A great wrong produces a great darkness, and many wrongs pile up many layers of darkness; everything will be weighed in exact proportion. Allah the Exalted says: “We shall set up the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, and no soul will be wronged in the least. Even if it be the weight of a mustard seed, We shall bring it forth, and We are sufficient as Reckoners” (al-Anbiya 21:47).

This verse proves that wrongdoing is one of the major sins, for a threat of punishment is issued only for the gravest offenses. Whether one wrongs fellow human beings or wrongs the Creator—the Lord of all servants—it is all counted among the major sins.

The Prophet ﷺ further said, “Beware of shuh (avarice),” meaning the covetous desire for what belongs to others. Guard yourselves against it and keep away from it, “for it destroyed those who came before you”—the earlier nations. It drove them to shed one another’s blood and to violate what had been declared sacred, and thus they were ruined. We seek refuge in Allah.