Lamam (minor sins and near-sins)

Lamam, in lexicon, is gathering, minor sins, and coming near a sin without doing it; in technical use it is what falls short of intercourse, such as a kiss, a glance, a look or lying together. Ibn Abbas and al-Sha'bi held it is everything short of fornication, and al-Qurtubi that it is the minor sins no one is free from except those God protects ¹.

A major sin is what is forbidden outright and carries a fixed punishment in this world and the next by a clear text; some say it is what carries a hadd or is threatened with fire, curse or wrath, and this is the most accepted view. A minor sin is any sin not ended by curse, wrath or fire, or below the two limits; the link to lamam is equality ².

Lamam as minor sins does not impair uprightness unless one persists, since avoiding them is not possible ². Al-Qarafi says a minor sin does not impair uprightness unless persisted in; al-Ghazali says a person cannot avoid backbiting, lying and tale-bearing, so his testimony is not refused for them unless he persists ². Persistence, according to Ibn Nujaym, is repeating the minor sin often enough to show little care for one's religion, a matter left to judgement and custom ².