The Major Sins

The major sins are those acts which have been forbidden by Allah in the Quran and by His Messenger (p.b.u.h.) in the Sunnah (practice of the Prophet), and which have been made clear by the actions of of the first righteous generation of Muslims, the Companions of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.).

Allah Most High says in His Glorious Book:

"If you avoid the major (part) of what you have been forbidden (to do), We will cancel out for you your (other) evil deeds and will admit you (to Paradise) with a noble entry." (al-Nisa 4:31)
Thus, by this verse, Allah Most High has guaranteed the Garden of Paradise to those who avoid the major sins. And Allah Most High also says:

"Those who avoid the greatest of sins and indecencies, and forgive when they are angry." (al-Shura 42:37) "Those who avoid the greatest sins and indecencies, except for oversights, (will find that) surely your Lord is ample in forgiveness." (Al-Najm 53:32)

The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said: "The five (daily) prayers, Friday to Friday, and Ramadan to Ramadan make atonement for what has happened since the previous one when major sins have been avoided." It is therefore very important to determine exactly what the greatest vices, technically called "the major sins" (Kaba'ir), are, in order that Muslims should avoid them.

There is some difference of opinion among scholars in this regard. Some say these major sins are seven, and in support of their position they quote the tradition: "Avoid the seven noxious things"- and after having said this, the prophet (p.b.u.h.) mentioned them: "Associating anything with Allah, magic, 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." (Bukhari and Muslim)

Abdullah Ibn Abbas said: "Seventy is closer to their number than seven." and indeed that is correct. The above tradition does not limit the major sins to those mentioned in it. Rather, it points to the type of sins which fall into the category of "major." These include those crimes which call for a prescribed punishment (HADD; plural, HUDUD), such as theft, fornication or adultery (ZINA), and murder; those prohibited acts for which a warning of a severe punishment in the next world is given in the Quran or the tradition; and also those deeds which are cursed by our Prophet (p.b.u.h.). These are all major sins.

Of course, there is a gradation among them, since some are more serious than others. We see that the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) has included SHIRK (associating someone or something with Allah) among them, and from the text of the Quran we know that a person who commits SHIRK will not his sin be forgiven and will remain in Hell forever.

Allah Most High says:

"Surely, Allah does not forgive associating anything with Him, and He forgives whatever is other than that to whomever He wills." (al-Nisa 4:48 and 116)

1. Associating anything with Allah.
2. Murder.
3. Practicing magic.
4. Not praying.
5. Not paying Zakat.
6. Not fasting on a day of Ramadan without excuse.
7. Not performing Hajj while being able to do so.
8. Disrespect to parents.
9. Abandoning relatives.
10. Fornication and adultery.
11. Homosexuality (sodomy).
12. Interest (Riba).
13. Wrongfully consuming the property of an orphan.
14. Lying about Allah and His Messenger.
15. Running away from the battlefield.
16. A leader's deceiving his people and being unjust to them.
17. Pride and arrogance.
18. Bearing false witness.
19. Drinking Khamr (wine).
20. Gambling.
21. Slandering chaste women.
22. Stealing from the spoils of war.
23. Stealing.
24. Highway robbery.
25. Taking false oath.
26. Oppression.
27. Illegal gain.
28. Consuming wealth acquired unlawfully.
29. Committing suicide.
30. Frequent lying.
31. Judging unjustly.
32. Giving and accepting bribes.
33. Woman's imitating man and man's imitating woman.
34. Being cuckold.
35. Marrying a divorced woman in order to make her lawful for the husband.
36. Not protecting oneself from urine.
37. Showing-off.
38. Learning knowledge of the religion for the sake of this world and concealing that knowledge.
39. Betrayal of trust.
40. Recounting favors.
41. Denying Allah's Decree.
42. Listening (to) people's private conversations.
43. Carrying tales.
44. Cursing.
45. Breaking contracts.
46. Believing in fortune-tellers and astrologers.
47. A woman's bad conduct towards her husband.
48. Making statues and pictures.
49. Lamenting, wailing, tearing the clothing, and doing other things of this sort when an affliction befalls.
50. Treating others unjustly.
51. Overbearing conduct toward the wife, the servant, the weak, and animals.
52. Offending one's neighbors.
53. Offending and abusing Muslims.
54. Offending people and having an arrogant attitude towards them.
55. Trailing one's garment in pride.
56. Men's wearing silk and gold.
57. A slave's running away from his master.
58. Slaughtering an animal which has been dedicated to anyone other than Allah.
59. To knowingly ascribe one's paternity to a father other than one's own.
60. Arguing and disputing violently.
61. Withholding excess water.
62. Giving short weight or measure.
63. Feeling secure from Allah's Plan.
64. Offending Allah's righteous friends.
65. Not praying in congregation but praying alone without an excuse.
66. Persistently missing Friday prayers without any excuse.
67. Usurping the rights of the heir through bequests.
68. Deceiving and plotting evil.
69. Spying for the enemy of the Muslims.
70. Cursing or insulting any of the Companions of Allah's Messenger.

By: Muhammad Bin Uthman Adh-Dhahabi
Source: jannah.org

Manners At Home

Spreading kindness in the home 
Aishah (RA) said: "The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:
'When Allah (SAW) wills some good towards the people of a household, He introduces kindness among them.'" (Reported by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 6/71; Sahih al-Jami, 303)
According to another report:
"When Allah loves the people of a household, He introduces kindness among them." (Reported by Ibn Abi al-Dunya and others; Sahih al-Jami, 1704)
In other words, they start to be kind to one another. This is one of the means of attaining happiness in the home, for kindness is very beneficial between the spouses, and with the children, and it brings results that cannot be achieved through harshness, as the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said:
"Allah loves kindness and rewards it in such a way that He does not reward for harshness or for anything else." (Reported by Muslim, Kitaab al-Birr wa'l-Sillah wa'l-Aadaab, 2592)
Helping one's wife with the housework 
Many men think that housework is beneath them, and some of them think that it will undermine their status and position if they help their wives with this work. The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.), however, used to sew his own clothes, mend his own shoes and do whatever other workmen do in their homes. (Reported by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 6/121; Sahih al-Jami, 4927).
This was said by his wife Aishah (RA), when she was asked about what the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) used to do in his house; her response described what she herself had seen. According to another report, she said:
"He was like any other human being: he would clean his clothes, milk his ewe and serve himself." (Reported by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 6/256; al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 671)
She (RA) was also asked about what the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) used to do in his house, and she said, "He used to serve his family, then when the time for prayer came, he would go out to pray." (Reported by al-Bukhari, al-Fath, 2/162).
If we were to do likewise nowadays, we would achieve three things:
* We would be following the example of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.).
* We would be helping our wives.
* We would feel more humble, not arrogant.
Some men demand food instantly from their wives, when the pot is on the stove and the baby is screaming to be fed; they do not pick up the child or wait a little while for the food. Let these Hadith be a reminder and a lesson.
Being affectionate towards and joking with the members of the family
Showing affection towards one's wife and children is one of the things that leads to creating an atmosphere of happiness and friendliness in the home. Thus, the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) advised Jabir (RA) to marry a virgin, saying:
"Why did you not marry a virgin, so you could play with her and she could play with you, and you could make her laugh and she could make you laugh?" (The Hadith is reported in a number of places in the Saheehayn, such as al-Bukhari, al-Fath, 9/121)
The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) also said:
"Everything in which Allah's name is not mentioned is idleness and play, except for four things: a man playing with his wife." (Reported by al-Nasa’I in 'Ushrat al-Nisa', p. 87; Sahih al-Jami)
The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) used to treat his wife Aishah (RA) affectionately when doing ghusl with her, as she (RA) said:
"The Messenger of Allah and I used to do ghusl together from one vessel, and he would pretend to take all the water so that I would say, 'Leave some for me, leave some for me,'" - and both of them were in a state of janaabah (impurity). (Muslim bi Sharh al-Nawawi, 4/6).
The ways in which the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) showed affection towards young children are so famous, but still need mentioning. He often used to show his affection towards Hasan and Husain, as mentioned above. This is probably one of the reasons why the children used to rejoice when he came back from traveling; they would rush to welcome him, as reported in the Sahih Hadith:
"Whenever he came back from a journey, the children of his household would be taken out to meet him." He (p.b.u.h.) used to hug them close to him, as Abdullah Ibn Jafar (RA) said:
"Whenever the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) came back from a journey, we would be taken out to meet him. One day we met him, Hasan, Husain and I. He carried one of us in front of him, and another on his back, until we entered Madinah." (Sahih Muslim, 4/1885-2772; see the commentary in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 8/56). 
Compare this with the situation in some miserable homes where there are no truthful jokes [i.e., jokes that do not involve lying], no affection and no mercy. Whoever thinks that kissing his children goes against the dignity of fatherhood should read the following Hadith:
From Abu Hurayrah (RA) who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) kissed al-Hasan Ibn Ali, and al-Aqra Ibn Haabis while al-Tamimi was sitting with him. Al-Aqra' said: 'I have ten children and I have never kissed any one of them.' The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) looked at him and said: 'The one who does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.'"

Source: jannah.org