even stoning to death or cutting hands.
Some of the major sins are held to be legally punishable in an Islamic state (for example, murder, theft, adultery, and in some views apostasy; see sharia). Most are left to Allah to punish (for example, backbiting, hypocrisy arrogance, filial disrespect, lying).
The word al-Kaba'ir, which is in the plural, literally means ‘the great/major (ones, i. e. sins)’. In the Qur'an the word is used to indicate an atrocity or a grave offense which is considered as a major sin in Islam.
All Muslim scholars agree upon seven major sins which are considered Kaba'ir. These sins are called The Pernicious Seven or The Deadly Seven (sins). However, there is considerable difference among scholars as to the other sins which are to be considered Kaba'ir.
According to Sahih Bukhari the seven pernicious or deadly sins are according to this tradition: >[6]
"Avoid the seven noxious things"- and after having said this, the prophet (saw) mentioned them: "associating anything with Allah; occult arts; 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." ,"
'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas said:
| “ | Seventy is closer to their number than seven.[6][7] | ” |
This list is a collection of deeds of varying degrees of offensiveness that have been compiled by religious scholars after Mohammed's time, according to the beliefs of their respective periods. The deeds are interpreted as implied by the canon of the Qur'an.
(See also: First Ten Verses of Surah Al-Mu'minoon)
Major Sins in Shi'a Islam [9]