Spiritual Disease and Its Cure by Imam Shams-ud-Deen Muhammad bin Abi Bakr bin Qayyim AlJ awziyyah

A sin can be defined in two ways: turning away from a Commandment of Allah, or committing a prohibited deed. Allah ~ had put on trial the father of the jinn and that of mankind for committing these two sins, which are divided into four categories: (1) Kingly sins: when a person assumes some godly attributes, such as greatness, pride, omnipotence, subjugation, highness, exaltedness, etc. he falls into polytheism, by associating himself with Allah ~- This type is the most serious sin of all, because one tries to compete with Allah in His Attributes and His Sovereignty, which is unforgivable. Allah ~ said: (Verily, Allah does not forgive that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives (anything else) except that, to whom He wills, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin) 1 (2) Devilish sins: when a person imitates the devil with his attributes, such as envy, oppression, cheating, treason, enjoining misdeeds, forbidding righteous deeds, innovating in religion, inviting people to misguidance. (3) Predatory sins: when a person becomes a tyrant and acts oppressively towards other weak people, inflicting them with harm and suffering. ( 4) Animalistic sins: when a person becomes possessed by his passion for lust, which leads to adultery and immorality. This type of sin is the most common among people as they are unable to assume those kingly or predatory attributes. However, it is through this type that they aim to acquire recognition for possessing those other attributes, from the predatory to the devilish, then even trying to compete with Allah ~ in His Divinity and Oneness.