Sin is an important concept in Islamic ethics that Muslims view as being anything that goes against the commands of God or breaching the laws and norms laid down by religion.
[3] According to Cyril Glasse, Islam recognizes two kinds of sin (khati'ah): dhanb, a fault or shortcoming which is to be sanctioned; and ithm, a willful transgression which is to be punished.
[5] For in Allah's sight are (all) his servants, (namely), those who say: 'Our Lord, we have indeed believed: forgive us, then, our sins ("dhunub"), and save us from the agony of the Fire.'
[5] The Quran states that if you avoid these great sins, your lesser evil deeds or sayyi'at will be forgiven.
If you avoid great sins (kaba'ir or dhanb) which are forbidden you, We will remit from you your evil deeds (sayyi'a).
However, ithm is also used in connection with haram, or committing an unlawful deed, a taboo, such as consuming food or drink that is forbidden by God: They will ask thee about wine and gambling.
Surah Az Zumar, 39:53 Again, God says to the believers in a Hadith Qudsi: "O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me, and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind.
[5] In one Quranic verse this word is used to describe the sin of slaying one's own children for fear of poverty.
Like ithm, these words are found frequently in legislative portions of the Quran, particularly relating to regulations regarding marriage and divorce.
[5] It is no sin (junah) for you that you [indirectly] allude proposal of marriage to (recently widowed (Iddah stage)) women or keep it to yourself.
It is reported by An-Nawwas bin Sam'an: "The Prophet (Muhammad) said, "Piety is good manner, and sin is that which creates doubt and you do not like people to know it.
"In Sunan al-Tirmidhi, a Hadith is narrated: The Prophet (Muhammad) said, "Every son of Adam sins, the best of the sinners are those who repent.
"In Sahih Muslim, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari and Abu Huraira narrated: The Prophet (Muhammad)," By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them.
[11] It is a direct matter between a person and God, so there is no intercession or formal, ecclesiastical confession to a religious leader.
In cases of sin against God, repentance, remorse, and resolution to change one's behavior are considered sufficient.
Although classical scholars emphasized the individual dimension of repentance, many revivalists and reformists have tied individual actions to larger issues of public morality, ethics, and social reform, arguing for reimplementation of the Islamic penal code as public expiation for sins.
Sufis understand repentance as a process of spiritual conversion toward constant awareness of God's presence.
[1] God's power is thought to be only eclipsed by his mercy and thus minor or small sins (al-sagha'ir), are tacitly understood to be forgiven after repentance.
These additional transgressions, potentially up to seventy, are not universally settled upon nor are they explicitly stated in the Qur'an, however they are thought to be implied by the text.
[22] The supplementary sins as a whole lack the spiritual gravity of the original seven and include things such as drinking alcohol and eavesdropping.