This course will introduce the idea of Kabira or Enormity in the context of disobedience and rebellion against God and His Messenger.

We will define the term in a Quranic and Sunnic context, then examine expressions of enormities as listed by Imam Dhahabi (673-748/1274-1348 ) in his text, Al-Kaba'ir (The Enormities) commentated upon by Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (909-974/ 1504-1567) in his book Zawājir `an iqtiraf al-kabā'ir (Deterrents from Committing Enormities).

We will focus on relevant enormities: issues relating to God such as doubt or despair in divine mercy, setting aside ritual prayer, interest dealings, and illicit goods in trade. We will also emphasize internal enormities such as showing off in deeds and arrogance.

We will then present a section from Abu Hanifa’s (89-148/699-767) al-Fiqh l’Akbar on sin and its effects on nearness and distance from God.

Along with this, we will present a section of Muhammad as-Sabūnī’s (580/1184) al-Bidaya fī usuūl ‘dīn (Introduction to the Foundations of the Religion) on the people of enormities and the distinction between enormities and minor sins.

We will finally review a short epistle of by Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalī, which is a commentary on the hadith, “Not one of you will your works give you salvation” in a text he compiled.

This course will provide you with an in-depth discussion of classical Islamic teachings on major sins with particular relevance to our daily lives in the modern world.

We will provide handouts to the relevant texts for the classes.

The Saturday sessions will be broken up with tea breaks and lunch/noon prayer.

The program will be jointly taught by Shaykh Naeem Abdul Wali and Ustadh Faraz Khan.