Major Unbelief

As for major unbelief, it is of five kinds: unbelief of denial, unbelief of arrogance and refusal to submit even while admitting the truth, unbelief of evasion, unbelief of doubt, and unbelief of hypocrisy.

As for unbelief of denial, it means [truly] believing that the messengers of Allah have lied. This kind of unbelief is uncommon among the unbelievers. This kind of unbelief is uncommon because Allah has assisted His messengers and granted them clear proofs and signs that establish the proof and remove any excuse.

The Almighty said of Pharaoh, “And they disputed [Allah’s signs] in vain, even as their [inner] selves believed them, in transgression and pride” [27:14], and He said to his Messenger ﷺ, “In truth, it is not you they deny [O Muhammad]; rather, the evil-doers flout the revelations of Allah” [6:33]. [Although the unbelief mentioned in this verse properly belongs to the next category,] if it is labelled the unbelief of denial, that would be correct as well, for it is denial by the tongue.

As for the unbelief of refusal and arrogance, an example of it is the unbelief of Iblīs who did not reject Allah’s command in denial, yet he committed unbelief by arrogantly refusing to obey Allah. Likewise is the case of anyone who has known the truthfulness of the messenger and that he has brought the truth from Allah, yet does not obey him due to obduracy and arrogance. This kind of unbelief is the predominant one among the enemies of the messengers, as Allah reports the words of Pharaoh and his people, “Shall we believe two mortals like us, while their nation is in our servitude?” [23:47]. Similarly, other nations said to their messengers, “You are only mortals like us” [14:10]. Also, His saying, “The Thamūd denied in their rebellious pride” [91:11]. This is also the unbelief of the Jews, as the Almighty said, “When what they knew came to them, they rejected him” [2:89], and “They know him [the Prophet or the Qurʾan] as they know their own sons” [2:146]. The unbelief of Abū Ṭālib [the Prophet’s uncle] is also of the same nature, for even as he confirmed his [nephew’s] truthfulness and had no doubt about it, his pride and veneration of his forefathers so over- came him that he refused to turn away from their religion and testify to their unbelief.

The unbelief of evasion is to avoid hearing or taking to heart what the messenger says, neither confirming nor denying it, and failing to pay it heed at all. For example, a man from Banū ʿAbd Yālīl said to the Prophet ﷺ, “By Allah, I shall not say a word to you. If you are truthful, then you are too sublime in my eyes for me to respond, and if you are a liar, then you are too low for me to even talk to.”

As for the unbelief of doubt, it is to be certain neither of [a messenger’s] truthfulness nor falsehood, but to entertain doubt in his matter. Such a doubt does not persist unless one forces himself to avoid reflecting on the signs of [the messenger’s] truthfulness, neither listening to them nor paying attention. For if one turns to them and reflects [sincerely upon them], doubt cannot persist, as they necessarily reveal their truth, especially if one considers [the signs] altogether, as their truth is clear as the daylight.

As for the unbelief of hypocrisy, it is to proclaim faith verbally but deny it in the heart. This is the greatest kind of hypocrisy, whose types will be explained, Allah willing.

The unbelief of denial is of two kinds: general, unqualified unbelief and limited, qualified unbelief.

The total or unqualified unbelief is to deny the entirety of what Allah has revealed and the message of the Messenger.

The partial or qualified unbelief is to deny one of the obligations or prohibitions of Islam, or one of the attributes with which Allah has characterized Himself, or any teaching that Allah has declared, either intentionally or by preferring the saying of another who has opposed the report for any reason whatsoever.

As for the denial due to ignorance or excusable [erroneous] interpretation, such a person cannot be excommunicated (i.e., declared unbeliever), like in the tradition of one who denied Allah’s power over him, and commanded his people to cremate him and spread him into the winds. Yet, Allah forgave him despite that and had mercy on him due to his ignorance, as he acted in accordance with the best of his knowledge, but did not deny Allah’s power to bring him back to life due to obstinate rejection or denial.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Madarij al-Salikin Ranks of the Divine Seekers Vol 1 p708-710

Minor Unbelief

Major unbelief is one that causes one to enter the Fire for eternity, whereas the minor one causes one to become the target of the warning [of the Fire] without [it lasting an] eternity. [Examples of minor unbelief are:]

As the Almighty said, this being one of the verses that were once recited and then their wording was abrogated, “Do not turn away from your fathers, for that is unbelief upon you.”

[The Prophet ﷺ] said, in a sound Hadith, “Two in my community have unbelief upon them: one who derides another’s lineage and the other who wails [for the deceased].” (Muslim #67) Another saying of his ﷺ in the Sunan, “Whoever enters his woman from the back [sodomy] has committed unbelief in what has been revealed unto Muhammad.”(Abū Dāwūd #3904) Another tradition has it, “Whoever sees a sorcerer or fortune-teller and believes in what he says has committed unbelief in what has been revealed to Muhammad.” (Aḥmad 2:429) He ﷺ  also said, “Do not return after me to being unbelievers, striking each other’s necks.” (Bukhārī #121)

This is the view of Ibn ʿAbbās and the Companions generally concerning the saying of the Almighty, “Whosoever does not judge by what Allah has sent down, such are the unbelievers” [5:44]. Ibn ʿAbbās said, “This is not the unbelief that excommunicates [i.e., voids one’s communal identity as a Muslim]; though one who does so has unbelief upon him, he is not the same as one who is an unbeliever in Allah and the Last Day.”…ʿAṭāʾ said, “It is unbelief short of unbelief, wrong short of wrong, wickedness short of wickedness.”

Some understand the verse to apply to those who abandon ruling by what Allah has revealed in rejection [of Allah or of His judgment]. This is the saying of ʿIkrima, but it is not the best [interpretation], because rejection of [Allah or His judgment] is unbelief, regardless of whether he judges by it or not.

Others interpret it as applying to those who abandon judging by all of what Allah has revealed, including monotheism and Islam. This is the interpretation of ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Kinānī [ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Kinānī (d. 240/854–855) of Mecca, noted scholar and a disciple of al-Shāfiʿ] and it is also far from convincing, because the warning is against refusing to judge by what is revealed, which encompasses abandoning judgment whether entirely or in part.

Others interpret it as [referring to] judging against express [scriptural] texts intentionally, rather than out of ignorance or because of mistaken interpretation. This is related by al-Baghawī on the authority of the generality of scholars.

Others interpret this as referring to the People of the Book, and this is the opinion of Qatāda, al-Ḍaḥḥāk, and others. This is also not persuasive, as it goes against the evident meaning and should not be heeded.

Others consider it (the reference in the verse) the kind of unbelief that [is major] and causes excommunication.

The correct opinion is that judging by anything other than what Allah has revealed includes both kinds of unbelief, major and minor, depending on the state of the one who judges. If he believes in the obligation of judging by what Allah has revealed regarding the case at hand and that to turn away from it is disobedience, acknowledging that he deserves chastisement for it, then this unbelief is minor. If, in contrast, he believes that this is not an obligation upon him and that he has a choice [concerning whether to apply Allah’s judgment], while also believing that it is the judgment of Allah Almighty on the matter, then this is major unbelief. If he is ignorant or in error, then the judgment of error applies to him.

The point is that all sins are a kind of minor unbelief, since they are opposed to gratitude, which means acting in obedience. One’s effort is either [of] gratitude or unbelief, or something else that is neither. And Allah knows best.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Madarij al-Salikin Ranks of the Divine Seekers Vol 1 p704-708

Twelve Kinds of Sins in the Qurʾan

On the kinds of sin, and that a servant does not deserve to be called repentant unless he rids himself of these.

These are twelve kinds of prohibitions mentioned in the Book of Allah Almighty: unbelief, associationism, hypocrisy, wickedness, disobedience, sin, transgression, lewdness, wrong, violation [of others’ rights], speaking on Allah’s behalf without knowledge, submission to a path other than Allah’s.

These twelve kinds are the axis of everything that Allah has forbidden and all worldly [men or deeds] ultimately end up in one of these, except those who obey messengers, Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them. One may be afflicted by more or less of them, or just one, and one may know it or one may not.

Sincere repentance rids one of all of these, and getting rid of them is possible only after knowing them.

We shall mention them and mention when they [are mentioned] together and when they are mentioned separately, in order to clarify their definitions and essences. Allah is the grantor of success beyond that, as He granted [the initial] success; and there is no power to change or resist except in Him. This is the most beneficial of the sections of this book and the servant is in most dire need of it.

[Explanations of each of these sins to follow in upcoming posts inshaAllah]

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Madarij al-Salikin Ranks of the Divine Seekers Vol 1 p704

Sins of Lovers

One must heed a matter here, which is that a major sin may be accompanied by conditions such as shame, fear, and a sense of its enormity that render it minor. Similarly, a minor one may be accompanied by shamelessness, lack of care and fear, and sense of its insignificance, which render it major if not the most heinous. This matter depends on that which resides in the heart, something more than the mere act, and a man knows of it in himself and in others.

Furthermore, a lover is forgiven, as is one who has beautiful acts of righteousness to his credit, for what others may not be; the tolerance that is granted them
is not granted others.

I heard Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Allah sanctify his soul, say,

Look at Moses, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who threw down the tablets on which Allah had written with His hand and broke them, and pulled at the beard and face of a prophet like himself, namely, Aaron, and struck the eye of the angel of death and blinded him, and complained to his Lord on the Night of Ascension concerning Muhammad ﷺ for raising the latter above him, but the Lord Blessed and Almighty tolerates all that, and loves and honors him and indulges him. For he accomplished great feats for Allah against the greatest of His enemies, proclaimed His mission, and dealt with the Copts and the Children of Israel in the strictest of ways. These few things were like a hair in the ocean in comparison. Look now at Jonah, son of Mattā, who did not have the same feats as Moses, Allah grant him blessing and peace, who became frustrated with his Lord once for which He took him to account and imprisoned him in the hollow of the whale, not tolerating from him what He tolerated of Moses. There is a difference, therefore, between one who commits a sin without having righteous deeds and virtues that intercede on his behalf and one who commits a sin yet his righteous deeds bring all kinds of intercession on his behalf into play. As it is said,

When the beloved brought one sin
His beauties brought along a thousand intercessors

One’s deeds intercede on his behalf before Allah, and remember him when he falls on hard times. The Almighty said concerning Dhū al-Nūn (Jonah), “Had he not been among those who sing divine glory, he would have stayed in his hollow until the day they are all resurrected” [37:143–144]. But Pharaoh, who had no good deed to intercede for him, when he said, “I now believe that there is no god but the one in which the Israelites believe,” Gabriel retorted, “Is it now? You, who disobeyed before and were among the wicked!” [10:90–91].

In the Musnad [of Aḥmad] on his authority, Allah grant him blessing and peace,

The means by which you remember the glory of Allah, saying ‘Glory be to Allah’, ‘Allah is great’, ‘Praise be Allah’s’, all go around the Throne with a hum like the hum of the bee, mentioning the name of one who uttered them. Does one of you not wish that he had someone who mentioned him? (Aḥmad 30:312)

This is why whoever has more good deeds than bad ones is successful and is not punished, and his bad deeds are forgiven for him in charity because of his good deeds. This is why the monotheist is forgiven for things for which an associationist is not, for he has upheld what Allah loves and what He has decreed that He will forgive, and He forgives for him what He does not forgive for the associationist.

The greater a servant’s affirmation of divine unicity, the more complete Allah’s forgiveness for him, and whoever meets Him without having ascribed any equals to Him at all, He forgives all of his sins whatever they may be and does not punish on their account.

We do not say that none of the monotheists will enter hellfire. Many of them indeed will, and they will be chastised in accordance with their crimes, and then be released from it. These two things are not contradictory to anyone who understood what we have said in the foregoing.

We add in the following some further clarification due to the greatness of this station and the dire need for it.

Know that the ray of “There is no god but Allah” pierces through the fog and clouds of sins in proportion to its strength, and the strength of that light can vary so greatly from one person to another that only Allah knows. Among men there are those whose heart is like the sun shining with its light, others whose heart’s light is like a pearl-lit star, others whose light is like a bright candle, and yet others like a bright lamp and others like a flickering lamp. This is why these lights will appear to their right and in front of them on the Day of Resurrection in accordance with this luminosity, that is, in accordance with the brightness of this statement in their heart in knowledge, practice, gnosis, and experience. The greater and more intense its light, the more it burns away the doubts and desires by its strength and intensity, so much so that one may reach a state that no doubt nor desire nor sin is encountered by it but that it consumes it. This is the state of him who is truthful in his affirmation of unicity, who associates nothing with Allah whatsoever. Any sin, desire, or doubt that nears this light burns it. The firmament of his faith is protected by numerous stars against any thief of his righteous deeds. The thief can steal nothing from it except by way of heedlessness and deception that are unavoidable for a human being. But as soon as he awakens and knows what he has stolen from him he recovers it from the thief or earns many times the original by his effort. This is how he deals with the thieves of both jinn and men, unlike the one who opens up his treasure to their ravages and turns his back.

Affirmation of unicity is not mere affirmation by a servant that there is no creator other than Allah, and that Allah is his Sustainer and King, as even the idol-worshippers would acknowledge despite their polytheism. Rather, it includes love, humility, and meekness to Allah as well as total adherence to his obedience, purifying his worship for Him, and the determination to attain the highest [rank of that obedience] in all of one’s words and deeds, withholding and largesse, love and hatred. Such [determination] stands between him and those things that call him to disobedience and persistence in it. Whoever knows this, knows the saying of the Prophet ﷺ, “Allah has prohibited hellfire upon him who says, “There is no god but Allah,” seeking by that Allah’s pleasure alone.” (Bukhārī #425)

As well as his ﷺ saying, “One who says, “There is no god but Allah” shall not enter hellfire.” (Muslim #33)

These and other such traditions have caused much confusion among many, so much so that some think that they have been abrogated and that they were relevant to the period before commands and prohibitions were revealed and the divine law became established. Some interpret the hellfire mentioned here to refer to a special fire for the polytheists and unbelievers. Yet others interpret the entrance as meaning eternity, and said, “The meaning of no one entering is that he shall not enter for eternity,” and other such disagreeable interpretations.

The lawgiver ﷺ, did not make [the promise of not entering hellfire] dependent on mere saying of the tongue alone, for the opposite of this is known by necessity in the religion of Islam. For the hypocrites do say it with their tongues and yet they are even beneath those who openly deny it in the lowest rungs of hellfire. It must therefore be the saying of the heart and the tongue. The saying of the heart includes knowing it, affirming it, knowing the reality of what it demands and excludes, and awareness of the negation of divinity to anyone other than Allah, devoted exclusively to Him alone, and its impossibility for anyone else, and the enactment of this meaning with the heart in knowledge, awareness, certitude, and spiritual experience. It is this [kind of saying it] that causes hellfire to become forbidden upon one; every statement upon which the lawgiver has promised whatever reward is the only kind of statement that is perfected in this manner. This is like his saying ﷺ, “Whoever says in a day “Glory and praise belong to Allah” a hundred times, his mistakes are removed or sins are forgiven even if they were as many as foam on the seas.” (Bukhārī #6405)

This does not occur with merely the saying of the tongue. True, he who says with his tongue heedless of its meaning and fails to reflect on it, and his heart fails to coincide with his tongue, not knowing its worth or reality, yet hoping for reward, his errors are forgiven in accordance with what is in his heart. For practices are not different in their form and number but rather in accordance with the variance of what is in the hearts. Two deeds might be identical in form but they are as different as the heavens and the earth; two men may stand in one row in prayer, but their prayers are as different as the heavens and the earth.

Contemplate the tradition of the ticket that will be placed in one pan and against it will be placed ninety-nine registers each one as large as the eye can see [filled with the man’s sins], yet the single ticket [inscribed with the statement, “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His servant and messenger”] will outweigh them all and he shall not be punished.” (Tirmidhī #2639)

It is known that every monotheist has this ticket, yet many will enter hellfire due to their sins, but the secret that caused that man’s ticket to outweigh them all and erase all the registers, something that does not happen to others, is due to the weight and gravity of his ticket.

If you wish to understand this better consider when you mention someone whose heart is filled with love for you versus someone who avoids you and does not care about you and prefers others to you, whose heart is attracted to another’s love. Is remembering them the same for you? Suppose you have two sons, or two slaves, or two wives, like this: would they be equal in your eyes?

Consider also how the heart of the one who murdered a hundred souls was transformed by the realities of faith, such that even when dying he set off for the journey to the town [of righteous people as part of his repentance], hardly able to breathe, facing the pangs of death. (See Bukhārī #3470)  This, then, is one thing and faith another. He was not deprived and attached to the righteous town and raised as if among its residents.

Something similar happened to the heart of the prostitute who saw that dog parched with thirst, eating dirt for any moisture.(See Bukhārī #3467) What occurred in her heart at the moment, despite there being no means, helper, or anyone to see her, made her descend into the well, fill her shoe with water, clinching it with her teeth so she could climb down [and back up] the well, but not allow that [dog] to be wasted. [Look also at] her self-sacrifice for this creature that people are used to hitting and keeping at bay, to whom she held her quench for his thirst, without asking him for any reward or gratitude. The lights of this proportion [of faith in Allah] razed down her [evil deeds of the] past of prostitution and she was forgiven.

Such is the case of deeds and their doers with Allah, and the doer who is heedless of this Alchemical Elixir that, if the slightest morsel of it is placed on deeds like mountains of coal, it turns them into gold. It is Allah we ask for help.

If it is said that you say that a lover is forgiven for what others are not forgiven, and an ally is tolerated for what others are not tolerated, as well as a scholar who is forgiven what others are not forgiven. As al-Ṭabarānī related with a good [ḥasan] chain [of narrators] raised to the Prophet ﷺ, “Allah gathered people on the Day of Resurrection in one field and then separated the scholars and said, “I used to be worshipped through your verdicts, and I know that you used to be mixed just as people are mixed [in respect of deeds], and I did not bestow my knowledge on you to punish you. Go, I have pardoned you.” This is the meaning of the hadith, and it has been reported fully linked [in its chain of narrators] as well as with a missing link [i.e., Companion].

[But if it is said that,] What you mentioned is correct, and is required by wisdom, munificence, and bounty; what do you say, then, about the redoubled punishment that has been warned for such [righteous ones] if something undesirable occurs from them?

As in His saying, “O women of the Prophet, if any of you commit clear lewdness, her punishment will be twice” [33:30]; and His saying, “Were it not that We made you firm, you would have almost leaned toward them a little: We would then have made you taste double [punishment] in life and double [punishment] in death, then you would not have found anyone to help you” [17:74–75]. That is, had We not made you firm you would have leaned toward them in some matters, and had you done that, we would have multiplied the punishment for you [compared to that of others’] in this world and the next. The Almighty also said, “And if he had invented false sayings concerning Us, We would have assuredly taken him by the right hand, and then severed his life-artery” [69:46]. That is, if he fabricated anything on Our behalf, We would have grabbed him by his right hand, cut off his artery and destroyed him. Allah had indeed protected him from reclining toward His enemies even in the slightest and fabricating anything about Him the Exalted. Yet, how many supporters of His enemies and liars against Him He allows to prosper and does not care [to punish] them, like all those who innovate heresies and lies against His Names, Attributes, and religion.

What you have mentioned of the story of Jonah, upon him be peace, is from this category, for he was not forgiven for his anger and was imprisoned because of that in the hollow of the whale. Suffice it to point out the case of the father of all humans who was not forgiven for one bite, which became the cause of his expulsion from paradise.

The response is that this is also true and the two things are not mutually contradictory, for whoever has received Allah’s blessing in perfection, and Allah has chosen him in some respect over others, has given him what he has not given others, bestowing him with gifts, singling him out for honor and special nearness, and according him the status of a dear friend and ally, his status requires protecting the rank of alliance, nearness, and election. He should protect his status from the slightest compromise and obstruction. Due to His special concern for him, and nearness and election that is granted him, the rights of his Patron and Master are all the greater and more perfect, and what is demanded of him is greater than what is demanded of others. When he becomes negligent or fails to live by his rank, He alerts him in a way that He does not alert those who are far away. Yet also, He forgives [His chosen servants] in ways that He does not forgive others. Both things come together for such a one.

If you wish to understand how the two things come together without contradiction, know that experience shows this. For a king tolerates from his courtiers and clients what he does not tolerate from others, yet also he takes them to account and disciplines them in ways that he does not discipline others. We have mentioned proofs for both and there is no contradiction between them.

If you had two slaves, sons, or wives, one of whom is dearer and nearer than the other, you find both of these things in your treatment of them. Your treatment of one of them depends on your nearness, love, and regard for him. Considering your benevolence and bounty toward him, you feel more caution and care for him than for the others. When you look at his goodness and love for you, and obedience and service to you, and servitude and sincerity, you forgive him and tolerate from him and overlook from him things that you do not for others. The two dealings depend on what is from you and from him.

Such a consideration appears in the divine law as well. Allah has made the prescribed limit for one whom he has blessed with marriage, if he transgresses to illicit sexual intercourse, which amounts to lapidation, whereas the prescribed limit of him who has not been given this bounty is lashes. Similarly, the prescribed limit for the free person, who has the bounty of not being owned by another, is twice that of a slave whose status is lower because of his or her bond and who does not have this bounty.

Glory to Him whose wisdom surpasses the intellects of all the worlds in creation, command, and reward and testifies that He is the Wisest of the Wise.

Allah has a secret beneath every difficult point known Only to the discerning one who takes the plunge.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Madarij al-Salikin Ranks of the Divine Seekers Vol 1 p690-702

Major Sins

There are several opinions among the Predecessors about the major sins, all of which converge to the same or similar basic meanings.

It is reported in the two Ṣaḥīḥs [of al-Bukhārī and Muslim] among the reports of al-Shuʿbī from ʿAbdallāh b. ʿAmr from the Prophet ﷺ, who said,

The major ones are: ascribing partners to Allah, abuse of parents, murder, and false testimony. (Bukhārī #6675)

Both [al-Bukhārī and Muslim] also record from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Abī Bakra from his father from the Prophet ﷺ, who said, “Shall I not warn you of the greatest of the great [sins]?” three times. They said, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Ascribing partners to Allah and abusing one’s parents,” and then he sat up from reclining and said, “and beware the false testimony,” and he kept repeating it until we said, “We wish he stopped.” (Bukhārī #2654)

It is also recorded in the Ṣaḥīḥ in the tradition of Abū Wāʾil, from ʿAmr b. Shurāḥbīl, from ʿAbdallāh b. Masʿūd, who said, I said, “O Messenger of Allah, which sin is the greatest?” He said, “That you ascribe partners to Allah when He is the one who created you.” I said, “Then what?” He said, “That you kill your child fearing that he or she will share your food.” I said, “Then what?” He said, “That you commit adultery with the wife of your neighbor.” (Bukhārī #4761) Allah then revealed as a confirmation of the words of the Prophet ﷺ: “And [good believers are] those who do not call upon any other than Allah, nor kill a soul that Allah has forbidden except justly, nor commit fornication.” [25:68]

It is recorded in the two Ṣaḥīḥs that the Prophet ﷺ, said: “Shun the seven destroyers.” They said, “What are they?” He said, “Ascribing partners to Allah, sorcery, killing a soul that Allah has forbidden except justly, consuming usury, consuming an orphan’s property, fleeing from the battlefield, and slandering chaste, innocent believing women.” (Bukhārī #2766)

Shuʿba narrated from Saʿd b. Ibrāhīm, who said that he heard Ḥumayd b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān narrate from ʿAbdallāh b. ʿAmr, Allah be pleased with them, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said, “Among the greatest of major sins is that a man swears at his parents.” The said, “How could a man swear at his parents?” He said, “He swears at the father of another man so he swears back at his father, and he swears at his mother, so he swears back at his mother.” (Bukhārī #2766)

It is recorded in the tradition of Abū Hurayra, Allah be pleased with him from the Prophet ﷺ, who said, “Among the greatest sins is that a man call into question the honor of his brother without right.” (Abū Dāwūd #4877)

ʿAbdallāh b. Masʿūd said: “The greatest of sins is associating partners with Allah, feeling safe against the power of Allah, and despair in the mercy of Allah.”

Saʿīd b. Jubayr said that a man asked Ibn ʿAbbās, Allah be pleased with them both, concerning the major sins, “Are they seven in number?” He said, “Rather, they are closer to seven hundred, except that no sin is major with repentance and no sin is minor with persistence.”

He also said, “Every means to disobedience is a major sin; whosoever commits one of these should beg Allah for pardon, for Allah does not punish with eternity in hellfire from the community except him who turns back from Islam, or argues against a duty, or denies predestination.”

ʿAbdallāh b. Masʿūd said, “A major sin is whatever is forbidden by Allah in Sūra al-Nisāʾ from its beginning until the verse, ‘If you shun the major sins that you are forbidden, We shall erase your minor sins’ [4:31], that is a major sin.”

ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭalḥa said, “A major sin is whatever Allah has threatened [the doer of] with the Fire, wrath, curse, or chastisement.”

Al-Ḍaḥḥāk said, “A major sin is what Allah has threatened the doer of with a limit (ḥadd) in this world or chastisement in the Hereafter.” Al-Ḥusayn b. al- Faḍl said, “Whatever Allah has called a ‘major’ or ‘great’ sin in the Qurʾan, as in His saying, ‘It is a great offense’ [4:2], ‘Their murder is a major error,’ [17:31], ‘Associating partners to Allah is surely a great wrong’ [31:13], ‘Truly, your deception was an enormous one’ [12:28], ‘Glory to you! This is a great slander’ [24:16], and ‘Truly, that was an enormous thing before Allah’ [33:53].”

Sufyān al-Thawrī said, “The major sins are those in which there is injustice between you and the servants [of Allah], and the minor ones are those that are between you and Allah, for Allah is the Munificent, He overlooks.” He cited as proof the tradition of Yazīd b. Hārūn, from Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl, from Anas b. Mālik, who said, the Messenger of Allahﷺ, said, “A caller calls from inside the Throne on the Day of Resurrection, “O community of Muhammad, Allah the Exalted and Almighty has forgiven you everything, believing men and believing women, except mutual wrong, so enter paradise by My mercy.” (al-Ṭabarānī, al-Awsaṭ 5:222)

I say that the meaning of Sufyān is that the sins that are between the servant and Allah are easier than the wrongs among the servants, for the former are removed by seeking forgiveness, [divine] amnesty, [Prophet’s] intercession, and the like. As for wrongs among the servants, they must be set right. It is recorded in al- Ṭabarānī’s al-Muʿjam: “Injustice on the Day of Resurrection is in three registers with Allah: one register from which Allah will not forgive anything, which is associating partners to Allah. Then he recited, “Allah never forgives that a partner be ascribed to Him” [4:116; 4:48]; one register from which Allah leaves nothing, which is the wrongs of the servants against each other; and one register about which Allah does not care, which is the wrongs of a servant that are between him and his Lord.”

It is known that this [third] register consists of both major and minor sins, but they concern the rights of the Most Generous of all. What He forgives and overlooks of His rights is many, many times what He takes into reckoning, and so it is easier than the register from which nothing is left [unaccounted for] due to His justice and conveying of all rights to their owners.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Madarij al-Salikin Ranks of the Divine Seekers Vol 1 p674-680

Minor Sins

Sins are classified into major and minor based on clear texts of the Qurʾan, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Predecessors, as well as rational consideration. Allah says, “If you shun the major ones that you are forbidden, We will do away with your minor sins.” [4:31] Also,“Those who shun the major sins and shameful deeds, save the lamam [minor sins].” [53:32]

It is reported authentically from the Prophet ﷺ, that he said, “The five daily prayers, one Friday to the next, one Ramadan to the next erase what is between them if the major ones are avoided.” (Muslim)

As for what is reported from Abū Isḥāq al-Isfarāʾīnī, Allah have mercy on him, that he said, “All sins are major, there is nothing minor about them,” his meaning was not that they are all equal in their burden, such that the sin of the prohibited looking [with lewdness at a prohibited member of the opposite sex] is the same as the sin of fornication. Rather, his meaning is that with regard to the greatness of Him who is being disobeyed, all sins are major. Yet, some are bigger than others. The disagreement here is merely semantic and does not affect the meaning.

What has been given by the Lawgiver has been called lamam and muḥaqqirāt, as in the tradition, “Beware the muḥaqqirāt (underestimated) of the sins.” It has been said that the lamam that is mentioned in the verse is among the major sins, as related by al-Baghawī and others. They say that the intention of the exception is one who comes in contact with the major sin just once and then repents; he falls into it and then never again, rather than taking it as a habit. On this view, the exception of al-lamam from the general command of avoidance would be that it does not occur: major sins are not committed by them at all, but only minor ones.

The majority, however, holds that the meaning is a categorical exception from the major sins; namely, they never commit the major ones, yet lamam may happen. The placement of categorical exception after an affirmative statement is deemed beautiful; it means that the majority of the case is the opposite [of what is stated in the exception], and it occurs when the exception becomes true. Thus, in this affirmation the meaning is a clear negation. That is, they do not engage in the major sins and shameful deeds whatsoever; it is good, therefore, to make an exception of accidents.

Perhaps this is what encouraged Abū Isḥāq [al-Isfarāʾīnī] to say, “Sins are all major,” since the essence of exception is to eliminate it entirely, especially if it is the cause [of major sins]. However, the texts as well as the consensus of the Predecessors rest on the division of sins into minor and major. They disagree in two respects, first, what is al-lamam, and second, concerning the major sins: is there a limited number of them, or any limit to them?

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Madarij al-Salikin Ranks of the Divine Seekers Vol 1 p664-666

One Return from the Servant, Two from Allah

The repentance of a servant to Allah Almighty is surrounded by repentance from Allah before it and after it; his repentance, hence, is between two instances of repentance from Allah, before and after. For He turned to him in repentance by way of permission, granting of success, and inspiration, and then Allah turned to him again in acceptance and reward. The Almighty said,

“Allah has turned in repentance to the Prophet, and to the Immigrants and the Helpers who followed him in the hour of hardship. After the hearts of a party of them had almost swerved aside, then turned He unto them in repentance. Lo! He is Full of Pity, Mercy for them. And to the three also who were left behind, when the earth, vast as it is, was straitened for them, and their own souls were straitened for them till they bethought them that there is no refuge from Allah save toward Him. Then turned He unto them in repentance that they (too) might turn (repentant unto Him). Lo! Allah! He is the Relenting, the Merciful.” [9:117– 118]

The Exalted declares that His turning to them in repentance preceded their repentance to Him, for that is what made them penitent, and was the cause of their repentance, which shows that they did not repent until He came to them in repentance, for a thing cannot be found without its cause.

An example of this is His guidance of the servant before he finds guidance, for he finds guidance through His guiding him. The servant’s finding of guidance brings about another kind of guidance by which Allah establishes him in his guidance. Among the rewards of guidance is Allah’s guiding of a person, just as a punishment of misguidance is misguidance that follows it. Allah Almighty said,  “And those who are guided He increases them in guidance” [47:17]. Allah guided them first so they found guidance, then He increased them in guidance. The opposite is true of the people of error, as the Almighty said, “When they went astray, Allah sent their hearts astray” [61:5]. This second straying is a punishment for their misguidance.

This kind of decree is the secret of His name, “the First and the Last,” for He is the one who prepares and extends [His help], from Him is the cause and the effect, He is the one who gives refuge from Himself, offers protection from Himself, as the most knowledgeable of creation to Him said, “I seek Your refuge from You.” The servant repents constantly, and Allah responds to it constantly; the repentance of the servant is to turn to his Master after rebellion, and the repentance from the Lord is of two kinds, granting of permission and the granting of success, acceptance, and preparation.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Madarij al-Salikin Ranks of the Divine Seekers Vol 1 p660-662

The Object of Repentance

On the difference between expiation for bad deeds and forgiveness of sins. These two are mentioned alongside each other in the Book of Allah as well as separately. They are together in the saying of the Almighty reporting the words of His believing servants, “Our Lord, forgive our sins and expiate our bad deeds and receive us [upon death] with the righteous” [3:193], and separately as in His words, “And those who believe and do good works and believe in that which is revealed unto Muhammad—and it is the truth from their Lord—He rids them of their ill-deeds and improves their state” [47:2]. His words concerning forgiveness, “… therein for them is every kind of fruit, with pardon from their Lord” [47:15], and His words, “Our Lord, forgive our sins and our transgression in our affair” [3:147], and the like.

There are four things here: sins, bad deeds, forgiveness, and expiation.

By sins is meant the major ones, and by bad deeds the minor sins in which expiation from error can suffice, and the like. And [because of their being minor] He allowed expiation for them; the term kaffāra is derived from expiation (takfīr), which is why expiation has no power or use in dealing with the major sins, in the more sound of the two opinions. It does not work, for instance, to atone for murder or false testimony in the majority opinion in the school of Aḥmad and Abū Ḥanīfa. The evidence that by bad deeds is meant minor sins and that expiation applied to them is found in the words of the Almighty, “If you avoid the major ones that you are forbidden We shall remove your minor ones and admit you to a noble entrance” [4:31]. In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from the tradition of Abū Hurayra, it is reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah grant him blessing and peace, used to say, “The five daily prayers, one Friday prayer to the next, and from one Ramadan to the next, are expiations for what is between them if the major sins are avoided.” (Muslim 233)

The word maghfira [granting of pardon] is more comprehensive than the word expiation (takfīr), for the former includes safety and protection as well, whereas the latter includes concealment and removal. When mentioned singly, each one is implied by the other, as mentioned earlier. His words, “He will remove from them their bad deeds” includes both minor and major ones, and both erasing them and protecting from their evil. When mentioned alone, expiation may include the worst of deeds, as the Almighty said, “So Allah may remove from them the worst of what they have done” [39:35].

When this is understood, the secret of the promise of expiation rather than forgiveness upon calamities, afflictions, grief, and exhaustion is understood, as in his saying in a sound tradition, “A believer does not suffer from sorrow, grief, or harm, even a thorn that pricks him, but that Allah removes through it some of his errors.” (Bukhārī 5641) Afflictions cannot independently cause forgiveness of sins, and nothing brings forgiveness of all sins except repentance or good deeds that overwhelm and erase the sins; for [good deeds] that are like an ocean are not altered [in their purity] by carrion [lying in it]; when the water reaches two qullahs’ [volume], it does not lose its purifying quality due to some dirt.

Those who have sinned have three rivers in which they can seek purification in this world; and if they are not sufficient to purify him, they are purified in the river of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection. These are the river of sincere repentance, the river of good deeds that drown out the burdens surrounding them, and the river of great afflictions that expiate. When Allah wishes well for a servant, He enters him into one of these three rivers so that he comes on the Day of Resurrection clean and pure and does not need the fourth river.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Madarij al-Salikin Ranks of the Divine Seekers Vol 1 p656-660

Sincere Repentance

[The mutual implication of seeking pardon and repentance] becomes clearer when one mentions sincere repentance and its reality. The Almighty said, “O believers! Turn unto Allah in sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will remit from you your evil deeds and bring you into Gardens of flowing rivers underneath…” [66:8]

Hence, He made the protection from the evil of bad deeds, which is their expiation, by removing what the servant hates, and entering him into the Gardens, which is the attainment of what the servant loves, contingent upon the attainment of sincere repentance. The word naṣūḥ is on the pattern faʿūl, a form of fāʿil [subject] intended for exaggeration, like shakūr [exceptionally grateful] and ṣabūr [exceptionally patient]. The root is n-ṣ-ḥ, which is to remove a thing from deception and foreign impurities, and it meets in its larger derivation with nuṣḥ when it is pure; nuṣḥ in repentance, worship, and consultation all mean removing them from any deception, deficiency, and corruption, and performing them in the most perfect fashion. Nuṣḥ is the opposite of deception.

The expressions of the Predecessors have differed on this even as they go back to the same meaning. ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb and Ubayy b. Kaʿb, Allah be pleased with them both, said, “Sincere repentance is that one repents from the sin and then never returns to it, just like the milk does not return to the udder.” Al-Ḥasan of Basra said, “It is that the servant become regretful over what has passed, resolved to never return to it.” Al-Kalbī said, “That he seek pardon by the tongue, feel regret by the heart, and hold his limbs from it.” Saʿīd b. al-Musayyib said, “Sincere repentance is that by which you are sincere to yourself”; he thus gave it the meaning of sincere advisor to the repentant person, making the object into the subject. The first opinion gives it the meaning of the object, that is, the repentance in which the repentant is sincere and did not mix it with deceit, thus it is either in the meaning of “that which was accomplished with sincerity,” as we use rakūba or ḥalūba in the meaning of markūba and maḥlūba. Alternatively, it could be given the meaning of the subject, that is, [the repentance] that is sincere, pure, and truthful [to the person who does it].

Muḥammad b. Kaʿb al-Quraẓī, Allah have mercy on him, said, “Four things hold it together: seeking pardon by the tongue, renouncing it by the body, inner commitment to never return to the crime, and abjuring evil company.”

I say that sincerity in repentance comprises three things.

First, inclusion and encompassing of all sins in it, such that no sin is left out of its scope.

Second, confluence of all the resolve and truthfulness in it, such that there remains not the slightest hesitation, blaming [of someone else] or wait [to see what happens]; rather, he embraces it with all of his resolve and determination.

Third, its purity from impurities and defects that compromise it, its occurrence for the fear and trepidation of Allah Almighty alone, desire for what He has and fear of what He has, not like someone who repents to protect his influence, honour, status, power, or to protect his spiritual state, or his strength and wealth, or seeking people’s praise or avoiding their blame, or so that fools may not overpower him, or to end his addiction to sin, or fearing poverty and helplessness, and other such defects that compromise its soundness and sincerity for Allah.

The first pertains to what one repents from, the third to Him to whom he repents, and the middle one pertains to the person and ego of the repentant one. Sincerity of repentance is truthfulness in it, purity, and all-inclusiveness, and doubtless such repentance requires and includes seeking pardon, and erases all sins. It is the most perfect kind of repentance. Allah alone is sought for help and reliance, there is no power to change or resist except through Allah.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Madarij al-Salikin Ranks of the Divine Seekers Vol 1 p654-656

Repentance and Seeking Forgiveness

As for seeking forgiveness, it is of two kinds: mentioned along with repentance and alone. It is mentioned alone in the saying of Noah, Allah be pleased with him, “Seek forgiveness of your Lord, He is Oft-forgiving: He sends the heavens over you raining;” [71:10–11] and the saying of [the prophet] Ṣāliḥ to his people, “If only you ask Allah for forgiveness, you may hope to receive mercy” [27:46]. Allah Almighty also says, “And seek forgiveness of Allah, for Allah is Forgiving, Merciful” [2:199]; “Allah is not One to punish them while they seek forgiveness” [8:33].

It is mentioned along with [repentance], as in the saying of the Almighty, “And (bidding you): Ask pardon of your Lord and turn to Him repentant. He will cause you to enjoy a fair estate until a time appointed. He gives His bounty unto every bountiful one” [11:3], and the saying of Ṣāliḥ to his people, “So ask forgiveness of Him and turn unto Him repentant. Lo! my Lord is Nigh, Responsive” [11:61], and the saying of Shuʿayb, “Ask pardon of your Lord and then turn unto Him repentant. Lo! my Lord is Merciful, Loving” [11:90].

Therefore, seeking forgiveness when mentioned singly is like repentance; rather, it is repentance, as it includes the quest for forgiveness, which is the removal of sin and its effect and prevention of its evil.

It is not merely the concealment of sin as some people think. For Allah indeed conceals the sins of those who seek forgiveness and those who do not. Concealment, however, is an implication of its signification or its part, and its reference to it is either by inclusion or by implication. The essence of [seeking forgiveness] is protection from its evil, and from the same root is [the word] mighfar [helmet], as it is what saves and covers the head from harm, and concealment is necessary to this meaning, else [other headdresses like] the turban or skull-cap are not called mighfar, even though they conceal the head. We conclude that something cannot be called mighfar unless it provides more than covering: it must also protect. It is seeking forgiveness that saves one from the punishment in His saying, “And Allah is not One to punish while they asked for forgiveness” [8:33], for Allah does not punish one who is asking for forgiveness. As for him who insists on sinning while demanding forgiveness from Allah, then this is not an unqualified asking for forgiveness, which is why it does not prevent the punishment. Seeking forgiveness, therefore, includes repenting, and repentance includes seeking forgiveness: each one is implied by the other when unqualified.

When the two words are used together, then seeking forgiveness means asking for protection from the evil and harm of what is in the past, and repentance is returning to Allah and begging for safety from the evil of what one fears in the future of more evil deeds.

There are two sins there. One is the sin that has already occurred, and seeking forgiveness is to seek protection from its evil effects. The other is the repetition of the same sin in the future. Repentance is the determination to not do it again. Return to Allah includes both of these, return to Him so He saves him from what has passed, and return to Him to save him from the evil and bad deeds that He fears from himself in the future.

[Another example is] that the sinner is like someone who has traversed a path that leads him to ruin and does not bring him to his destination. He is now commanded to turn his back on it and return to the path that does bring him to his destination and success.

There are two things here, parting from one thing and returning to the other. Repentance more specifically signifies the return, whereas seeking forgiveness signifies the parting. When mentioned alone, they both signify both meanings. This is why, and Allah knows best, the command came to do both in order in His saying, “Seek forgiveness of your Lord, then return to Him.” [11:52] The return to the path of Truth comes after parting from the path of falsehood.

Furthermore, seeking forgiveness is of the class of seeking to remove a harm, whereas repentance is seeking a benefit. Seeking forgiveness is to be saved from the evil of the sin and repentance is to attain after protection what one loves; both of them require each other when they are mentioned alone, and Allah knows best.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Madarij al-Salikin Ranks of the Divine Seekers Vol 1 p650-654