Adab al-Mufrad

Benefits and Issues:
(1) With the Najdat: Those who are associated with Najda bin Amir al-Khariji are called Najdat, and this was a group of Kharijites who held the view that whoever commits a major sin (kabirah) leaves the fold of Islam.

(2) “Fa asabtu... al-kaba’ir”: Regarding major sins, it is necessary to keep the following points in mind:
➊ The scholars have given several definitions of major sins (kabirah). No precise definition is established from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) or the Companions (radi Allahu anhum). The following definition appears to be the most comprehensive:
“Every sin for which a prescribed punishment (hadd) is applied, or for which there is a worldly or otherworldly threat—such as Hellfire, etc.—or the doer is declared accursed.”
➋ Forgiveness of major sins: There is also a difference of opinion among the scholars regarding the forgiveness of major sins.
According to the Kharijites, whoever commits a major sin leaves the fold of Islam, and his ruling is the same as that of a disbeliever or polytheist. In contrast, according to some, committing a major sin does not affect a person’s faith at all.
Even among Ahl al-Sunnah, there is a difference of opinion as to whether repentance (tawbah) is a condition for the forgiveness of major sins, or whether major sins can also be forgiven merely through good deeds. Although the majority of scholars consider repentance to be a condition for the forgiveness of major sins, some scholars hold that righteous deeds (a‘mal salihah) can also become an expiation (kaffarah) for major sins. The correct and sound view appears to be that making repentance a condition for the forgiveness of major sins is questionable, because many acts have been declared as expiation for sins in general. Especially when an act is performed with the intention of seeking forgiveness for a sin, it is even more likely to become an expiation.
➌ The number of major sins: There are also various opinions regarding the number of major sins. In the aforementioned hadith, only nine acts are counted as major sins, while in some other narrations, more major sins are mentioned. Some have stated their number as seventeen, and according to others, their number reaches up to seventy. Ibn Hajar rahimahullah, in “al-Zawajir ‘an Iqtiraf al-Kaba’ir,” has stated the number of major sins as two hundred and forty (240). Allamah Sa‘d al-Taftazani does not accept the general division between minor (saghirah) and major (kabirah) sins at all. However, his position is, in any case, not correct. In summary, while accepting the concept of minor and major sins, it should be kept in mind that major sins are also erased through repentance, and if repentance is not made, even minor sins can become a cause of destruction. (Summary: Fadl Allah al-Samad)
➍ The company of friends has a great effect on a person, so one should choose friends carefully. Taysalah bin Mi’yas was influenced by the Kharijites due to his association with them. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gave the example of a bad friend as being like a blacksmith’s furnace, whose smoke at the very least reaches the one sitting nearby.
It is apparent from the hadith that disobedience to parents and mistreatment of them is also a major sin.
➎ “Are your parents alive?”: The question of Ibn ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu) regarding the life of the parents indicates that good treatment of parents is a means for a person to enter Paradise, and good treatment of parents becomes an expiation for a person’s ordinary sins. Whoever truly fears Hell and desires Paradise should correct his character and actions. If someone claims to fear Hell but his actions are not correct, then in reality, he does not truly fear Allah and is lying in his claim.
➏ Children are the wealth of the parents, and the wealth of the children is lawful (halal) for the parents. According to custom, parents may use the wealth of their children even without their permission, but if the children spend on their parents out of happiness of heart, then this spending is also counted by Allah as a good deed and becomes a means for them to enter Paradise.