The word · The heart
الكَبَائِر
Kaba'ir
Major sins: the ones the texts single out with a punishment, a curse, or a warning of the Fire.
Also written · Kabair · Kabaair · Kabirah · Kabeerah · Sagha'ir · Saghair · Dhunub · Zunub · Major sins · Great sins · Seven major sins · Minor sins · Sins in Islam
The meaning
What Kaba'ir means in Islam
The Qur'an promises that if you avoid the major sins you are forbidden, the smaller ones will be covered over (Qur'an 4:31). The Prophet peace be upon him named seven destructive sins in Bukhari and Muslim, among them shirk, killing a soul unjustly, and consuming interest. Scholars differ over the exact definition and therefore over the count, with classical books listing anywhere from seven to seventy and beyond. Minor sins turn serious when a person settles into them without concern.
Evidence · Qur’an · Stated directly in the Qur’an
Read beside it
Words that sit beside it
- TawbahTurning back to Allah from a sin: stopping it, regretting it, and resolving not to return.التَّوْبَة
- IstighfarAsking Allah for forgiveness, usually in the words astaghfirullah.الاسْتِغْفَار
- ShubuhatDoubtful matters: the grey band between what is clearly lawful and what is clearly forbidden.الشُّبُهَات
- Qaswat al-QalbHardness of heart: the state in which reminders arrive and nothing moves.قَسْوَةُ القَلْب
More from The heart
- 'AfwPardon: dropping a wrong you are owed, without the other person having to earn it.العَفْو
- Ghadd al-BasarLowering the gaze: turning your eyes away from what you are not permitted to look at.غَضُّ البَصَر
- IstiqamahStaying straight: keeping to the path steadily, over years, without dramatic swings.الاسْتِقَامَة
- MuraqabahLiving with the awareness that Allah sees you, at the moment you are acting.المُرَاقَبَة
- SabrHolding yourself steady under what is hard, without complaint to creation and without giving up.الصَّبْر
- TafakkurDeliberate reflection on creation and on your own life, treated as an act of worship.التَّفَكُّر