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wa-lladhīna yajtanibūna kabāʾira l-ʾithmi wa-l-fawāḥisha wa-ʾidhā mā ghaḍibū hum yaghfirūna
—those who avoid major sins and indecencies, and forgive when angered;
— Ali Quli Qarai
42Ash-ShūrāالشورىVerse 37 of 53
The Consultation42. Ash-Shūrāالشورى
al-Shūrā
The Consultation
MeccanVerse 37 of 53
Surah al-Shura - Verse 37
37. And those who avoid the grave sins and vicious deeds, and when they are angry, forgive.
The preceding Verse treated of faith and putting one’s trust in God Almighty both of which are attached to the heart. The blessed Verse in question treats of believers’ practical strategies. What are grave sins (kaba’ir al-ithm)? In his Tahrir al-Wasila, Imam Khomeini (May God Almighty sanctify his noble spirit) in discussing the qualifications of the Imam leading a congregational prayer states that it is incumbent upon such Imam to abstain from committing grave sins which include any sin for committing which the Holy Qur’an promises torment, or those against which there are strict injunctions, or those for which there exist arguments bearing testimony to the fact that they are on a par with or worse than grave sins, or the ones which are deemed as such by intellection, or those regarded as such by the common run of believers, or there exists certain reason to regard them likewise.
Then, he proceeds to enumerate a number of instances, including:
1. Despair of Divine Mercy
2. Forging lies against Allah and His Noble Prophet (S)
3. Homicide and fornication
4. Accusing a married woman of a groundless imputation
5. Desertion at the time of war
6. Being cursed and disinherited by one’s parents
7. Breaking off all relations with relatives
8. Practicing magic
9. Fornication
10. Sodomy
11. Transgressing the rights of the orphan
12. Withholding truth
13. Bearing false testimony
14. Breaking one’s promise
15. Drinking alcoholic drinks
16. Overstepping the stipulations of a will
17. Usury
18. Gambling
19. Stinting or scrimping in selling something
20. Consumption of pork and corpse
21. Bearing wrong-doers assistance and relying on them
22. Extravagance and prodigality
23. Withholding people’s rights
24. Forging lies
25. Arrogance
26. Treachery and disloyalty
27. Backbiting
28. Underestimation of the excellence of pilgrimage to Mecca
30. Failing to establish of daily prayers
31. Withholding religious alms tax (zakat)
32. Persistence in committing lesser sins
33. Preoccupation with libidinous pleasures
34. Associating partners to God Almighty
35. Theft
36. Consumption of blood
37. Consumption of corpse
38. Consumption of the meat of an animal at whose slaughter the Name of God Almighty was not uttered or the one slaughtered by non-Muslims
39. Bearing false testimony
40. Feeling safe against Divine Scheme
41. Bearing wrong-doers assistance
42. Perjury
43. Fraudulence in transactions and entertaining hatred and stealing from the war booty before its distribution
44. Waging war against favorites of God Almighty
The blessed Verse in question treats of the exalted states of those who believe in God Almighty and put their trust in their Lord knowing that what is provided for them with their Lord is far better and enduring than the limited material possessions with which disbelievers are provided. It is also worthy of note that it is an attribute of believers that they abstain from committing grave sins and vicious deeds and forgive others when they are in a rage against them.