Sins of the Stomach, Eye, Tongue and Ear

## Sins of the stomach

The sins of the stomach are three:

1. **Eating carrion (*mayta*): an animal that was not slaughtered with a valid Islamic slaughter. Whoever eats it after knowing falls into a sin among the sins of the stomach. 2. Riba (usury)**: and among the kinds of *ribā* is «every loan that brings a benefit». 3. Drinking alcohol.

It is reported from Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet ﷺ: «Avoid the seven destructive sins.» They said: «O Messenger of Allah, what are they?» He said: «Associating others with Allah, sorcery, killing the soul which Allah has forbidden except by right, consuming *ribā*, consuming an orphan's wealth, fleeing on the day of battle, and slandering chaste, believing, heedless women.» So this hadith shows that consuming *ribā* and slandering chaste women are among the destructive sins.

## Sins of the eye

Looking at non-mahram women — those who are not among his *maḥārim* — with desire, at her face and her hands (which are not part of the *ʿawra*), or at anything else at all, meaning even without desire. Likewise, women do not look at men.

## Sins of the tongue

- **Backbiting (*ghība*)**: mentioning your Muslim brother, alive or dead, with something about him that he dislikes — such as saying: «So-and-so is short,» or «his father drinks alcohol,» or «so-and-so is not well-raised,» or «his children are not well-raised,» or «he has no taste.» If you say it to his face, it is a more severe sin. If he goes on at length in the talk, it is a major sin, and about the righteous person (*taqī*) likewise a major sin. It is also forbidden to listen to it and to fail to prevent such talk — with wisdom: if it would only increase the backbiting, just change the subject, and otherwise one changes the gathering.

- **Tale-carrying (*namīma*)**: conveying speech with the intention of causing corruption; it is among the causes of the punishment of the grave. If it was without intent, there is no sin. Allah said: ﴿and fitna is worse than killing﴾. The *fitna* here is in religion; the layperson and the scholar know that killing is more severe than stirring trouble between two people, so whoever believes that conveying speech to corrupt is more severe than killing may fall into disbelief. *Fitna* also carries the meaning of *namīma*, and it has other meanings.

- **Slander (*buhtān*)**: mentioning your Muslim brother with something that is not in him and that he dislikes.

- **Lying (*kadhib*)**: speech contrary to reality, whether he is joking or not. Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: «Lying is not fitting in earnestness nor in jest, nor that one of you should promise his child something and then not fulfil it for him.» A lie that brings no harm is a minor sin, and a lie that brings harm is a major sin. Lying about Allah and His Messenger includes what is disbelief and what is a major sin — like one who says: «The Prophet passed by here,» or «Allah created a mountain of gold here.»

- Qadhf (false accusation of unchastity): any word that attributes adultery to someone, or to one of his relatives — like a person saying «child of haram,» or an insinuation like «so-and-so is chaste,» said mockingly and intending that she is not chaste. Among it is *qadhf* of chaste women (*muḥṣanāt*) — those not known for indecency.

- Nadb: mentioning the merits of the dead with a raised voice; it is a major sin.

- Niyāḥa (wailing): crying out in the manner of grief, by choice; it is among the major sins, and wailing is mentioned in the hadith of Muslim (934).

## Sins of the ear

Listening to forbidden sounds: there are forbidden instruments and instruments that are not forbidden, just as there is forbidden speech and permissible speech. There are instruments invented in a recent era that were not present in the time of the Prophet ﷺ. The scholars explained, saying: instruments that rely on blowing are forbidden. Likewise among the forbidden instruments are string instruments such as the piano (and not the organ), and likewise the oud and the kamanja. Electronic sounds are not forbidden. The instruments that are not forbidden: the *duff*, the *bendīr*, and the *ṭār*.

The speech used in songs is looked at: there is forbidden speech and speech that is not forbidden; now we have a yardstick. At weddings there are some instruments, and this is forbidden unless it is under compulsion for you; but if you are not a denier, then upon you…