‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "Which sin is the gravest in the sight of Allah?" He said: "To set an equal to Allah while He created you." I said: "This is, indeed, grave." I said: "What comes next?" He said: "To you kill your child lest he should share your food with you." I said: "What comes next?" He said: "To commit adultery with your neighbor's wife."
Authentic hadith - Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the gravest sins and he answered: The gravest sin is major Shirk (polytheism), which means setting up an equal or a rival to Allah in His worship, Lordship, or His names and attributes. Allah Almighty does not forgive this sin except through repentance. If one dies in this state of major Shirk, he will dwell in Hellfire forever. The second gravest sin is killing one's child out of fear that he may share his food with him. So, killing a soul is unlawful, but the sin becomes graver when the killed person is a relative of the killer, and the gravity of the sin increases even more if the killer's motive is fear that the killed person would share with him the sustenance provided by Allah. The third gravest sin is committing adultery with his neighbor's wife by trying to deceive her, so he can have sexual intercourse with her and make her submit to him. Adultery is unlawful but the sin becomes graver when committed with the wife of one's neighbor, whom one is ordered by Shariah to treat with kindness, benevolence, and good companionship.

  1. Sins vary in terms of gravity and good deeds vary in terms of merit.
  2. The gravest sin is associating partners with Allah Almighty, then killing one's child for fear that he may share his food with him, and then committing adultery with the wife of one's neighbor.
  3. Sustenance lies in the Hand of Allah and He has guaranteed provision for His creatures.
  4. Significance of the neighbor's rights and how harming him is much graver than harming anyone else.
  5. The Creator is the One worthy of worship, alone with no partner.

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