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Sahih Muslim 86a

I asked the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): Which sin is the gravest in the eye of Allah? He (the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)) replied: That you associate a partner with…

Abdullahnarrated it
Sahihgraded sahih
4names in the chain
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حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا جَرِيرٌ، وَقَالَ

عُثْمَانُ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شُرَحْبِيلَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَىُّ الذَّنْبِ أَعْظَمُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ قَالَ: «أَنْ تَجْعَلَ لِلَّهِ نِدًّا وَهُوَ خَلَقَكَ».

قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَعَظِيمٌ. قَالَ قُلْتُ ثُمَّ أَىٌّ قَالَ: «ثُمَّ أَنْ تَقْتُلَ وَلَدَكَ مَخَافَةَ أَنْ يَطْعَمَ مَعَكَ». قَالَ قُلْتُ ثُمَّ أَىٌّ قَالَ: «ثُمَّ أَنْ تُزَانِيَ حَلِيلَةَ جَارِكَ»

I asked the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): Which sin is the gravest in the eye of Allah? He (the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)) replied: That you associate a partner with Allah (despite the fact) that He has created you.

He (the reporter) said: I told him (the, Prophet): Verily it is indeed grave. He (the reporter) said: I asked him what the next (gravest sin) was. He (the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)) replied: That you kill your child out of fear that he shall join you in food.

He (the reporter) said: I asked (him) what the next (gravest sin) was. He (the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)) observed: Then (the next gravest sin) is that you commit adultery with the wife of your neighbour.

Sahih Muslim 86a, Book 1, The Book of Faith, Hadith 163. 1 min read

What it means

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the gravest sins and he answered: The gravest sin is major Shirk (polytheism), which means setting up an equal or a rival to Allah in His worship, Lordship, or His names and attributes. Allah Almighty does not forgive this sin except through repentance. If one dies in this state of major Shirk, he will dwell in Hellfire forever.

The second gravest sin is killing one's child out of fear that he may share his food with him. So, killing a soul is unlawful, but the sin becomes graver when the killed person is a relative of the killer, and the gravity of the sin increases even more if the killer's motive is fear that the killed person would share with him the sustenance provided by Allah.

The third gravest sin is committing adultery with his neighbor's wife by trying to deceive her, so he can have sexual intercourse with her and make her submit to him. Adultery is unlawful but the sin becomes graver when committed with the wife of one's neighbor, whom one is ordered by Shariah to treat with kindness, benevolence, and good companionship.

What it teaches

  • Sins vary in terms of gravity and good deeds vary in terms of merit.
  • The gravest sin is associating partners with Allah Almighty, then killing one's child for fear that he may share his food with him, and then committing adultery with the wife of one's neighbor.
  • Sustenance lies in the Hand of Allah and He has guaranteed provision for His creatures.
  • Significance of the neighbor's rights and how harming him is much graver than harming anyone else.
  • The Creator is the One worthy of worship, alone with no partner.

From the Encyclopedia of Translated Prophetic Hadiths, hadeethenc.com.

The chain

Who passed it on, from Imam Muslim back to the one who was there.

  1. 1Imam MuslimCompiler, died 261 AH
  2. 2Uthman ibn Abi ShaybahTold us, Fourth generation, died 239 AH
  3. 3إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِسْحَاقُWith
  4. 4جَرِيرٌ وَقَالَInformed us

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