Running away from the battlefield



The major sins are those acts which have been forbidden by Allah in the Quran and by His Messenger (PBUH) in the Sunnah and which have been made clear by the actions of the first righteous generation of Muslims, the Companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.s).

Allah (s.w.t) says concerning them in the Glorious Quran:

If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall expiate from you your (small) sins, and admit you to a Noble Entrance (i.e. Paradise) [Quran 4:31]



Although the major sins are many, close to seventy according to Ibn `Abbas (RA), the following hadeeth highlights the seriousness of such sins:



The Prophet (PBUH) said: `Avoid the seven things that doom a person to Hell.` They said, `O Messenger of Allah, what are they?` He said, `Associating others with Allah (shirk); witchcraft (sihr); killing a soul whom Allah has forbidden to kill, except for a lawful reason; consuming riba; consuming the property of orphans; fleeing from the battlefield; and slandering chaste and innocent believing women.` [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2615; Muslim, 89]



It is therefore of paramount importance that Muslims gains knowledge about these major sins and do their utmost to avoid them. In this major sins series, Imaam Abu Usamah goes through the book `Kitaab ul-Kabair` (Book of major sins) written by the great scholar of Islam, Imaam Adh-Dhahabi (rahimahullah) (d. 748 AH). Abu Usamah uses his dynamic and captivating style to expound upon each chapter of the book correcting any weak hadeeth that may be present.