arily abrogate what preceding Rasuls have delivered. Neither is it
necessary that he should bring a book or even a new law. Some Rasuls do so,
but the distinguishing mark of the Rasul is that he delivers to men
commands direct from God, and is specially commissioned so to do. Thus
every Rasul is a Nabi, whilst every Nabi is not a Rasul.

The question of the sinlessness of the prophets is one to which
considerable attention has been paid by Muslim theologians. The orthodox
belief is that they are free from sin. Some think that their freedom from
sin is because the grace of God being ever in them in the richest fulness
they are kept in the right path. The Ash'arians believe that the power of
sinning is not created in them.[144] The Mutazilites deny this, but admit
the existence of some quality which keeps them from evil. These theories do
not agree with actual facts. Prophets like other men commit faults, but
here comes in the Muslim distinction of sins into gunah-i-kabira "great
sins," and gunah-i-saghira "little sins." The gunah-i-kabira are, murder,
adultery, disobedience to God and to parents, robbing of orphans, to accuse
of adultery, to avoid fighting against infidels, drunkenness, to give or to
take usury, to neglect the Friday prayers and the Ramazan fast, tyranny,
backbiting, untrustworthiness, forgetting the Quran after reading it, to
avoid giving true or to give false witness, lying without sufficient
reason,[145] to swear falsely or to swear by any other than God, flattery
of tyrants, false judgments, giving short weight or measure, {155} magic,
gambling, approval of the ceremonies of infidels, boasting of one's piety,
calling on the names of deceased persons and beating the breast at such
times,[146] dancing, music, neglect when opportunity offers of warning
other persons with regard to the "commands and prohibitions" of God,
disrespect to a Hafiz, to shave the beard, to omit saying the "darud"
(_i.e._ on whom and on whose family be the peace and mercy of God) whenever
the name of Muhammad is mentioned.[147] These are all "great sins" and can
only be forgiven after due repentance: the "little sins" are forgiven if
some good actions are done. "Observe prayer at early morning, at the close
of day, and at the approach of night; for the _good deeds drive away the
evil deeds_." (Sura xi. 116).

Men may commit sin wittingly or unwittingly. It is the universal belief
that a prophet never commits the greater sins in e