<P> The most heinous sins in Islam are known as Al - Kabirah ( Persian : گناه کبیره ‎ ) which translates to the great or major one . Some authors use the term enormity . While every sin is seen as an offense to Allah , the al - Kaba'ir are the gravest of the offenses . Allah 's power is thought to be only eclipsed by his mercy and thus small sins are tacitly understood to be forgiven after repentance . Not every sin is equal however and some are thought to be more spiritually damning than others . The greatest of the sins described as al - Kaba'ir is the association of others with Allah or Shirk . Scholar differ as to how many major sins there are . In contrasting major sins with minor sins ( al - sagha'ir ) , the eighth - century Shafi'i scholar Al - Dhahabi found the hadith collections of Sahih al - Bukhari and Muslim ibn al - Hajjaj listed seven major sins , while the tradition from Abd Allah ibn Abbas stated that there were closer to seventy major sins . </P>
what is the first major sin in islam
the association of others with Allah or Shirk