The Prophet ﷺ said, "Avoid the seven destructive sins."The companions asked, "Messenger of Allah, what are they?"He replied, "Associating partners with Allah, practicing magic, killing a soul whom Allah has forbidden to be killed except by right, consuming usury, devouring the property of an orphan, fleeing from the battlefield, and slandering chaste, believing, unsuspecting women."
عن النبي ﷺ قال: اجتنبوا السبع الموبقات، قالوا: يا رسول الله، وما هن؟ قال: الشرك بالله، والسحر، وقتل النفس التي حرم الله إلا بالحق، وأكل الربا، وأكل مال اليتيم، والتولي يوم الزحف، وقذف المحصنات المؤمنات الغافلات.
Bukhari narrated it in the Book of Bequests (2766), and Muslim in the Book of Faith (89), both from the hadith of Sulayman bin Bilal, from Thawr bin Zayd, from Abu Ghayth, from Abu Hurairah, and he mentioned it.As for what is narrated from Abu Hurairah and Abu Saeed, they said, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ addressed us one day and said, "By the One in whose hand is my soul," three times, then he bowed his head, and every man among us bowed his head weeping, not knowing what he had sworn about. Then he raised his head, and there was good news on his face, which was dearer to us than red camels. Then he said, "There is no servant who prays the five prayers, fasts Ramadan, pays zakat, and avoids the seven major sins, except that the gates of Paradise are opened for him, and it is said to him, enter in peace."In this narration there is an unknown narrator. Nasai narrated it (2438), and Ibn Khuzayma graded it sahih (315), as did Ibn Hibban (1748) and Hakim (1/200–201), all from the hadith of Saeed bin Abu Hilal, from Nuaym Al-Mujmir, who said, Suhayb the freedman of Al-Atwari informed me that he heard from Abu Hurairah and Abu Saeed, who said, and he mentioned the hadith.Hakim said, "Sahih in chain." I say, in it is Suhayb the freedman of Al-Atwari, who is unknown. No one narrated from him except Nuaym Al-Mujmir, and I have not found anyone who declared him trustworthy other than Ibn Hibban. There are other hadiths bearing the same meaning, documented in their proper places.The majority of scholars have held that the specific mention of these seven does not exclude what is beyond them, since it is established in other hadiths that they are more numerous than that, such as disobedience to one's parents, learning magic, false testimony, killing your child for fear that he might eat with you, committing adultery with your neighbor's wife, the false oath that plunges one into sin, a man cursing his own parents, and cursing or fighting a Muslim, among others.Ibn Abbas was asked, "What are the seven major sins?" He said, "They are closer to seventy than to seven." And more than that has been narrated from him.Ibn Jareer and others narrated through several chains from Ibn Masud that he said, "The major sins are from the beginning of Surah Nisa up to thirty verses into it." Then he recited, "If you avoid the major sins that you are forbidden from, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance" [Nisa 4:31].Ibn Jareer narrated from Ali bin Abu Talha, from Ibn Abbas, regarding His saying, "If you avoid the major sins that you are forbidden from", that he said, "The major sins are every sin that Allah has sealed with fire, or wrath, or a curse, or punishment."Ibn Abu Hatim narrated in his Tafsir, with his chain, from Ayesha, that she said, "What was taken as a pledge from the women regarding the major sins." Ibn Abu Hatim said, she means His saying, "O Prophet, when believing women come to you pledging allegiance to you that they will not associate anything with Allah, nor steal, nor commit adultery, nor kill their children, nor bring forth a slander that they have invented between their hands and their feet, nor disobey you in what is right, then accept their pledge and ask forgiveness for them from Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful" [Mumtahina 60:12].