Those who avoid great sins and shameful deeds, only (falling into) small faults,- verily thy Lord is ample in forgiveness. He knows you well when He brings you out of the earth, And when ye are hidden in your mothers’ wombs. Therefore justify not yourselves: He knows best who it is that guards against evil. Surah 53:32

According to this verse, Allah asks that we avoid the big sins and only commit the small sins. So some questions come to mind:

• What are the great sins and shameful deeds? What are the major sins that I need to stay away?
• What are the small faults? What are those little things that God doesn’t get too upset over?

While it would appear to be a compassionate and merciful act, overlooking a sin does compromise Allah’s holy and just nature.

Justice should never mean overlooking sin. Justice means a payment must occur for our unjust deeds. It demands a consistent penalty for an unjust act.

To be just, one has to examine every sin and convict the person for every sin. Obviously following other gods is great and shameful in the eyes of the Koran. So is stealing. What about stealing food when you are hungry? The Koran talks about mocking others. Is that shameful or small? Adultery? Interrupting the Prophet while he speaks? A clear outline of what is acceptable and what is not would be helpful. The Koran does not offer that ranking of sin.

If Allah overlooks some “small faults,” does that make Him forgiving of sin or accepting of sin? By simply shrugging off some sin, the Koran says that some sin is okay.

The Bible makes it clear that all sin is wrong. God hates all sin. No sins, in the Bible, are overlooked.

If God hates all sin and all of us are sinners, then God must punish all of us for all of our sin. That’s justice. God cannot be merciful and overlook some sin. That’s mercy without justice. God is both merciful and just.

Our court systems arrest the accused for a crime. They put them on trial to determine their guilt. If they are found guilty, they are punished and must pay a penalty (either monetary or time) that equals the severity of the crime. Our court systems try every crime and do not overlook anything. That is justice.



In the Bible, here is how God shows his justice and mercy.

• We are all unrighteous and sinful. We’ve all committed a crime.
• We must pay the penalty for our sins. That penalty, unfortunately, is death.
• God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. All of them.
• We become righteous (right with God) through faith in Jesus Christ by believing in him.
• The price was paid. This demonstrated His justice. Jesus took on my death penalty. Not me.

According to Romans 3, God does not overlook any sins. Every sin has to be accounted for. Jesus took on the penalty of death for my all my sins. God showed mercy by allowing Jesus to die for my sins. God showed justice by carrying out the penalty for all sins against his son Jesus Christ. He was an eternal sacrifice for all sins and all people.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

The Bible says sin leads to death, but God’s mercy gives believers eternal life in Jesus. There’s justice in his mercy. All sins are forgiven by the sacrifice of a blameless God who loves us enough to die for us.

There is no overlooking sin in the Bible.  Every one of them is accounted for.