# Ep. 5: Are All Sins Equal? | Road to Return **Author:** Yahya Ibrahim **Series:** Road to Return | How to Come Back from Sin **Published:** 2021-06-18 **YouTube:** https://youtu.be/LXQS_VY0ItM **URL:** https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-5-are-all-sins-equal-road-to-return **Topics:** Acts of Worship, Sharia ## Description The measure of our sins is not in whether they are major or minor, but in whether or not they hurt other people. Sh. Yahya Ibrahim defines major and minor sins and clarifies which sins are among the most harmful to commit. ## Transcript **[0:00]** Not all sins are the same. And there are two categories really that the ulama speak about. There are those sins that are referred to as the major sins, and there are other sins that are referred to as minor sins. It's not a really good translation of the word kabira and saghira, because it **[0:20]** makes you think, oh, it's minor. It's not something important. In fact, major sins and minor sins, it's not about that the major are bigger sins and the minor are smaller sins. That isn't the right understanding of major and minor. **[0:47]** Major sins and minor sins, it doesn't mean these are bigger and these are smaller. It just means that the major sins are things that are known and told to us in the Qur'an, told to us in the hadith, the words of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. **[1:02]** So they're very clear, they're very apparent, and they're listed for us in different places in the Qur'an and in the sunnah. The minor sins are sins that are still big things. They still have great consequences. We don't overlook them and say, oh, these are just minor, but they are ones that **[1:20]** aren't spelt out in the Qur'an. It's not listed if there's a punishment for it or not. But the ulema, the scholars and the sahaba have told us that these are things that should not be done because they have a root or a reason that can lead you to **[1:36]** a major sin in Islam. So major and minor doesn't mean one is bigger and one is lesser. When we speak about sins, all of the sins in front of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la will be things that we're ashamed of. **[1:52]** There are two important distinctions, of course, as well in sins. One type of sin is just personal between a person and Allah. So, you know, you missed your prayer. It doesn't really involve anybody else. Your prayer is between you and Allah. **[2:07]** It's a personal obligation as somebody who is mukallaf, obligated to Allah, accountable to Allah. However, the second type of sins are sins that are relating to other people that affect other people. **[2:22]** You took somebody else's property. May Allah protect us from this. Allahumma ameen. You know, you slandered someone, meaning you said something about someone that wasn't true. You gossiped, you spoke about someone outside their presence in a way that they **[2:38]** wouldn't want you to say these kind of things and you didn't give them the chance to rebut and defend what you said about them. So you've gossiped about them. It's called gheeba. So there are two types of sins. Both of them, of course, both types of sins are serious crimes, whether it's in front **[2:55]** of Allah alone, between you and him or involving other people. But one of the things that I want to remind you of are the words of the great Imam Sufyan al-Tawri. He used to say, la'in alqa Allah. For me to meet Allah with a lot of sins that are just private between me and Allah, **[3:15]** it's better for me than to meet Allah with just one mistake that I hurt another person with it. Because Allah is gracious and forgiving and merciful. Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala is the one who promised us his forgiveness. **[3:30]** But other people, they may say to us, hey, I don't forgive you. You didn't give it back to me. You didn't make it up to me. You continue to slander me. You said those things and everybody thought that about me and it hurt me. And my life and my future. **[3:46]** And I'm not going to forgive you. I'm not going to just accept it. So that puts you in a much worse place than if you had made your mistake just between you and Allah. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us from both types of errors, from the major sins and the minor sins, **[4:03]** from the sins that are between us and Allah and the sins that are between us and other people. It's important to understand the concept of sin before we can continue our discussion. I want you also to know that there are many, many different words that are used **[4:19]** in the Quran and used in the hadith to give us different levels of sins because not all sins are of the same level. That will be our next discussion, insha'Allah. ## Other Episodes in "Road to Return | How to Come Back from Sin" - [Ep. 40: Fake News | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-40-fake-news-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 39: It's Just a Joke | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-39-its-just-a-joke-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 38: Friday Prayer Is Not Practical | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-38-friday-prayer-is-not-practical-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 37: What Happens Online Stays Online | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-37-what-happens-online-stays-online-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 36: I'm Not A Racist, But... | Road To Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-36-im-not-a-racist-but-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 35: I Will Never Forgive Them | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-35-i-will-never-forgive-them-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 34: Isn't Zakat Like Sadaqah? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-34-isnt-zakat-like-sadaqah-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 33: The Most Important Thing is Love | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-33-the-most-important-thing-is-love-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 32: Everyone is Doing It | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-32-everyone-is-doing-it-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 31: It’s Just a Video | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-31-its-just-a-video-road-to-return.md) - [Ep: 30 Always Put Yourself First | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-30-always-put-yourself-first-road-to-return.md) - [Ep 29: Marijuana is Not a Drug | Road To Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-29-marijuana-is-not-a-drug-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 28: God Knows my Intention | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-28-god-knows-my-intention-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 27: I Do Pray...Just Not Often | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-27-i-do-pray-just-not-often-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 26: Did You Hear? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-26-did-you-hear-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 25: Does God Really Care? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-25-does-god-really-care-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 24: Just say Bismillah | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-24-just-say-bismillah-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 23: Parents Just Don't Understand | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-23-parents-just-dont-understand-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 22: Why Do They Have It So Easy? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-22-why-do-they-have-it-so-easy-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 21: Going Against The Flow | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-21-going-against-the-flow-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 20: Hoping For The Best Without Doing Your Best | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-20-hoping-for-the-best-without-doing-your-best-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 19: Good Intentions With Wrong Actions | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-19-good-intentions-with-wrong-actions-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 18: Good Actions With The Wrong Intention | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-18-good-actions-with-the-wrong-intention-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 17: Letting The Qur'an Slip | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-17-letting-the-quran-slip-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 16: Resisting the Teachings of Muhammad ﷺ | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-16-resisting-the-teachings-of-muhammad-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 15: Deprioritizing God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-15-deprioritizing-god-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 14: Resistance & Resilience | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-14-resistance-resilience-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 13: Shaytan's 6-Step Plan | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-13-shaytans-6-step-plan-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 12: No Good Without Evil | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/no-good-without-evil-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 11: Mastering Self-Control | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-11-mastering-self-control-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 10: The World And Its Splendor | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-10-the-world-and-its-splendor-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 9: An Enemy Within | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-9-an-enemy-within-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 8: Your Inner Voice | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-8-your-inner-voice-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 7: Four Dangers: Causes of Sin | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-7-four-dangers-causes-of-sin-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 6: Different Types of Sin | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-6-different-types-of-sin-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 4: What Are Sins? | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-4-what-are-sins-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 3: Content with God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-3-content-with-god-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 2: Finding Peace | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-2-finding-peace-road-to-return.md) - [Ep. 1: Submitting to God | Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/ep-1-submitting-to-god-road-to-return.md) - [Trailer: Road to Return](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/road-to-return/road-to-return-trailer.md)