
In Islam, Allah is merciful and forgiving of sins, but only if a person genuinely regrets their wrongdoings and seeks forgiveness with a sincere heart. According to the Quran, Allah forgives all sins and God loves that we feel remorse, and turn to Him seeking His forgiveness and comfort. There are several steps and acts that can help a Muslim attain forgiveness, including performing good deeds, giving charity, reading the Quran, and praying tahajjud. Additionally, it is important to never belittle a sin, as even minor sins can lead to major ones if not addressed. While Allah is forgiving, speaking about or flaunting one's sins is prohibited and considered a major sin in Islam.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Major sins | Murder, sorcery, adultery, associating partners with Allah, disrespecting parents |
Minor sins | Praying incorrectly, acting immodestly, cursing, lying, swearing, rude behaviour, littering, disturbing animals |
How to seek forgiveness | Sincere repentance, seeking forgiveness, performing good deeds, performing ablution, pilgrimage, fasting, reading the Quran, praying tahajjud, giving in charity, performing Hajj |
Conditions for forgiveness | Giving up the sin, regretting what has happened, resolving not to go back to it, seeking forgiveness from the one who was wronged |
What You'll Learn
Major and minor sins
In Islam, sins are divided into two categories: major sins and minor sins. However, it is important to note that disobeying Allah is always a serious matter, and the distinction between minor and major sins is made only for comparison.
Major Sins
Major sins are those that entail Allah's curse, incur His wrath, or are tied to the threat of punishment in Hell. These include:
- Worshipping something other than Allah (shirk)
- Murder
- Sorcery
- Adultery
- Not observing daily prayers
- Disrespecting parents
- Not fasting during Ramadan
- Bribery, breaking trusts, and breaking contracts
- Backbiting and slandering
- Bearing false witness
- Cheating, stealing, and lying
- Consuming pork or alcohol
- Charging or paying interest (riba)
Minor Sins
Minor sins are acts that are displeasing to Allah but have no defined punishment mentioned in the Quran or authentic traditions. Some examples of minor sins include:
- Praying incorrectly
- Acting immodestly
- Cursing
- Disturbing animals
- Littering
- Rude behaviour
While minor sins may seem less severe, they should not be taken lightly. Minor sins can easily lead to major sins, and Allah warns us to take them seriously.
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Obtaining forgiveness is easy
In Islam, obtaining forgiveness is easy. God has provided innumerable opportunities for people to turn to Him for forgiveness. This is because of His infinite mercy and love for His believers.
The door to forgiveness is always open, and there are no transgressions too big or too small for God to forgive. All sins are forgivable until the Day of Judgement.
Prophet Muhammad said, "If you did not commit sins, God would replace you with other people who would commit sins, and ask for God's forgiveness, and He would forgive them." This demonstrates the infinite mercy of God.
Sincere repentance can wipe out a person's sins forever and completely. It involves showing genuine remorse, praying for God's mercy and forgiveness, and avoiding that sin in the future.
In addition, God has given other ways to obtain forgiveness, such as performing an accepted pilgrimage (Hajj) to the House of God in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Prophet Muhammad said, "Whoever performs Hajj for God's pleasure and does not have sexual relations with his wife, and does not do evil or sins, will return (after Hajj) free from all sins as if he were born anew."
Minor sins are also readily forgiven through good deeds and acts of worship, such as giving to charity, reading the Quran, or praying tahajjud.
Good deeds can erase bad deeds, as Allah says, "Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a reminder for those who remember."
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Four steps to repentance
Remorse
Feel guilty about your misdeeds and follow them up immediately with regret and remorse towards Allah.
Repent
Verbally seek forgiveness from Allah by saying 'astaghfirullah', which means "I seek forgiveness from Allah".
Resolve
Make a firm decision to never commit the sin again.
Repair
If your sin involved wronging someone, make reparations by seeking their forgiveness and recompensing them if possible.
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The door to forgiveness is always open
Allah is merciful and forgiving. He forgives all sins, except for the sin of shirk (associating partners with Allah). Allah says in the Quran:
> Say: "O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Quran 39:53)
Major and minor sins
While Allah forgives all sins, it is important to understand the difference between major and minor sins in Islam. Major sins are those that entail Allah's curse, incur His wrath, or are tied to the threat of punishment in Hell. These include shirk, murder, sorcery, and adultery. Minor sins, on the other hand, are acts that are displeasing to Allah but have no defined punishment mentioned in the Quran or authentic traditions. Examples of minor sins include praying incorrectly, acting immodestly, or cursing.
However, minor sins should not be taken lightly. The Prophet ﷺ said:
> Beware of minor sins like a people who descend into the bottom of a valley, so one comes with a stick and another with a stick until they have fire to cook their bread. Verily, when a person is held accountable for these minor sins, they will destroy him. (Musnad Ahmad #22302)
Steps to seeking forgiveness
The first step to seeking forgiveness is recognizing and regretting your sins. Do not belittle any sin, no matter how small, and resolve to never commit it again. Perform wudu and pray for forgiveness. Seek forgiveness during the best times, such as at night or during the prescribed prayer times. Perform good deeds to atone for your sins, as Allah says in the Quran:
> Indeed, good deeds remove the evil deeds (small sins). (Quran 11:114)
Repentance
Repentance is a key part of seeking forgiveness. Feel remorse for your sins and sincerely repent by saying 'astaghfirullah', which means "I seek forgiveness from Allah". Make reparations if your sin involved wronging someone, and seek their forgiveness as well. The Prophet ﷺ taught a du'a for seeking forgiveness:
> O Allah, You are my Lord. None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am your servant. I am committed to Your covenant and promise, as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from the evil I have done. I acknowledge all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So, forgive me, for indeed, no one forgives sins but You.
Allah's infinite mercy
Allah's mercy is vast, and He may forgive our sins if we genuinely regret our wrongdoings and seek forgiveness with a sincere heart. The door to forgiveness remains open until the Day of Judgement. As Allah says in the Quran:
> And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith to your Lord and submit to Him, before the torment comes upon you, then you will not be helped. (Quran 39:54)
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Allah forgives all sins
> Say: O ‘Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Quran 39:53)
However, shirk is an unforgivable sin if one dies without repenting from it. As the Quran states:
> Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating others with Him in worship, but forgives anything else of whoever He wills. And whoever associates others with Allah has indeed committed a grave sin. (Quran 4:48)
Repentance is a direct matter between a person and God, so there is no intercession. It is the act of leaving what God has prohibited and returning to what he has commanded. The word denotes the act of being repentant for one's misdeeds, atoning for those misdeeds, and having a strong determination to forsake those misdeeds.
The literal meaning of the Arabic word tawba, often translated as 'repentance', is "to return". In the context of Islam, it means to turn or to retreat from past sinful and evil activities and to firmly resolve to abstain from them in the future.
In Islamic scripture, the Quran and the hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), the act of atoning for one's misdeeds and seeking God's forgiveness is discussed and given much importance. Believers who have wronged themselves are asked to become repentant, seek Allah's forgiveness, and make a sincere tawba. If they do this, God will forgive them and exonerate them from their misdeeds.
> O believers! Turn to Allah in sincere repentance, so your Lord may absolve you of your sins and admit you into Gardens, under which rivers flow... (Quran 66:8)
> ...Surely Allah loves those who always turn to Him in repentance and those who purify themselves. (Quran 2:222)
> Their punishment will be multiplied on the Day of Judgment, and they will remain in it forever, in disgrace. As for those who repent, believe, and do good deeds, they are the ones whose evil deeds Allah will change into good deeds. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And whoever repents and does good has truly turned to Allah properly. (Quran 25:69-71)
Allah's forgiveness is not automatic, and one must seek it sincerely. The Prophet Muhammad said:
> Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and rejoice, for no one's good deeds will put him in Paradise.
> His companions asked, "Not even you, O Messenger of God?" He replied, "Not even me, unless God bestows His pardon and mercy upon me."
There are four key steps to repentance: remorse, repent, resolve, and repair. If the sin involved wronging someone, one must make reparations by seeking their forgiveness and recompensing them if possible.
The door to repentance is always open, and Allah forgives even minor sins through virtually every good deed and act of worship.
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Frequently asked questions
Major sins are those that Allah has designated a specific punishment for, such as associating partners with Allah (shirk), murder, adultery (zina), and disrespecting parents. Minor sins include praying incorrectly, acting immodestly, or cursing.
Minor sins are forgiven through good deeds, such as giving to charity, reading the Quran, or praying tahajjud.
There are four key steps to repentance: remorse, repent, resolve, and repair. First, feel guilty and immediately regret your misdeed. Then, verbally ask Allah for forgiveness by saying 'astaghfirullah'. Resolve to never commit the sin again, and if the sin involved wronging someone, make reparations by seeking their forgiveness.
Imam Al-Ghazali notes that minor sins can lead to major sins, as pride and pleasure in minor sins can drive people to engage in more serious transgressions.
One of the tricks of Shaytan is to discourage people from repenting by suggesting Allah won't forgive them. However, Allah forgives often, and we should never doubt His forgiveness.