Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:31

(If you avoid), meaning: if you set aside (the great [sins] of what you are forbidden), meaning: of what Allah, Exalted is He, and His Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—have forbidden you from (thereof), i.e., from committing them, both those mentioned and those not mentioned. It is also read as kabīra (singular) implying the genus, thus corresponding to the famous reading. It is said: It is possible that it intends shirk (polytheism). (We will remove from you), meaning: We will forgive and erase. The selection of what denotes majesty through the method of iltifāt (shifting of person) is a magnification of the status of that forgiveness. It is also read as yughfir (with the yā’ prefix). (Your evil deeds), meaning: your minor sins, as As-Suddi stated.

There is a difference of opinion regarding the definition of a "major sin" (kabīra) according to several views:

1. It is that for which its perpetrator is specifically threatened with a severe punishment by a text from the Book or the Sunnah; some Shafi'is hold this view.
2. It is every act of disobedience that necessitates a legal penalty (ḥadd); Al-Baghawi and others held this view.
3. It is every act for which the Book explicitly stipulates a prohibition or for whose genus a penalty is required.
4. It is every offense that signals the perpetrator’s lack of concern for religion and weakness of faith; the Imam (Al-Razi) held this view.
5. It is that which necessitates a penalty or to which a threat is directed; Al-Mawardi stated this in his Fatawa.
6. It is every act forbidden for its own sake, prohibited for a reason inherent to it; this is recounted with detailed explanation in its proper place from Al-Ḥalīmī.
7. It is every action for which the Book text explicitly provides the term "prohibition" (taḥrīm).

Al-Wāḥidī said: The correct view is that the major sin has no limit by which the servants can define it, for otherwise, people would plunge into minor sins and deem them permissible. Rather, Allah, Exalted is He, concealed this from the servants so that they might strive in avoiding what is forbidden, in the hope that major sins would be avoided. Similar to this is the concealment of the Middle Prayer, the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr), and the Hour of Response.

Shaykh al-Islām al-Bārizī said: The verified view is that the major sin is any sin accompanied by a threat, a penalty, or a curse in the text of the Book or the Sunnah, or [a sin] known to have a level of corruption equal to or greater than that of a sin accompanied by such a threat, penalty, or curse. Or, it signals the perpetrator's negligence in his religion, as is the case with the smallest of the major sins explicitly mentioned—for example, if one kills someone protected by the law, only to discover later that the victim was liable to be killed, or if one has intercourse with a woman thinking she is someone he is committing adultery with, only to find she is his wife or slave-girl.

Some have said: All the definitions of boundaries mentioned are intended only as approximations; otherwise, they are not comprehensive boundaries. How could it be possible to constrain what there is no hope of constraining? A group held the view of defining them by enumeration rather than by a boundary. It is reported from Ibn Abbas and others that they are what Allah, Exalted is He, mentioned from the beginning of this Surah up to here. It is said: They are seven, and this is evidenced by the report in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: "Avoid the seven destructive sins: polytheism, sorcery, killing the soul which Allah has forbidden except by right, consuming the property of the orphan, consuming usury, fleeing on the day of the march, and slandering chaste, believing, unaware women." In another narration of theirs, the major sins are: "Associating partners with Allah, sorcery, disobedience to parents, and killing the soul." Al-Bukhari added: "The false oath (al-yamīn al-ghamūs)," and Muslim substituted that with: "Bearing false witness." The answer is that this is understood as the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—mentioning them specifically to highlight those needing attention at the time of speaking, not to restrict major sins to them. Among those who stated that major sins are seven are Ali—may Allah ennoble his face—‘Aṭā’, and ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr.

It is said: They are nine, based on what Ali ibn al-Ja‘d reported from Ibn Umar, who, when asked about major sins, said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—say: 'They are nine: Associating partners with Allah, slandering a chaste woman, killing a believing soul, fleeing from the march, sorcery, consuming usury, consuming the property of the orphan, disobedience to parents, and heresy in the Sacred House, which is your qiblah in life and death.'" It is reported from Ibn Mas‘ud that they are three, and from him also that they are ten, and it is said: fourteen, and it is said: fifteen, and it is said: four. ‘Abd al-Razzāq reported from Ibn Abbas that when it was said to him: "Are there seven major sins?" he replied: "They are closer to seventy." Ibn Jubayr reported that he (Ibn Abbas) said: "They are closer to seven hundred than to seven, except that there is no major sin with istighfār (seeking forgiveness) and no minor sin with persistence."

A group of the Imams denied that there are any minor sins, saying: "Rather, all acts of disobedience are major sins." Among them are Professor Abu Ishaq al-Isfara'ini, Judge Abu Bakr al-Baqillani, the Imam of the Haramayn in al-Irshād, and Ibn al-Qushayri in al-Murshid. Indeed, Ibn Fūrak recounted this from the Ash'arīs, and he preferred it in his Tafsir, stating: "All acts of disobedience to Allah, Exalted is He, are major sins in our view, and it is only said of some that they are minor or major in a relative sense." He interpreted the beginning of the verse in a way that its apparent meaning rejects. The Mu'tazilah said: "Sins are of two types: minor and major," and this is not correct.

It is perhaps claimed in some places that there is a consensus among the companions on what was mentioned, and Taqī al-Subkī relied upon this. Judge ‘Abd al-Wahhāb said: "It is impossible to say of an act of disobedience that it is minor except in the sense that it becomes small when major sins are avoided." This view agrees with what Al-Ṭabarānī reported from Ibn Abbas—though it is munqaṭi‘ (broken in chain)—that major sins were mentioned in his presence, and he said: "Everything Allah has forbidden is a major sin." In another narration: "Everything for which Allah has been disobeyed is a major sin."

Al-Allamah Ibn Hajar mentioned that the majority of scholars hold the view of division, and that there is no disagreement between the two groups regarding the meaning, but only in terminology and application. This is because all agree that some acts of disobedience impair one's integrity (‘adālah) while others do not. The former group avoided the terminology, disliking to call an act of disobedience to Allah "minor" in view of the greatness of Allah, Exalted is He, and the severity of His punishment, and out of veneration for Him, Majestic is His Might, against calling disobedience to Him "minor," because it is—in relation to His manifest greatness—major, and what a major [sin] it is! The majority did not look to this, as it is self-evident. Instead, they divided them into two types, as the explicit texts of the verses and reports necessitate, especially this verse. The meaning—that "If you avoid the great [sins]" refers to what you were forbidden in this Surah concerning prohibited marriages, consuming property, and other things mentioned earlier, "We will remove from you" what was committed of them in the past—is extremely far-fetched, and therefore the Proof of Islam, Al-Ghazālī, said: "It is not appropriate to deny the distinction between minor and major sins, as we have known them from the sources of the Sharia." Yes, a single sin may be called both major and minor based on two considerations, for sins vary in this regard depending on individuals and circumstances. Hence the poet said: "Let not the high-ranking man deem a trifle as minor; for the lowly, there are excuses in the inadvertent." So the "major sins" of a small man are "minor sins," and the "minor sins" of a great man are "major sins." My master, Ibn al-Fāriḍ—may his secret be sanctified—said: "And had an intention of desire for other than You crossed my mind inadvertently, I would have judged myself with apostasy." Someone pointed to this disparity by saying: "The good deeds of the righteous are the evil deeds of those drawn near."

This verse has been considered problematic in relation to what is in the Ḥadīth of Muslim: "The five prayers expiate what is between them, as long as the major sins are avoided." The line of reasoning is that if the prayers expiated [sins], nothing would remain for other things to expiate, so the content of the verse would not be realized. The answer given to this—the soundest of which, according to what Al-Shihāb said—is that the verse and the Ḥadīth have the same meaning, because his saying—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—"as long as the major sins are avoided" is an explanation of the verse, because if one does not pray, he has committed a major sin, and what a major sin it is! Reflect upon this.

(And We will admit you to an entrance): The majority are upon the ḍamm (u) of the mīm. Abū Ja‘far and Nāfi‘ read it with a fatḥ (a). If it is on the ḍamm, it is either a verbal noun or the object of (We will admit you), which is omitted, meaning: "We will admit you into Paradise an admission." Or it is a place, and in the case of Sibawayh, it is an adverb of place, while for Al-Akhfash, it is a direct object. Thus, every place designated for entry involves this disagreement. If it is on the fatḥ, it is said: It is governed by an implied verb, meaning "We will admit you, so you shall be admitted to an entrance," and its being accusative is as previously mentioned. It is also permitted that it be like His saying, Exalted is He: "And caused you to grow from the earth a [goodly] growth" (nabātan). It is considered more likely to be a place due to His description, Glorified and Exalted is He: (noble), meaning: beautiful. It has appeared in the Great Quran that a place is described with this, for He, Exalted is He, said: "And a noble station."