People often talk of major and minor sins, minor being those which may be forgiven due to good deeds and regular prayer, etc, while major are those that one must repent for with sincerity for forgiveness.
Do touching and kissing, spending time with a girl, etc, count as major as they may directly lead to a major sin? Are the equivalent to zina. Also, could more... 'serious' acts be considered more sinful, such as kissing is worse than holding hands, and oral sex might be worse still as they are getting closer and closer to actual sex before marriage?
Does anyone know of any references in the Qur'an that refer to such acts, as I am struggling to find any, or indeed the hadith?
I understand that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala didn't hand down a list of sins in order of how bad they are and that, at the end of the day, sin is sin, but any guidance would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Edit: This hadith seems to suggest that such actions are equivalent to zina, as the Prophet calls them "zina of the eyes", etc:
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has decreed for every son of Adam his share of zina, which he will inevitably commit. The zina of the eyes is looking, the zina of the tongue is speaking, one may wish and desire, and the private parts confirm that or deny it.”
Is this the case?