. . . Except the sin of shirk. And it is "special" because it is the only unforgivable sin.
"Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating others with Him ˹in worship˺, but forgives anything else of whoever He wills. And whoever associates others with Allah has indeed committed a grave sin. "
Translation of the Quran, Surah An-Nisa : Ayah 48
But we're not here to talk about shirk. We are here to discuss the phenomena of making sins (other than shirk) "special".
Romanticising Sins
In times of moral decay and fluidity, public opinion is increasingly becoming agreeable to certain practices that are prohibited by religion. Through social engineering (agenda-setting, propaganda and distorting language) actions that were once simply thought to be "sins" have now become a matter of scepticism, criticism and friction. This aggrendisation of sins is, unsurprisingly, part of the aforementioned social engineering - meant to sow doubt in the ummah. And unfortunately, due to weakness of iman, many have fallen trap. Many Muslims have become sympathisers or even propagators of particular sins just because it was rebranded and renamed, or because those who practice them throw a fit.
But a sin is a sin.
The Laws of Allah have not changed, nor will it ever. The last Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, has delivered Al-Islam in its completion to humanity. There is flexibility within the established schools of thought, especially for grey areas, but what is haram - especially the major sins - have all been agreed upon and is common knowledge to every Muslim. But desires and an inferiority complex has overcome the ummah. For a common person to twist and turn their religion without knowledge is sheer folly. Understand that Allah's commandments are not based on our limited understanding of "love", "rights", "equality" and "justice".
Yes, different sins have different effects on Man, be it personal or social - physically, mentally, or spiritually. Such has been widely debated by scientists, psychologists and spiritual guides. But it is one thing to engage in discussion, and another for it to be treated with a special status - one that may even entail respect.
The issue with this is that people will start developing a skewed perception of the religion. As it is not treated tactfully and following Islamic principles, many follow their emotions and desires instead (and this is true for either camp). Shaytan uses this to sow even more discord in the ummah (on top of the sin in question itself), weakening the bond between Muslims.
The first step in rectifying this issue is recognising that many fall into either extreme end. In one camp, the sin is as though one is committing disbelief, and in the other, the sin is treated with exemption.
But a sin is a sin.
It is every Muslim's duty to wage jihad against their desires. Whether Allah tested them with it from birth, or developed it later on becomes irrelevant. Equally irrelevant is one's personal opinion. Revelation has ended and the religion is perfected. And to discover a "new" fiqh perspective on something that has kept its status quo for over 1400 years seems disingenuous - fitting the religion to one's desires, more like.
All that remains is application. But of course that's the hard part. What is required is being aware of social climates, taking sensitivities into consideration. But above all, it must be done whilst holding on to the laws of God. Importantly, we must also navigate to solve such issues together, as an ummah. For the real threat is not any person nor any "side" but the ones who whispers from the shadows (and those who willingly work for them). For they are working hard on every one of us to bring us closer to the only real "special" sin, and that is shirk.
May Allah keep us protect us from our desires and sin, amin.
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