Lessons in Hanafi Fiqh: Obligations and Common Sins One Should Know

Sins of human beings are invariably committed through forbidden acts or leaving obligatory acts. Acts can only be done by the body or mind. Therefore, for the purpose of convenience, one may split the topic of sins according to the parts of the body.

Obligations of the heart

It is an obligation to believe in Allah
It is an obligation to believe that Allah is one. That is, he doesn't have a partner, he doesn't have part (such as a limb or a son), and noone resembles Him.
One must also believe that Allah is NOT limited, bounded, flawed, incomplete or weak in any way.
It is an obligation to believe in what Allah has revealed to his Prophet Muhammad
It is an obligation to believe in Allah's Messenger
It is an obligation to believe in what was taught by the Messenger Muhammad
It is an obligation to do good deeds only in obedience to Allah and not for the praise of any creation
It is an obligation to be sorry for having committed sins
It is an obligation to rely on Allah. Since Allah is the only Creator, only Allah creates benefits and harm. Therefore, we need to rely on Allah
It is an obligation to stay away from sins, because we fear Allah
It is an obligation not to object to what Allah has willed to happen. Allah is not judged, because He does not have a creator, but He will judge us. Remember that even our sense of justice and injustice are mere creations of Allah in us.
It is an obligation to be respectful of the rules and practices of the Islamic religion and respected objects, such as the Quran or a mosque
It is blasphemy to respect other religions than Islam, since these religions are blasphemous inventions of mankind (such as Christianity and Judaism today - not the true teachings of Jesus and Moses, because they were muslims) and all their accountable followers are going to Hell forever.
It is an obligation to refrain from the use of what Allah has provided one with in disobedience to Him
It is an obligation to be patient in doing what Allah ordereds us to do
It is an obligation to be patient in avoiding what Allah forbids us to do
It is an obligation to be patient with the difficulties Allah gives us in our lives
It is an obligation to detest Shaytan
It is an obligation to detest all sins
It is an obligation to love Allah. It is blasphemy if someone hates Allah
It is an obligation to love and respect the original revealed books of the prophet, the true bible and the Quran
It is an obligation to love and respect the Prophet Muhammad , the Sahabah (those who met the Prophet Muhammad , became Muslim and died Muslim), and the Salihin (those who did all they were required to do and refrained from what they were forbidden to do).

Sins of the heart

Insincerity in worship (riyaa’) is sinful to commit, which is to do something good for the praise of another creation, or in order to get credit for good deeds AND be praised by another creation.
It is sinful to be proud of oneself and the good deeds one does, forgetting that Allah enabled him to do these good deeds.
It is sinful and blasphemous (kufr) to have doubt in Allah or His attributes.
It is sinful to continue to commit sins feeling confident of God's forgiveness.
It is sinful to believe that no matter what, Allah will punish you for the sins you have committed because they were so numerous.
It is sinful to reject the truth and look down on Muslims, because of one's social status or material possessions.
It is sinful to hide hostility towards a Muslim that pushes you into action. It is sinful not to hate this hostility.
It is sinful to be jealous or envious of something nice belonging to another Muslim, to the extent that you hope they will lose it and you get it. You must hate and reject this feeling in your heart.
It is sinful to persistently commit small sins without any intent of leaving them.
It is sinful to think that Allah will definitely punish you and will not give you mercy.
It is sinful to think badly of a Muslim without a sound reason.
It is sinful and kufr not to believe in predestination.
It is sinful to be happy or pleased with a sin, whether yours or someone else's.
It is sinful to covertly cause harm to a Muslim.
It is sinful to hate those who deserve to be loved.
It is sinful to be stingy with what Allah ordered Muslims to give: Zakat.
It is sinful to love this life and be tied to this life to the extent that you work with things that are sinful in order to gain the possessions of this life.
It is kufr to be disrespectful of those things Allah ordered us to respect.
It is kufr to be pleased with kufr.
It is kufr to believe it is acceptable to follow another religion than Islam
It is blasphemy to hate all the companions of the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank)
It is sinful not to believe there is wisdom in everything in the Islamic religion, whether we know the wisdom or not. We are required to follow Shari^ah (rules of the Islamic Religion), even if we do not know the wisdom.

Sins of the stomach and greed

It is sinful to eat something bought using Ar-riba. Ar-riba is generally known as interest on loans, but it is a very detailed subject which will be covered in business dealings.
It is sinful to impose taxes. The Khaliifah, however, may request money from the very rich in order to pay for something that is obligatory for the muslim community to have.
It is sinful to use a Muslim's property if unjustly taken by force. It is also sinful to unjustly use the property of non-muslims who are paying Jizyah and obeying the rules imposed upon them.
It is sinful to sell something with a defect that is known (to the seller) without pointing out the defect. This is sinful even if the person you are selling to was a kaafir who was a Muslim and left Islam (Murtadd/ apostate).
It is sinful to steal. There is a more detailed discussion of stealing in 'Sins of the hand.'
It is sinful to take anything in an Islamically incorrect way or benefit from such a thing.
It is sinful to drink alcohol, or to eat anything that gives the effect of drunkenness.
It is sinful to eat any Najis filth as defined in Islam (see articles on purification).
It is sinful to eat from an orphan's inheritance. An orphan is someone who has not reached puberty and his father is dead.
It is sinful to misuse a place donated (waqf) for a certain purpose. Misuse is to use it for a purpose other than the one it was donated for.
It is sinful to embarrass someone into giving you something.

Sins of the eyes

It is sinful for a man to look at a woman who is not his Mahram anywhere other than her face and hands. A Mahram is a person of the opposite sex you can never marry.
It is sinful for a woman to look at any man in the area between the navel and the knees, except her husband.
It is sinful for a man to look at the area between the navel and the knees of another man.
It is sinful for a woman to look at the area between the navel and the knees of another woman.
It is sinful to look at a Mahram with desire.
It is sinful for a man to look at a woman's face, other than his wife's, with desire.
It is sinful for a woman to look at a man, other than her husband, with desire.
It is sinful to remain completely naked in a room without a sound reason.
It is sinful to uncover the sexual organs without a sound reason.
It is sinful to look down on Muslims out of pride.
It is sinful to look into another Muslim's house without the owner's permission.
It is sinful to look at something a Muslim is hiding without permission.

Sins of the tongue

There is a Hadith which means that most of the people who go to Hell go there because of the sins they committed with their tongues (they are suffering because of what they said).

It is sinful to hurt a Muslim by telling him he should be grateful to you because you did something for him. It is worse to do this in front of people.
Backbiting: In the absence of a Muslim it is sinful to say something about him that he hates to have said about him, even if it is true. It is worse if it is a lie.
It is sinful to commit backbiting with a lie. In other words, to say something about a Muslim in his absence that he hates to be said and what is said is not true. This is called buhtaan.
It is sinful to transmit sayings between Muslims for the purpose of causing problems between them. This is known as Namiimah.
It is sinful to encourage fighting between Muslims or to encourage fighting between animals.
It is sinful to lie.
To tell a joke which contains a lie is sinful.
It is sinful to swear by God to a lie.
It is sinful to accuse someone of adultery, whether directly or indirectly.
It is blasphemy to curse all of the companions (those who met our beloved prophet Muhammad, became Muslim and died Muslim)
It is sinful to curse any single one of the companions of the Prophet (may allah raise his rank).
It is sinful for a person to beg (ask for free money or goods), unless he does not have enough food for the day, and is unable to earn the money needed for it.
It is sinful for a person to insist that another person gives him money or embarrass him into giving him money
It is sinful to vow (make it an obligation on himself -- nadhr) in front of witnesses in order to give something to someone and prevent relatives from inheriting something from him.
It is sinful for someone who owes money to another person to not tell anyone else about it. Also if someone left something with you, it is sinful for you to not tell anyone else about it
It is sinful to ask to become engaged to a girl who is already engaged and her engagement is accepted by the one responsible for her.
It is sinful to try and convince someone who has already agreed to buy something from someone else, but still has the right to call off the deal, to break this agreement and buy something similar from you instead.
It is sinful to give false witness, if asked to testify by an Islamic judge, whether the reason for lying was for money or friendship.
It is sinful to not pay back a debt one is able to pay, if the debt becomes due.
It is sinful to curse or insult a Muslim. It is also sinful to insult a Muslim's mother, even if she was not Muslim, if that insult hurts the Muslim.
It is sinful to make fun of a Muslim in satire. It is sinful to say anything that hurts a Muslim.
It is sinful to tell a lie about God or His Messenger, even if that lie was intended to encourage someone to do something good.
It is sinful to intentionally say a single letter of the Quran incorrectly while reading it out loud.
It is sinful to claim someone owes you something when he does not owe you anything.
It is sinful for a man to divorce his wife during the time when she has her period or post-partum bleeding.
It is sinful for a man to divorce his wife during a the time between a woman's periods in which he has had sexual intercourse with her.
It is sinful for a man to tell his wife, "You are forbidden to me like my sister or mother." This is a translation of a statement sometimes made in Arabic.
It is sinful to divorce one’s wife 3 times in one saying, but the divorce is valid.
It is sinful to divorce one’s wife three separate times between two periods of her’s.
It is sinful to claim that one is the son of a man who is not his father.
It is sinful for a person who was previously a slave to claim that someone other than his owner freed him.
It is sinful to give an Islamic judgment without knowledge. The Angels in the sky curse the one who does this.
It is sinful to teach something that is harmful without an Islamic reason.
It is sinful to give a non-Islamic judgment or ruling.
It is sinful to praise a dead person, as if he were still alive, by shouting.
It is sinful to mourn excessively loud. It is sinful to mourn by pulling one's hair.
It is sinful to laugh at a Muslim for something he did.
It is sinful not to answer the salaam of another Muslim that is directed to you.
It is sinful to refuse to testify to something you witnessed when asked to do so by someone who has the Islamic right to ask for a witness.
It is sinful for the one who is performed Al-Ihram for Hajj or ^Umrah or was fasting a day it is an obligation to fast, to kiss anyone with desire, including their spouse.
It is sinful to not teach necessary Islamic knowledge when someone is asking for it and you have learned it.
To tell someone to do something which is sinful is sinful.
To abstain from ordering someone to do an obligation when he must be ordered is sinful.
Every statement that encourages someone to commit a sin and every statement that discourages someone from doing what is an obligation is sinful.
Every statement that criticizes or insults the Quran, prescribed Islamic practices or Islamic traditions or a Prophet is blasphemy.
Divorce, marriage, vows and oaths are valid by uttering the required statements, regardless of one’s intention. Unless one knows this, one can end up committing serious sins.
If someone utters a statement that implies disbelief in, disdain of, or making fun of Allah, Islam, a prophet, a revealed book, an angel, hell, paradise, or prescibed Islamic beliefs, practices, rules or laws then he has committed blasphemy, unless he explicitly relates this saying to someone else. This is regardless of ones intention. One relates this to someone else by saying “it might be said”, “someone said”, “the Christians say” etc.

Obligations and duties of the tongue

All accountable people (those that are sane, have reached puberty and have heard the meaning of the creedal statement of Islam: “there is no god but God and Muhammad is His messenger”) must immediately become Muslims by uttering the creedal statement loud enough to hear themselves under normal circumstances.
If one thinks, but has some doubt, that one has committed blasphemy after becoming Muslim, then one must utter the creedal statement as a precaution. It is good to utter the creedal statement as a precaution at night before sleeping (unless one is absolutely sure that nothing blasphemous might have happened.)
It is a duty to say “Salla-Allahu-3alayhi-wa-sallam” at least once in a session or sitting where the Prophet’s name was mentioned.
It is an obligation to answer "wa^alaykum-us-salaam" when a muslim addresses one saying "as-salaamu ^alaykum".

Sins of the ears

It is sinful to listen to people speaking secretly if they do not want you to hear.
It is sinful to listen to wind and string instruments.
It is sinful to listen to backbiting. Backbiting is any saying about an absent Muslim that he hates to have said about him, even if it is true.
It is sinful to listen to Namiimah. Namiimah is any statement that is transmitted to cause problems between Muslims.
As with any sin, if someone can do something to stop it, it is an obligation for him to do something to stop it. If he cannot do something to stop it, it is an obligation for him to say something to stop it. If he cannot say something to stop it, it is an obligation for him to hate it in his heart and leave the place where it is happening. To hate it in the heart is the least thing he is required to do.

Sins of the hands

It is sinful for a seller to cheat the buyer by giving him less than the mentioned length, weight or volume of what he is selling.
It is sinful to steal the belongings of other Muslims or of Christians and Jews who obey the rules of Jizyah.
It is sinful to take taxes (see sins of the stomack for details).
It is sinful to commit Al-ghulul. When the Muslims fight the kuffaar, the money and goods that are captured (ghaniimah) need to be divided and given out according to the rules of the Islamic religion. To take anything before this division has been made is called Al-ghulul, except for those cases described in the books of Fiqh.
It is sinful to kill someone Allah has forbidden us to kill. It is sinful to kill a Muslim without a right (this includes suicide) or someone from a group of people the Khaliifah has a treaty with and the treaty contains a truce. It is also sinful to kill a Christian or Jew who abides by the rules of Jizyah, or one who is under the protection of a Muslim.
It is sinful to enter a non-muslim country as a guest, such as by visas or entry stamps, and then harm them or their property. Even if they throw verbal insults, one is not allowed to answer by physical force. One cannot use physical force unless they started - i.e. for self-defense.
It is sinful to hit a Muslim without the right to do so.
It is sinful to accept or give a bribe.
It is sinful to kill an animal by burning, unless it is causing problems (such as biting or killing) and burning is the only way of getting rid of it.
It is sinful to torture animals.
It is sinful to shoot a horse, even if its leg is broken.
It is sinful to play backgammon or any game played using a dice.
It is sinful to play with anything that relies on chance more than skill.
It is sinful to play any string or wind instrument, whether in solo or in a group. Excempted here is a trumpet in war.
It is sinful to intentionally touch, flesh to flesh, someone of the opposite sex that you are allowed to marry, excluding your marital partner. Even if it is without desire. This includes handshakes.
It is sinful to touch with desire someone of the same sex, or someone of the opposite sex, excluding your marital partner. Even if it is over the clothes.
It is sinful to draw a picture of something that has a spirit, even if it does not have a shadow.
It is sinful to prevent oneself or another from paying all or part of Zakat if it is an obligation to pay Zakat, what needs to be paid is present, and to whom Zakat may be paid is present.
It is sinful to withhold the pay of someone you have hired to do something after he has completed his service.
It is sinful not to save a Muslim who is going to die because of starvation, drowning, exposure, burning or the collapse of a building, if you are able.
It is sinful to write something that is sinful to say.
It is sinful to cheat or betray; the opposite of being trustworthy.

Sins of the sexual organs (genitals)

It is sinful to fornicate, practice adultery or homosexuality.
Adultery and sodomy are the greatest sins of the sexual organs.
It is sinful to put the head of the penis into the sexual organ of any animal. There is no specifically prescribed punishment for this (hadd).
It is sinful to drink urine. There is no specifically prescribed punishment for this (hadd).
It is sinful to have sex with a dead woman. There is no specifically prescribed punishment for this (hadd).
It is sinful to masturbate.
It is sinful to have sexual intercourse with a woman who is having menstrual or post-partum bleeding (see article "Prohibitions for the one who is ritually impure").
It is sinful to reveal the parts of your body that it is forbidden to reveal when there are someone present that can see.
It is sinful for a man to reveal the area between the navel and the knees in the presence of another man or woman other than his wife or unmarried female slave.
It is sinful to uncover one's genitals and anus for no reason, even if no one else is present.
It is sinful to face the Ka^bah or turn your backside toward it while urinating or defecating.
It is sinful to defecate orurinate on the grave of a Muslim.
It is sinful to urinate in a mosque, or in another respected place.
It is sinful not to circumcise one who has reached puberty, if they have not already been circumcised.

Sins of the Feet

Sins of the feet increase step by step. One may start walking and if he is going to commit a sin, each step he takes is a sin.

It is sinful to walk to commit a sin.
It is sinful for a wife to leave the house without her husband's permission or agreement. She may leave without his permission or agreement to do something that she is required to do, such as learn something that is an obligation for her to learn, provided that he does not teach her.
It is sinful to run away from those one is obligated by Allah to support. This includes not paying for one's wife, children and parents what one is required to provide for them.
It is sinful for a slave to run away from his owner.
It is sinful to enter a room or a house where someone of the opposite sex is alone, if this person is not a mahram. This sin is called khalwah. There must be a third person in the room that one would feel embarrased from. A mahram is someone that one could never marry – i.e. NOT brothers- and sisters- in law, because one could marry them if there was a divorce.
It is sinful to run away from one's creditor, if one is obligated to pay the loan immediately.
It is sinful to intentionally and purposely walk with a stature that is proud and boastful and shows vanity.
It is sinful to step over people causing them difficulty and discomfort.
It is sinful to walk between a person who is praying and the place he puts his head in prostration (sujuud).
It is sinful to put one's feet towards the Quran if the Quran is not higher than one's feet.
It is sinful to NOT go to do something that is an obligation. For example, not to go to the required Friday prayer or not to go to learn what one is required by Allah to know.

Common Sins of the Body in General are:

It is sinful to hurt one's parents in a way that if it had been done to another Muslim, it would have been a small sin. Hurting ones parents in this way is called ^uquuq and is a large sin.
It is sinful to cause great difficulties for one's parent. For example, if a mother asks her son or daughter for something and they reply in a manner that breaks her heart, it is from the large sins.
It is sinful to not visit one's Muslim relatives without a sound reason. Relatives include one's grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides of the family. That is, all your parent's relatives.
It is sinful for men to wear women's clothes and it is sinful for women to wear men's clothes. Unisex clothes are permitted.
It is sinful for men to imitate women and vice versa.
It is sinful to wear long clothes that extend below the ankle out of pride or to show off.
It is sinful for a man to dye his hands or feet with henna unless there is a need to do so.
It is sinful to interrupt doing something that is an obligation without an acceptable excuse.
It is sinful to imitate the behavior of a Muslim in order to make fun of him.
It is sinful to force a free Muslim to work without his agreement.
To be an enemy of a Muslim Saint (Waliyy), whether his karaamah is seen or not, is from the biggest sins of the body. This is like someone who was an enemy of a good Caliph.
It is sinful to help someone commit a sin. Examples are selling grapes to someone who wants to make wine from them, or selling weapons for a robbery.
It is sinful to spread something that is counterfeit by saying that it is real.
It is sinful to use containers or instruments made of gold or silver.
It is sinful to make tattoos.
It is sinful for two muslims to let more than three days pass, in which they met, without saying, "As-salaamu ^alaykum" to one another because of anger between them, unless there is an Islamic reason.
It is sinful to spend time with someone who is committing sins just to entertain them.
It is sinful for a male who has reached puberty as defined in Islam to wear something made of gold or silver or something made of more than 50% silk, with the exception of a silver ring. It is allowed for a man to wear a ring made of silver. It is better to wear it on the little finger with the crest turned toward the palm.
It is sinful for two members of the opposite sex who are not Mahram (someone that one could never marry – i.e. NOT brothers- and sisters- in law) for each other to stay in a room or house alone together. It is not sinful if there is another man or woman present. This sin is called khalwah.
It is sinful for a woman to travel alone without a Mahram.
It is sinful to do something that causes an obligation to become invalidly performed.
It is sinful to kill game by using something that kills by its weight.
It is sinful to kill animals for mere sport or target practice.
It is sinful to put something najis in a mosque, or to make a mosque dirty by spitting.
It is sinful to sit looking at sins if one does not have an acceptable excuse for remaining.
It is sinful for a woman whose husband has died, or has been irrevocably divorced, to leave the house during her ^iddah, without an acceptable excuse. Irrevocably divorced means that the husband does not have the option to take her back during her ^iddah.
It is sinful for someone who is required to perform Hajj and has the resources to perform Hajj not to intend to do Hajj. If he dies without making the intent to perform Hajj he has a sin.
It is sinful to borrow money from someone without an apparent way to pay him back except if the lender knows he does not have a way to pay him back.
It is sinful to pay money to do something sinful.
It is sinful and blasphemous not to completely respect the Quran or any other Islamic religious books or papers. It is also sinful not to treat with respect the written name of God even if it were written in books that contain blasphemy, such as the perverted bible.
It is sinful to change a boundary that distinguishes between yours and someone else's property or a public street.
It is sinful to close a public street without the right to do so.
It is sinful to use something you borrowed for something other than what you have been given permission to use it for.
It is sinful to use something for longer than you have permission to use it. It is also sinful to loan it to someone else.
It is sinful to prevent others from using public land and use it only for yourself. Examples are a public pasture used for feeding sheep, or a public forest used for collecting firewood, or public lands used for mining. It is sinful to prevent other Muslims from using these public lands.
It is sinful to use something lost and found without first being sure that the owner is no longer looking for it, or that it will be ruined if more time passes. Only poor people are allowed to use it or take it after that.
It is sinful to go to a party or dinner without the host’s permission, or to enter because one embarrassed the host to invite.
It is sinful to make people pay protection money. In other words, coerce someone to give you something in exchange for which you will not harm them.
It is sinful for a man not to spend equal time and money among his wives if he has more than one.
It is sinful for a woman to put on perfume and pass by men with the intent to attract them to commit a sin (such as looking with desire).
It is sinful to learn something that is harmful without an Islamically acceptable reason (e.g. magic).
It is sinful to discharge an unjust Khaliifah and it is sinful not to obey him in those things that are not sinful.
It is sinful to take the responsibility for something like other people's money, the guardianship of an orphan, the management of a mosque, or being a judge if you know you will not be able to do this correctly.
It is sinful to defend someone who has done something unjust from those who want to take what they have a right to from him.
It is sinful to frighten a Muslim.
It is sinful to block off a road in order to steal (highway robbery).
It is sinful not to do a Nadhr (vow) you made. A vow is to make something an obligation upon oneself.
It is sinful to fast two consecutive days without breaking your fast at all.
It is sinful to interrupt an optional Hajj or ^Umrah once you have started.
It is sinful for a man not to pray Al-Jumu^ah if it is an obligation for him, even if he prays Al-Thuhr.
It is sinful to postpone the obligated prayers past their proper time without an acceptable excuse.
It is sinful to leave the group prayer for the 5 obligatory prayers in a village, if not enough men are praying together.

Lessons in Hanafi Fiqh

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Obligations and Common Sins One Should Know