Narrated ‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud said that a man asked God’s messenger, what was the greatest sin in God’s sight, to which he replied, “That you should treat anything as equal to God when He has created you." “What next?’’ he asked, to which he replied, “That you should kill your child for fear that he may eat a:
“Those who do not invoke another god along with God, or kill one whom God has declared inviolate without a just cause, or commit fornication..." 1
He also said that he asked the Prophet what was the most excellent aspect of faith, and received the reply, “That you should love for God’s sake, hate for God’s sake, and employ your tongue in making mention of God.” “What more, messenger of God?” he asked and was told, “That you should like other people to have what you like yourself, and dislike that they should have what you dislike yourself.”
‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr reported God’s messenger as saying, “The major sins are associating other objects of worship with God, disobedience to parents, murder, and deliberate perjury (al-yamin al-ghamus)."
Bukhari transmitted it. Anas’s version has “false witness”* (shahadat al-zur) instead of ‘‘deliberate perjury."
Mu‘adh b. Jabal said that he heard God’s messenger say, “He who meets his Lord having associated nothing with Him, observed the five times of prayer, and fasted during Ramadan will be forgiven.” Mu'adh asked whether he should not give them the good news, but was told to let them go on doing works.
