Major Sins, Minor Sins And Their Forgiveness
Following are ten commandments of Quran [1] which result in major sins if one deviates from them: i) Worshipping God: ii) Treating Parents with Kindness: iii) Spending in the Way of God: iv) Moral Standards (Piety): v) Sanctity of Human Life: vi) Misappropriating the Wealth of Orphans: vii) Keeping Promises: viii) Honesty in Weighing: ix) Following Speculations: x) Pride and Vanity: Like the Ten Commandments of the Torah, these are the ten commandments of the Quran. All morals are a corollary of these commandments. What the Almighty has regarded as great sins and acts of vulgarity (Quran, 42:37; 53:32) emerge from disobeying these directives. The Quran unequivocally states that people can be punished for this disobedience in the Hereafter. Thus every Muslim should remain cautious about it. The following three things should remain in consideration in this regard. Firstly , if the disobedience is unintentional, God will not hold a person accountable. His law is that if a person commits a misdeed unintentionally, He will not punish him. While stating a directive about adopted sons, the Quran says: وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَا أَخْطَأْتُم بِهِ وَلَكِن مَّا تَعَمَّدَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا (5:33) And the mistake you have made in this matter shall be forgiven, but in what your hearts make an intention shall not be forgiven. God is Ever-Forgiving and Ever-Merciful . (33:5) Secondly , if a person is able to abstain from disobeying these directives, then its reward is that his minor sins will be forgiven by the Merciful Lord otherwise all his major and minor sins will be recorded in the register of his deeds and he will have to give their account: إِن تَجْتَنِبُواْ كَبَآئِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُم مُّدْخَلاً كَرِيمًا (31:4) If you abstain from the major sins of what is being prohibited to you, We shall forgive your minor sins and shall make you enter a place of honour . (4:31) Thirdly , if a person disobeys any of these directives while being overwhelmed with emotions, he should repent and mend his ways. It is essential that he repent as soon as possible. The Almighty has clearly stated in the Quran that He will forgive people who commit a sin while being overwhelmed with emotions if they repent right after it. He will not forgive people who sin all their lives and repent when they see death approaching. Similarly, He will not forgive people who deliberately reject the truth if they continue with this attitude till their death: إِنَّمَا التَّوْبَةُ عَلَى اللّهِ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السُّوءَ بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُونَ مِن قَرِيبٍ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ يَتُوبُ اللّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكَانَ اللّهُ عَلِيماً حَكِيماً وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّى إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الآنَ وَلاَ الَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُوْلَـئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا (4: 17-18) It is incumbent upon God to forgive those who commit a sin while being overwhelmed with emotions and then quickly repent. It is they who are forgiven by God. God is all-knowing and wise. But He will not forgive those who sin all their lives and, when death comes to them, say: “Now I repent!” nor those who die as disbelievers. It is for these that We have prepared a grave punishment . (4:17-18) In the above verses, the Quran has ascertained two cases in which repentance shall be accepted by the Almighty. After this, one case remains: a person was not able to repent right after his sin; however, he did not delay repentance till his death. In this case, the Quran is silent and in the words of Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi, this silence creates hope as well as fear and the purport of the Quran also seems that one should remain between hope and fear in this case. He says that in spite of this what comes to his mind is the fact that such people would hopefully attain salvation through the intercession of the Prophet (sws) because in their case there is no reason for it to be prohibited. _______________________________________________________ [1] وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا رَّبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا فِي نُفُوسِكُمْ إِن تَكُونُواْ صَالِحِينَ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ لِلأَوَّابِينَ غَفُورًا وَآتِ ذَا الْقُرْبَى حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَلاَ تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُواْ إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِرَبِّهِ كَفُورًا وَإِمَّا تُعْرِضَنَّ عَنْهُمُ ابْتِغَاء رَحْمَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكَ تَرْجُوهَا فَقُل لَّهُمْ قَوْلاً مَّيْسُورًا وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ يَدَكَ مَغْلُولَةً إِلَى عُنُقِكَ وَلاَ تَبْسُطْهَا كُلَّ الْبَسْطِ فَتَقْعُدَ مَلُومًا مَّحْسُورًا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاء وَيَقْدِرُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا بَصِيرًا وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلادَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلاقٍ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُم إنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ كَانَ خِطْءًا كَبِيرًا وَلاَ تَقْرَبُواْ الزِّنَى إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَاء سَبِيلاً وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللّهُ إِلاَّ بِالحَقِّ وَمَن قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا لِوَلِيِّهِ سُلْطَانًا فَلاَ يُسْرِف فِّي الْقَتْلِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مَنْصُورًا وَلاَ تَقْرَبُواْ مَالَ الْيَتِيمِ إِلاَّ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ حَتَّى يَبْلُغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَأَوْفُواْ بِالْعَهْدِ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْؤُولاً وَأَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ إِذا كِلْتُمْ وَزِنُواْ بِالقِسْطَاسِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلاً وَلاَ تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِعِلْمٌ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولـئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْؤُولاً وَلاَ تَمْشِ فِي الأَرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّكَ لَن تَخْرِقَ الأَرْضَ وَلَن تَبْلُغَ الْجِبَالَ طُولاً كُلُّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ سَيٍّئُهُ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ مَكْرُوهًا ذَلِكَ مِمَّا أَوْحَى إِلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ الْحِكْمَةِ وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ مَعَ اللّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ فَتُلْقَى فِي جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومًا مَّدْحُورًا (17: 22-39) Serve no other god except God, lest [on the Day of Judgement] you are left blameworthy and disgraceful. And [remember that] your Lord has enjoined you to worship none but Him, and to treat well your parents. If either or both of them attain old age in your life before you, show them no sign of impatience, nor scold them while answering; but speak to them with good etiquette and treat them with humility and tenderness and say: “Lord, be merciful to them the way they nursed me in childhood.” Your Lord fully knows what is in your hearts; if you remain obedient [to them, then you should know that] He forgives those who turn to Him. And give to the near of kin their due, and also the destitute and to the traveller. And do not squander your wealth wastefully, for the wasteful are Satan’s brothers; and Satan is ever-ungrateful to his Lord. And if you have to disregard [those in need] because you are seeking your Lord’s bounty of which you are waiting, then speak to them affectionately. And do not be miserly or prodigal [that as a result of it] you should either earn reproach or be reduced to indigence. Indeed your Lord gives abundantly to whom He pleases and sparingly to whom He pleases. He is aware of His servants and is observing them. And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them also and for you because killing them is a heinous crime. And do not even go near adultery because it is blatant lewdness and a very evil path. And do not wrongfully kill any person whose life has been held sacred by God and [remember that] if someone is slain unjustly, We have given his heir the authority. Then he should also not exceed limits in his revenge because he has been helped. And do not approach the wealth of orphans except in a just manner, until they reach maturity. And keep your promises because you shall be held accountable for promises. And give full measure, when you measure, and weigh with correct scales. This is better and fairer as far as the consequences are concerned. And do not go after what you know not because eyes, ears, and heart – all of them shall be questioned. And do not walk conceitedly on the earth because neither can you split the earth, nor can you rival the mountains in stature. The evil of each of these to your Lord is very displeasing. This is the wisdom which your Lord has revealed to you. [Hold on steadfastly to it] and [in the end, listen once again:] serve no other deity besides God, lest [as a result] you should be cast into Hell condemned and rejected . (17:22-39)
Thank you for your answer .Can you please clarify the below? “After this, one case remains: a person WAS NOT ABLE to repent right after his sin; however, he did not delay repentance TILL HIS DEATH.” What is ment by “Was not able “? What do you mean by”till his death”?That he repented during his life but not immediately after the sin ?Lets say he did sin at 20 years old and repented at 40? And about the person “delaying repentance till death” what does that mean? When he see the angel of death ?Or when he realize he is dying (like if he has cancer or a car accident ?)