Sin (ithm)

In the lexicon, ithm means sin, or doing what is not lawful for one. For the Sunnis it is the deserving of punishment; for the Mu'tazila it is the necessity of punishment. The difference turns on whether forgiveness is possible. ¹

Khata' can mean a deliberate wrong, in which case it matches ithm. It can also mean an unintended error, in which case it differs from ithm, since sin arises only from intent. ¹

Sin attaches to abandoning an individual obligation, such as prayer, and to abandoning a collective obligation when all leave it, such as the funeral prayer. ¹ Abandoning a wajib is a sin for the one who abandons it; the Hanafis distinguish wajib from fard and hold that the sin for a wajib is less than the sin for a fard. ¹ Abandoning emphasized sunnas that are rites of religion, such as the call to prayer and congregational prayer, entails sin on the community in general. The sounder view is that abandoning a fard, a wajib or an emphasized sunna in this way returns to what is forbidden. ¹

Doing what is forbidden is sinful. One who does what is disliked as forbidden sins; one who does what is disliked as a matter of preference does not. ¹ Doing or leaving what is permitted entails no sin and no dislike. ²

The Hanafis, Malikis and Hanbalis hold that fixed penalties do not remove the sin in the hereafter and do not purify the offender. Al-Shafi'i holds that they purify a Muslim but not a non-Muslim. ²