Muslims: How many sins are there?

[InnocentOdion]

Salaam,

I'm curious, because according to some fatwas I've read online, a man who doesn't keep a beard, is in sin, and a person who has a dog in their house, is also in sin.

So how many sins are there?
Can you list them so I know what they are? I already know the worst one, shirk.

But things like not keeping a beard at fist length... how, why is that a sin? I'm just curious.

 

[rahma]

In classical sunnni islamic fiqh (jurisprudence), actions are divided into 5 categories:

Fard (wajib) - obligatory
Mustahab (mandub) - recommended
Mubah - neutral, neither obligatory nor recommended
Makruh - abominable
Haraam - prohibited


If an act is classifed as fard/wajib and you do not do it, then it is a sin. If you do it, it's a meritorious act

If an act is mustahab and you do not do it, then there's no sin. If you do it, it's a meritorious act.

If an act is mubah, then if you do it, there's no sin. If you do it, it's nothing.

If an act is makruh and you do not do it, then it's a meritorious act. If you do it, it's not a sin.

If an act is haraam, and you do not do it, then it's a mertirious act. If you do it, it's a sin.



Which school of islamic jurisprudence you follow will determine the category an act falls into. Each school follows specific guidelines set out by the founders and important members to determine this. The schools agree on probably 80% of their rulings, from what I remember reading somewhere. Elsewhere they disagree.

The beard is one of those categories. Some hold that it is haram to shave and/or trim the beard. Others hold that it is mearly disliked.



As for a list of sins, there are several lists online. This is one. However, for a muslim, he or she should find a sheikh (religious scholar) they trust and go over the specific list with them. I follow the shafi'i madhab, so I refer to the translation of Reliance of the Traveler on my bookshelf, which contains a detailed list of major and minor sins.

 

[InnocentOdion]

rahma, thank you for giving me the list. Appreciated. I know about the fard- haraam list, but I didn't know about how the "if you do not do it..." whatchimacallits.

According to that, there is no sin of keeping a dog in a house, nor is there a sin of not having a long beard. So why were some fatwa s (online) issued saying they are sins?

 

[rahma]

Muslims often like to emphasize the halal/haram dicotomy, but like so many things in life, there are shades of gray.

The list I gave you are the major sins. Keeping a dog in the house and trimming one's beard would be considered minor sins.

It may seem that Islam has a lot of rules, and it does. But then again, living in the US has a lot of rules too. I spent many a weekend at a local law library during my paralegal certification, and I was always overwhelmed at the shelves upon shelves upon shelves that make up our laws.

Islam is more than just a religion, it's a complete way of life. That may sound cheesy and chintzy, but it's the truth. As such, we follow the laws set down based on two things - the word of God (the Qur'an) and the example of His messenger, Muhammad (saws).

Muslims will oftentimes seem to focus and obsess about these outward rules. However, equally as important, if not more important (IMHO) are the inner rules that govern one's soul and character. Being humble, being kind, these are all things that are fard, required, but it's unfortunate that they don't get the same emphasis as the length of one's beard.

 

[InnocentOdion]

Thank you rahma
I'm curious, are the laws in the Qur'an the major sins, and some of the ones in the Hadith (but not all) minor sins? Or are minor sins those issued by a sheikh?

I thought it was not keeping a beard of fist length.

I just fail to understand though, why it would be a sin. I understand dogs are seen as unclean in Islam, but don't Maliki think their saliva is clean? In the Maliki school then, are dogs then clean?

Two (of four) Muslim friends of mine have dogs and keep them in their house. One Egypt, one Turkey and both have said I could keep my dog inside.

I think you understand why I would, after all, I've had a dog throughout my whole life. When my first dog died, a few years later we got a new one. Now I'm in my own house I'm going to get another one. I live in a cold area, so I wouldn't want to put my dog outside.

Speaking of which, say I lived in.. um... Lapland, where it's very cold. Would I have to keep my dog outside then, or would laws be different?


Thanks for the quick response though

 

[rahma]

Unfortunately, I haven't yet studied how a sin gets to be on the major list, so I can't help you there. I will check through my book of shafi'i fiqh when I have a chance and see if there is something there.

All major and minor sins are in some way based on the Qur'an and the sunnah (example of the Prophet), whether it is explicitly mentioned, or implied. Some sins are infered through qiyas, analogy. For example, smoking cigarettes. It's not explicitly stated anywhere in the 2 major sources. But, scholars look at the basic islamic principles - that one should not do physical harm to one's body on purpose - and analogize that smoking causes great physical harm, and as such, is either forbidden or makruh.


The beard issue is something of great importance to hanafis, particularly those of the subcontinent (pakistan and india). One may even say they obsess about it. While it's important to other muslims, they don't take it quite as obsesssively as the hanafis do This is a fatwa that may be of interest on the issue.



As for keeping a dog, there are two hadith that are the foundation for the ruling on not keeping a dog as a pet indoors beyond whether or not their saliva is impure (and you are correct, according to the malikis, the salivia of every living creature is pure):

It is related by Abu Huraira (ra) that the Prophet (saws) said, "Whoever acquires a dog, with the exception of a dog for hunting, or guarding sheep, or protecting the harvest, then a large portion of his reward will be diminished every day." [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim]

Abu Talha relates (ra), that the Prophet (saws) said, "The angels do not enter a house that has a dog or a picture." [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim]




My egyptian husband is not a dog person, and will shrink from dogs touching him. His brother, however, keeps several dogs at home. I would venture to guess that it isn't a sin to keep a dog, but that it's definately not recommended, ie your reward is diminished and you don't get angels hanging out at your place.
If you're aware of the consequences and are ok with them, then all's well.

As for living in Lapland, there is a portion of fiqh that deals with urf, local customs. The local culture and customs can influence how the Qur'an and Sunnah are interpreted. Now, I'm just speculating here, and I am less than a student (ie I haven't begun any formal studies of fiqh), but it could be conceivable that since keeping a dog outside is impractical, but that you still needed it to guard you, then perhaps it would move from not recommended to neutral. Now, that's purely speculation on my part and should not be considered a fatwa in any way, shape or form

 

[Kutte]

I noticed that the Talibans in Afghanistan even consider listening to music a sin.

Islam ist not for me, Kutte

 

[seed757]

I noticed that the Talibans in Afghanistan even consider listening to music a sin.

Islam ist not for me, Kutte

Well, a lot of Muslims would contend that the Taliban is not representative of Islam either.

 

[Adeeb]

Thank you rahma
I'm curious, are the laws in the Qur'an the major sins, and some of the ones in the Hadith (but not all) minor sins? Or are minor sins those issued by a sheikh?

I thought it was not keeping a beard of fist length.

I just fail to understand though, why it would be a sin. I understand dogs are seen as unclean in Islam, but don't Maliki think their saliva is clean? In the Maliki school then, are dogs then clean?

Two (of four) Muslim friends of mine have dogs and keep them in their house. One Egypt, one Turkey and both have said I could keep my dog inside.

I think you understand why I would, after all, I've had a dog throughout my whole life. When my first dog died, a few years later we got a new one. Now I'm in my own house I'm going to get another one. I live in a cold area, so I wouldn't want to put my dog outside.

Speaking of which, say I lived in.. um... Lapland, where it's very cold. Would I have to keep my dog outside then, or would laws be different?


Thanks for the quick response though

a sin is major sin when there is a threat of punishment for that act. Alcohol, stealing, fornication are all threatened with punishment. This is in regards to sins that are mentioned in the Quran or sunnah. But there are other sins that are not specified in the shariah that can be counted as a major sins, such as throwing the Qur'an in garbage. They are classified as major sins because of their consequences.

 

[PassionFruit]

I noticed that the Talibans in Afghanistan even consider listening to music a sin.

Islam ist not for me, Kutte

Well maybe the Taliban should explain why there's pop stars in the Middle East, and such. And Arabic rape, I listened to Arabic rap, I would have to say it's not for me.


I have a question about prayer, is it absolutely necessary to pray all five times a day? If so, what if it's not possible to pray five times a day? I know several Muslims who have busy schedules where they can't, is it a sin when you don't pray five times?

 

[rahma]

My sheikh once said if you want to know your place with God, look at His place with you. Prayer is an absolute essential in Islam. God asks you for 5 minutes, 5 times a day, to stop and remember Him. If you can't spare those 5 minutes, then you have your priorities mixed up and it's time to rework your schedule.

That being said, most schools of thought hold that you can make up your prayer so that your sin will be repented for. However, you loose the blessing that you would have gained if you had prayed on time.

There are certain circumstances where you can combine prayers, but those are few and far between, like if you're traveling, or if there is no possible human way on earth you can pray a prayer. It's not something you can do just because it's inconvenient to pray.

 

[Adeeb]

Well maybe the Taliban should explain why there's pop stars in the Middle East, and such. And Arabic rape, I listened to Arabic rap, I would have to say it's not for me.


I have a question about prayer, is it absolutely necessary to pray all five times a day? If so, what if it's not possible to pray five times a day? I know several Muslims who have busy schedules where they can't, is it a sin when you don't pray five times?

sister Rahma pretty much covered the prayer issue, but I want to point out something in regard to this matter.

When somebody helps us with something or gives us something, it is common for us to say "thank you". If someone let me borrow their pencil, I say thank you to them. The more you do for someone, the more thanks you get. If someone saves your life, you do not just say thank you and walk away. Instead you continuously thank that person. Every time you see them you will thank them or say something good to them and you will feel indebted to them. Whenever someone mentions that person you probably feel nothing but good for that person.

What about the one who gives us sight, hearing, taste, ability to breathe, who created us etc, etc. Certainly he deserves the most thanks and praises. 5 times a day in actuality is very little thanks for the one who gave us everything we have.

 

[PassionFruit]

sister Rahma pretty much covered the prayer issue, but I want to point out something in regard to this matter.

When somebody helps us with something or gives us something, it is common for us to say "thank you". If someone let me borrow their pencil, I say thank you to them. The more you do for someone, the more thanks you get. If someone saves your life, you do not just say thank you and walk away. Instead you continuously thank that person. Every time you see them you will thank them or say something good to them and you will feel indebted to them. Whenever someone mentions that person you probably feel nothing but good for that person.

What about the one who gives us sight, hearing, taste, ability to breathe, who created us etc, etc. Certainly he deserves the most thanks and praises. 5 times a day in actuality is very little thanks for the one who gave us everything we have.

I understand now, but seeing how I don't believe God interacts with mankind, I don't see the need to pray. Anywho, thanks for the reply.

 

[SecretOfFatima]

Excellent post, while the concept of sin in islam does not make sense to me... I think we could learn a lot from each other by using reasoning and examining why certain things are considered sins...

take for example
63. Spying on the Muslims & pointing out their secrets (68:11)

Sounds more like a statement/vision by someone with paranoia...
Using reasoning alone how would that be considered a sin? Just out of curiosity, this would not have something to do with war, would it?
another example
15. Fleeing from the battle (8:16)
Why does islamic teaching seem to portray GOD as some kind of dictator? If GOD wants us to be like robots then GOD could i less then a flick of a eye convert the entire world to believe in the exact same thing, in other words we would be very much like robots if GOD was a dictator... the perpective of GOD as seen from Christianity is totally the oposite, where we have been given freewill and we believe that GOD is pure LOVE, in fact our perspective of the Devil is the Oposite of the Christian GOD, for example, in Christianity we believe our biggest enemy is Pride (we can see this in Christian scripture), in fact Adam and Eve felt because Satan convinced them that they also could be like GOD's, that was Satan's mistake, we only have to look around in society to see Pride in action, GOD no longer exists for many (Pride in action), in my opinion using reasoning and natural law which GOD implanted into our hearts (Muslims/Christians/hindus/Atheists/etc) we can understand what is right and wrong, so it would be very interesting to see how Pride also affects Islam...

Great post anyway

 

[Adeeb]

Excellent post, while the concept of sin in islam does not make sense to me... I think we could learn a lot from each other by using reasoning and examining why certain things are considered sins...

take for example
63. Spying on the Muslims & pointing out their secrets (68:11)

Sounds more like a statement/vision by someone with paranoia...
Using reasoning alone how would that be considered a sin? Just out of curiosity, this would not have something to do with war, would it?
another example
15. Fleeing from the battle (8:16)
Why does islamic teaching seem to portray GOD as some kind of dictator? If GOD wants us to be like robots then GOD could i less then a flick of a eye convert the entire world to believe in the exact same thing, in other words we would be very much like robots if GOD was a dictator... the perpective of GOD as seen from Christianity is totally the oposite, where we have been given freewill and we believe that GOD is pure LOVE, in fact our perspective of the Devil is the Oposite of the Christian GOD, for example, in Christianity we believe our biggest enemy is Pride (we can see this in Christian scripture), in fact Adam and Eve felt because Satan convinced them that they also could be like GOD's, that was Satan's mistake, we only have to look around in society to see Pride in action, GOD no longer exists for many (Pride in action), in my opinion using reasoning and natural law which GOD implanted into our hearts (Muslims/Christians/hindus/Atheists/etc) we can understand what is right and wrong, so it would be very interesting to see how Pride also affects Islam...

Great post anyway

An-Nawwas bin Sam'an (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) about virtue and sin, and he said, "Virtue is noble behavior, and sin is that which creates doubt and you do not like people to know about it."

 

[SecretOfFatima]

An-Nawwas bin Sam'an (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) about virtue and sin, and he said, "Virtue is noble behavior, and sin is that which creates doubt and you do not like people to know about it."

The Catholic Church kept the sciptures in Latin, but the priests would translate the scriptures to the local languages, but your response only creates more questions, how about if my IQ was that of a 10 year old, how about if i was not familiar with scriptures, how about if i could not read? how would I interpreter what you just said? looking at that statement partly makes perfect sense, but the other part does not make much sense, using reasoning lets examine the rest, sin as we see it in Christianity is like a cloud that separate us from GOD (in fact the Bible teach us that nothing with sin will be able to stand in the presence of GOD)... does it create doubt? I personally dont believe so, the enemy is who we believe creates doubts, does that mean that because we pushed GOD away due to our sins that we now is hands of the Enemy, I mean to that point that could make some sense, but how about the last part... about one individual not liking people to know about it, is this saying that someone who comited sin has something to hide? to that point that could make some sense, but what does that truly teach? if one bottles up sins, is like squezzing a tube of toothpaste, until it blows up from one side, the question is which side is it going to come out... so while that statement can be analysed by a christian, still leaves a series of questions open, in first place this is a spiritual battle, we not in our own, we fighting the Enemy who pretends to be like the Holy one, in Christianity we can understand that by its fruits we will know what comes from GOD or what comes from the evil one, in Christianity we believe that GOD is helping us, and when we truly repent our sins, through the means that GOD left in place, we can be assured that such sins that we have bottled up can be forgiven, how can a Muslim repent his/her sins? what assurances do you hav that GOD has forgiven you? Lets take for example the case of someone stilling, if someone confess such sin he probably would have his hand cut off... how will that person be sure that GOD has forgiven the sin, if he/she regrets what she did when Islamic teaching teach that if someone stills they should have their hands cuts off? it seems to me that Muslims must be perfect and without any sin, in fact as we are in spiritual battle we could then assume that such humans must be more stronger and clever then the spiritual world to stay away from temptations which ccould cause the individual to fall into more sins.... it just does not make any sense.

 

[Bookofknowledge]

Salaam,

Walaikumsalaam

I'm curious, because according to some fatwas I've read online, a man who doesn't keep a beard, is in sin, and a person who has a dog in their house, is also in sin.

But things like not keeping a beard at fist length... how, why is that a sin? I'm just curious

Qur'aan clearly states Obey Allah and Obey the Rasool.

24:54
Say: "Obey Allah and obey the Rasool. If you do not, the Rasool is still under obligation to fulfill his duty, as you are under obligation to fulfill yours; and if you obey him, you shall be rightly guided. Note it well that the responsibility of the Rasool is only to deliver Allah's message clearly."

=========
Beard
=========

In order for Musa (AS) to seize the beard of Haroon (AS) it must have a certain length.

20:94
Haroon replied: "O son of my mother! Do not seize me by my beard nor pull the hair of my head, in fact I was afraid lest you might say: `You have caused a division, through civil war, among the Children of Israel and did not respect to what I said, 'to keep peace'."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith Volume 7 Number 781 - Narrated Ibn Umar

Allah's Apostle said, "Cut the moustaches short and leave the beard (as it is)."

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Volume 1 Number 22

This is a feature of dignity. It should not be cut so short that it appears like a shaved beard, nor should it be
left so long that it becomes untidy. It is also a sign of manhood. Says al-Bukhari, "Whenever Ibn 'Umar made
the hajj or 'umrah, he would hold his beard in his fist and, whatever exceeded his fist, he would cut off."

=========
Dogs
=========

I haven't read much about why dogs shouldn't be allowed to live in house but there are hadiths which confirms ruling about dogs.

So how many sins are there?
Can you list them so I know what they are? I already know the worst one, shirk.

In every verse in Qur'aan is a way to learn good and avoid sins.

4:31
If you avoid the heinous sins which you have been forbidden, We will do away with your small sins and cause you to enter a place of great honor (paradise).

16:119
Yet your Rabb is forgiving and merciful towards those who do something wrong through ignorance, but
later repent and mend their ways.


Sahih Muslim Hadith Number 230 - Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to say while prostrating himself: O Lord, forgive me all my sins, small and great, first and last, open and secret.

 

[randomman]

Muslims often like to emphasize the halal/haram dicotomy, but like so many things in life, there are shades of gray.

The list I gave you are the major sins. Keeping a dog in the house and trimming one's beard would be considered minor sins.

It may seem that Islam has a lot of rules, and it does. But then again, living in the US has a lot of rules too. I spent many a weekend at a local law library during my paralegal certification, and I was always overwhelmed at the shelves upon shelves upon shelves that make up our laws.

Islam is more than just a religion, it's a complete way of life. That may sound cheesy and chintzy, but it's the truth. As such, we follow the laws set down based on two things - the word of God (the Qur'an) and the example of His messenger, Muhammad (saws).

Muslims will oftentimes seem to focus and obsess about these outward rules. However, equally as important, if not more important (IMHO) are the inner rules that govern one's soul and character. Being humble, being kind, these are all things that are fard, required, but it's unfortunate that they don't get the same emphasis as the length of one's beard.

Unfortunately, muslims today have their priorities all mixed up. Islam is their salvation and way to heaven. Muslim must be raised up memorizing all of Quran and most of Hadith. Instead, they waste their time memorizing music, movies, collectibles, players, etc.

fatwas should only involve sensitive and complex problems that arise in one's life. Then the person can refer to a religious scholar for help. As for the rest of one's life and daily task, a muslim must do his own ijtihad in fiqh based on his/her well rounded learned knowledge of Quran and Hadith since childhood.

There is a hadith that forbids arguing over scenarios and hypothesis and what-if-s. My understanding is to keep the religion from turning into rules and overwhelm the spirit and purpose of religion; being a human God's way. Sadly, this is what is going on in islamic countries as the governmetns keep the people occupied with useless religious arguments.

In my case, I do not follow any specific madhab. Whenever I run into a problem and I doubt my approach to dealing with it, I refer to general fatwas and see what arguments make more sense to me. These days, fatwas are given as a collection of opinions (and their proofs) of the great classic scholars.

What is important is that I do the ijtihad which will be my defense on day of judgement in case i committ a sin. and the prophet peace and prayers be upon him taught us a suplication to make very often which asks forgiveness for whatever we do out of ignorance or mistake. not forget to mention the daily prayers, charity, zakat, volunteer, smiling in people's faces, saying Assalamu Alaikum, remove harm from peoples way, keep surroundings clean, reflecting upon life to admire the Creator ... etc ... all adds up and compensates for the little daily sins i do out of desire, passion, ignorance, anger etc.

 

[rahma]

First and foremost, Islam is a practical religion. It has laws that govern times of peace and also times of war. As such, it shouldn't be suprising that there are sins related to bad conduct in acts of war.

I haven't ever seen God as a dictator in Islam. Allah (swt) has many names that we know Him by, and not one is a dictator. He provides us with the framework for living our lives in the best way possible.

It's not like religious laws are exclusive to Islam. Have not christian churches created canons of laws? Does Judaism not have halakha?

Just because some/many members of other faiths may have fallen away from adherence to their religious legal codes does not mean that muslims must do the same.

 

[anatolian]

I'm living in a hanefi sunni dominated place and I've been always told that beard is not a farz but a sunnah/Advice of the Prophet.And dogs are accepted as makruh not haram.

Actually those less known issues differ among the sects.