7 Greatest Sins in Islam and How to Avoid Them

Allah has not prescribed anything for us in Islam, nor forbidden anything, except for a great wisdom—whether we come to understand it in this world or not. Islam is a comprehensive way of life that guides human behavior, ethics, and spirituality. One of its central aims is to protect the human soul from corruption and moral destruction. 

For this reason, Islam clearly distinguishes between minor sins and major sins, warning believers strongly against actions that lead to spiritual ruin and social harm. Understanding the 7 Greatest Sins in Islam is essential for every Muslim who seeks closeness to Allah and success in this life and the Hereafter.

What are the 7 Greatest Sins in Islam? What the Quran and Hadith say about major sins, and how Muslims can protect their hearts while remaining hopeful of Allah’s vast mercy. Explore the answers in the following lines.

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 The 7 Greatest Sins in Islam Every Muslim Must Avoid

Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said: “Sins are divided into minor and major sins according to the clear texts of the Quran and the Sunnah”

Major sins الكبائر are those acts of disobedience that are great in severity and enormity, such as associating partners with Allah the Exalted, abandoning prayer, neglecting zakah, killing a soul that Allah has forbidden except with legal right, practicing magic, disobedience to parents, usury (riba), and adultery (Zina). These sins vary in their degrees of ugliness and seriousness, and among these major sins there are the 7 Greatest Sins in Islam  (seven destructive sins السبع الموبقات):

1. Shirk (Associating Partners with Allah)

It is the greatest of the 7 Greatest Sins in Islam. It is a ruinous sin for which there is no hope if a person dies upon it; such a person will be in the Fire, abiding therein forever. Allah the Exalted says:
“Indeed, whoever associates partners with Allah—Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and his abode is the Fire. And for the wrongdoers there will be no helpers.” (Al-Ma’idah 5:72)

2. Sorcery and  Magic

Magic is a form of shirk, because it involves worshiping the jinn and seeking their help in misleading people. A magician is one who practices actions that harm others through the jinn and by worshiping them instead of Allah. At times, this is done through harmful words or deeds, at other times, it is through illusion, making something appear as other than what it truly is. As Allah says regarding the magicians of Pharaoh:
“It was made to appear to him, by their magic, that they were moving.”

3. Murder of an Innocent Soul

Killing human beings is among the gravest crimes; however, it is a major sin that is less severe than shirk. It falls within the category of serious acts of disobedience, like adultery, theft, and similar offenses. For this reason, Allah the Exalted says regarding it:
“And whoever kills a believer intentionally—his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide; and Allah’s wrath is upon him, and He has cursed him and prepared for him a great punishment.”

4. Usury (Riba): 

Allah the Exalted says:  “Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury.” And He also says:

“O you who believe, fear Allah and give up what remains of usury, if you are truly believers. And if you do not do so, then be informed of a war from Allah and His Messenger.”

Usury is of two types: 

Riba al-Fadl: Such as selling one dirham for two dirhams, or one measure of rice for two measures of rice.

Riba al-Nasi’ah: Such as selling one measure of wheat for two measures of barley on a deferred basis, with the receipt of payment delayed for a day, two days, or any period of time.

Likewise, there is Riba al-Duyun (usury of debts), which is the type whose prohibition was revealed in the Quran. It means an increase in the debt in exchange for an extension of the repayment period as it is known in  modern banks. It is the most widespread type of riba and the most reprehensible.

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5. Consuming the wealth of an orphan: 

an orphan is one whose father has died while he is still young and has not yet reached puberty. It is obligatory to treat him with kindness, to safeguard his wealth, to invest and develop it properly, and to manage it in a righteous manner. Whoever corrupts an orphan’s wealth or consumes it unjustly is subject to a severe warning, because the orphan is weak and vulnerable, and his wealth is wrongfully taken. Such a person is threatened with this severe punishment; he is not a disbeliever, but a sinner.

6. Turning one’s back on the day of battle:

When Muslims meet the disbelievers in combat and a person retreats or abandons his fellow Muslims on the day of battle, he falls into one of the 7 Greatest Sins in Islam. Allah the Exalted says:

“And whoever turns his back to them on that day—unless maneuvering for battle or withdrawing to join another group—has certainly incurred the wrath of Allah, and his refuge is Hell; and wretched is the destination.” 

His saying, “unless maneuvering for battle or withdrawing to join another group,” means: unless he withdraws in order to prepare himself, gather his weapon, or put on his armor in readiness for fighting—this causes no harm; or if he moves from one unit to another, from one rank to another, or from one group to another as a strategy against the enemy.

7. Slandering chaste, innocent, believing women:

Whoever slanders chaste women—by accusing them of adultery, saying, “So-and-so is an adulteress,” or “She calls to adultery,” while he is lying—has committed one of the seven destructive sins. Such a person deserves the punishment of eighty lashes, as Allah the Exalted says:
“And those who accuse chaste women and then do not bring four witnesses—flog them with eighty lashes.”

Slandering chaste women is a major sin among the gravest of major sins, and the same ruling applies to slandering chaste men as well.

What the Quran and Hadith Say About Major Sins

The 7 Greatest Sins in Islam are mentioned in the Quran in separate verses, as we have explained in the previous lines, and they were brought together and summarized by the noble Prophetic hadiths as follows:

In the authentic hadith recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Avoid the seven destructive sins.”
They asked, “What are they, O Messenger of Allah?”
He said: “Associating partners with Allah, magic, killing a soul which Allah has forbidden except by right, consuming usury, consuming the wealth of an orphan, turning one’s back on the day of battle, and slandering chaste, innocent, believing women.”

In a narration reported by al-Nasa’i, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“There is no servant who performs the five daily prayers, fasts Ramadan, gives zakah, and avoids the seven major sins except that the gates of Paradise will be opened for him, and it will be said to him: ‘Enter in peace.’”

The Path to Repentance and Allah’s Forgiveness

Allah expiate all sins by sincere repentance (tawbah nasūḥ), even shirk – as long as a person has repented and returned to Islam- and any of the 7 Greatest Sins in Islam, as Allah the Exalted says:

“And repent to Allah, all of you, O believers, that you may succeed.” (An-Nur 24:31)

And His saying in Surah Al-Furqan:

“And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity, nor kill the soul which Allah has forbidden except by right, nor commit adultery—and whoever does that shall meet a penalty. The punishment will be multiplied for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated—except for those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good deeds, and Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Al-Furqan 68–70)

In these verses, Allah the Exalted informs that the polytheist, the one who kills unlawfully, and the adulterer will face punishment, their torment will be multiplied on the Day of Resurrection, and they will abide therein in humiliation—except for those who repent, believe, and perform righteous deeds.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Repentance wipes out what came before it,” and he also said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin.”

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The conditions of sincere repentance by which Allah expiates sins are three:

1. Remorse for the sins and acts of disobedience one has committed.
2. Abandoning the sin and desisting from it, out of fear of Allah the Exalted and reverence for Him.
3. A sincere resolve never to return to it.

There is a fourth condition for the validity of repentance if the sin involves the rights of another person—such as killing, physical harm, or taking wealth—and that is to restore the right to its owner or seek his pardon.

How to Protect the Heart from Major Sins

Human beings, by their very nature, fall into error and cannot be completely protected from it. However, Allah has commanded us that when we fall into sin, we should hasten to repentance. It is narrated from Anas that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Every son of Adam sins, and the best of those who sin are those who repent.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi)

The means that help us avoid returning to the 7 Greatest Sins in Islam and also small sins include the following:

Persevering in righteous deeds. Allah the Exalted says: “Indeed, good deeds erase bad deeds.” and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Fear Allah wherever you are, follow up a bad deed with a good one and it will erase it, and treat people with good character.”

Being deeply aware of the ugliness of sin, its danger, and its harmful effects in this world and the Hereafter, and remaining committed to freeing oneself from it.

Keeping away from everything that leads to sin, such as avoiding the places where it occurs and bad company, and committing oneself to the companionship of righteous people.

Persisting in the remembrance of Allah, frequently supplicating for steadfastness, asking Allah to turn away evil and immorality, increasing in seeking forgiveness, and often saying: “There is no power nor might except with Allah.”

Finding beneficial alternatives, such as engaging in reading, participating in educational courses, and watching beneficial and knowledge-based content.

Being cautious of idleness and excessive solitude, for free time without serious, beneficial activity, or frequent isolation, often leads back to sin. Empty time that is not filled with what benefits one in this world and the Hereafter, along with excessive seclusion, becomes an opportunity and an entry point for Satan to push the soul toward disobedience.

Reading Quranic verses and Prophetic hadiths that warn sinners of the danger of sin in this world and the Hereafter, as well as the hadiths that encourage and inspire a person to seek Paradise.

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Guidance from Imams and Scholars on Moral Strength

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“The adulterer does not commit adultery while he is a believer; the one who drinks wine does not drink it while he is a believer; and the thief does not steal while he is a believer.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim)

This means that a person does not commit these  7 Greatest Sins in Islam or any  sins  while possessing complete and perfect faith. Rather, he commits them while his faith is weak and the religious restraint within his heart has diminished. Therefore, the first step on the path of righteousness is to learn and understand the fundamentals of Islam more deeply. When faith fills the heart, the heart will be unable to approach what Allah has forbidden.

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Conclusion

Major sins are the gravest of sins, among them are the destructive sins that doom their perpetrator to the Fire of Hell. No one dares to commit them except one whose heart has hardened, whose faith has weakened, and who no longer feels shame before his Lord.

Despite this, from the vastness of the mercy of the Lord of the worlds is that He has opened the door of repentance for sinners. No sin is too great for Him to forgive even the 7 Greatest Sins in Islam. When a servant comes to his Lord acknowledging his sin, regretful and firmly resolved never to return to what angers Him, Allah rejoices in his repentance, accepts it from him, forgives his sin, erases it from his record, and even replaces his evil deeds with good ones.

Allah the Exalted says:

“Do they not know that Allah is the One who accepts repentance from His servants and takes charities, and that Allah is the Accepter of repentance, the Most Merciful?” (At-Tawbah 9:104)

And He also says:

“Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.’” (Az-Zumar 39:53)

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FAQs

What are the 7 Greatest Sins in Islam?
Associating partners with Allah, magic, killing a soul which Allah has forbidden except by right, consuming usury, consuming the wealth of an orphan, turning one’s back on the day of battle, and slandering chaste, innocent, believing women

Are major sins unforgivable in Islam?
No. All sins, including the 7 Greatest Sins in Islam, can be forgiven through sincere repentance before death.

How can a Muslim avoid major sins?
By strengthening faith, maintaining prayer, seeking knowledge, and surrounding oneself with righteous people.