Among the greatest sins is the murdering of someone unjustly, as mentioned in the previous verse. The Prophet (saws) said:

“Avoid the seven destructive things.” It was asked: (by those present): “What are they, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Associating anyone or anything with Allah in worship; practising sorcery, killing of someone without a just cause whom Allah has forbidden, devouring the property of an orphan, eating of usury, fleeing from the battlefield and slandering chaste women who never even think of anything touching chastity and are good believers.”[1]

These are the major sins which Allah (swt) prohibited, however, there is a chance for the sinner to repent and ask allah (swt) for forgiveness:

 قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

(Say, “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”) (Al-Zumar: 53)

(… إِن تَجْتَنِبُوا ) (If you avoid …): Notice the preciseness, for some people argue that the verses about the wine say that it has to be avoided but not forbidden:

 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ وَالْأَنصَابُ وَالْأَزْلَامُ رِجْسٌ مِّنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

(O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful.) (Al-Maida: 90)

 Avoiding is more serious than forbidding since, forbidding means not to fall in doing this act whereas avoiding means not even to get close to this act, to stay completely far from it, the clearest example about this the greatest sins (Al-Kaba’er).

( نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُم مُّدْخَلًا كَرِيمًا … ) (…We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance.): The Prophet (saws) said:

“The five (daily) Salat (prayers), and from one Jumu’ah prayer to the (next) Jumu’ah prayer, and from Ramadan to Ramadan are expiations for the (sins) committed in between (their intervals); when the major sins are not committed”.[2]

The Noble entrance refers to the mercies of Allah (swt) in the hereafter.

[1] Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book of Prohibited Actions, Hadith No. 2615.

[2] Sahih Muslim, Book of purification, Hadith No. 233