Abu Hashim Ja’fari, a companion of Imam Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him), says: I heard the Imam say: “Among the sins that are not forgiven is the statement of someone who, (while considering one of his sins in relation to his other mistakes, belittles it), says: ‘I wish I were only held accountable for this sin.'”
Abu Hashim continues: I thought to myself that this matter is very precise, and a person must be careful every day, reflecting on what they do and the actions they take. At that moment, the Imam (peace be upon him) turned to me and said: “You have thought correctly, and adhere to what you have contemplated.”[1]
God, out of His kindness to humanity, has classified some sins as minor (saghira) and others as major (kabira); otherwise, the intellect of any human being would recognize that any disobedience to God’s commands is a great mistake and a major sin, for which one would deserve to be called to account. When the intellect recognizes the presence of God and His greatness and kindness, and understands that God calls upon His servants to be in communion with Him, any act in opposition to this divine will is considered a great sin and a significant harm. Even failing to strive toward this goal is regarded as a grave error.
In other words, the intellect sees aligning with the enemies of God and turning away from the merciful and generous King, from whom everyone receives their blessings every moment, as a major sin.
In summary, the intellect considers all opposition to God’s command to be a major sin. However, God’s grace and mercy have deemed some sins smaller, meaning He has decreed lighter consequences for certain offenses compared to others.
Indeed, such is God’s mercy. But how should we think of ourselves? As Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him) teaches us, we should never consider any of our sins to be small. This is because whenever a servant considers their sin small, it becomes significant in the sight of Allah. But when a servant views their sin as major, it appears small before God. But why is this the case?
When a person views their sin as large, feelings of hatred and displeasure toward it arise in their heart, and this protects their heart and soul from the severe effects of the sin. However, when a servant belittles their disobedience before the great Lord, it indicates that they have become accustomed to this sin, and this familiarity makes the sin have the most severe impact on their heart, darkening it.
How wonderful it would be, on the anniversary of Imam al-Askari’s (peace be upon him) birth, to turn toward our Merciful Lord and whisper the following prayer: “O Allah! Forgive all our sins and pardon all our mistakes.”
(Excerpted from the book Asrar al-Salat, authored by the late Mirza Jawad Maleki Tabrizi, with minor modifications.)
Footnote:
[1] (Maqāhib Ibn Shahr Ashūb, Volume 4, Page 439)