Sins Committed From Time to Time (al-Lamam)

“Once I said to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘How do you consider the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, “. . . those who avoid major sins and indecent acts except al-Lamam (sins committed from time to time). . . .” (53:33) The Imam said, ‘It is the sin that one may commit then stops it, as Allah wills, and then commits it again.”

“Once I read the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, before one of the two Imam (a.s.) . . those who avoid the major sins and indecent acts except the al-Lamam ones . . (53:33) The Imam said, ‘It is a thing after a thing, that is, a sin after a sin that a servant (of Allah) commits.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Every believer may have a sin and he shuns it for a period of time, then he commits it again and this is that which is mentioned in the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, as ‘Except al-Lamam’ (the sins committed from time to time).’ The narrator has said that I asked the Imam about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘. . . those who avoid the major sins and the indecent acts, except the al- Lamam .’ (53:33) The Imam said, ‘Indecent acts are fornication and theft and al-Lamam is that which a man commits, and then pleads before Allah for forgiveness.’”

“Any sin that may become imprinted in a believing servant (of Allah) he shuns it for a period of time then commits it again as it is mentioned in the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘ . . . those who avoid the major sins and the indecent acts except the al-Lamam . . .’ (53:33) The Imam said, ‘One committing al-Lamam, sins often, is he (servant) who commits such sins one after the other and it is not of his normal behavior and nature.’”