Question: Are all makruh acts sins in an equal degree?
ANSWER
Makruh is of two types: makruh tahrimi and makruh tanzihi:

Makruh tahrimi: Makruh tahrimi involves omitting a wajib act, and it is close to haram. A person who commits something makruh tahrimi deliberately is sinful and deserves punishment in Hell. If a person has committed makruh tahrimi by omitting a wajib element of salat on purpose, it will be wajib for him/her to repeat that salat. Imam Muhammad said that makruh tahrimi meant haram. Imam A'zam and Imam Abu Yusuf said that it neared the boundary of haram. Committing that which is makruh tahrimi is a minor sin. A person who persists in committing a minor sin will be a fasiq and will not be considered an 'adil Muslim anymore.

Makruh tanzihi: It signifies something that is close to lawful (halal) acts or an act that is better for you not to do it than to do it. For example, it is makruh tanzihi not to do sunnat-i ghayr-i muakkada or mustahab acts. If the word makruh is used alone, it signifies makruh tahrimi.

The following are some acts that are makruh tahrimi:
1. Performing a voluntary (nafilah) salat before Salat al-Maghrib,

2. Using a deposit without the permission of the giver,

3. Eating or drinking from silver or gold vessels or using such vessels,

4. Calling your parents and your husband by their names,

5. Consuming shellfish,

6. Several people's reciting the Qur'an al-karim loudly in the same place,

7. Spreading on the floor a prayer rug with a picture of a mosque on it,

8. In a mosque, talking loudly, making speeches, quarreling, or talking about mundane matters,

9. Shutting yourself away in a mosque or home and performing acts of worship all day by giving up all worldly pleasures, such as eating, drinking, and marrying,

10. Performing salat wearing a garment on which there is a picture of a human or an animal,

11. Starting to perform a sunnat salat (excluding the sunnat salat of Salat al-Fajr) when the jama'at is about to start a fard salat,

12. When seeing a janaza (corpse), standing up and waiting with your face toward it,

13. A fasiq person's calling out adhan and leading jama'at in salat,

14. Calling out adhan sitting,

15. Using obscene language,

16. Marrying a Christian or a Jewish woman,

17. The khatib's talking about worldly affairs between the khutba and the salat (for example, his saying "Whoever finds my umbrella, let him bring it to me"),

18. (For a man) performing salat with the top of his head bare by wrapping a hankie around his head,

19. Reciting in the second rak'at the ayahs that come before the ones recited in the first rak'at or reciting in the second rak'at three ayahs more than the ones recited in the first rak'at (these acts will not be makruh if done forgetfully),

20. Reciting in the second rak'at the same ayahs recited in the first rak'at (which is makruh tanzihi),

21. The imam's performing qira'at (recitation) and tasbihaat in salat more than what was prescribed by sunnat,

22. Bowing for ruku' or rising from ruku', or going down for sajda or rising from sajda before the imam does,

23. Reciting Surat al-Fatiha behind the imam while he is reciting it,

24. Performing salat (for a man) in silken or stolen clothes,

25. A woman's shaving her head without a valid excuse (it is permissible for her to shorten her hair by having its part extending down below the ear lobes cut off, provided that it will not be like the hair of a man),

26. Women's kissing each other when they meet or their attending Salat al-Janaza,

27. Giving alms though you are in need,

28. Using a handkerchief out of arrogance or to show off (it is permissible to use it if there is a need, e.g. to wipe sweat off or to wipe the nose),

29. Stretching your two legs or one leg toward the qibla direction (it is not makruh if you stretch them due to a valid excuse or by mistake),

30. Delaying shaving pubic and armpit hair beyond 40 days,

31. Starting a sunnat salat when there is a little time before the expiry of the time for a fard salat,

32. Omitting a sunnat-i muakkada element of salat, (It is makruh tanzihi to omit one of the sunnat-i ghayr-i muakkada elements of salat. If a person habitually omits sunnat salats without a valid excuse, it will be a minor sin. It causes disbelief to consider a sunnat act unimportant.)

33. Inserting the fingers of both hands between each other during salat or in the mosque (it is makruh tanzihi if done elsewhere),

34. Breaking a voluntary fast without a valid excuse,

35. Not making up the voluntary fast you broke,

36. Observing a fast of Ramadan on a doubtful day,

37. Delaying Salat al-Isha until after midnight or Salat al-Asr until it is close to the evening,

38. Playing such games as backgammon and chess (it will be haram if you frequently play it or if it involves gambling),

39. Cleaning yourself after urination or defecation with zamzam water, a leaf, or paper,

40. Turning your front or back toward the qibla when urinating or defecating (it will not be makruh if you turn toward it forgetfully or due to a valid excuse),

41. Not giving your zakat and delaying it after it has become fard (obligatory) on you.