Does a reprehensible act (makruh) become forbidden (haram) if committed more than three times?

Scholars differed on the issue of whether a disliked act (makrooh) becomes a sin (ma’siyah) by persisting in it. Some held that persistence and continuous performance of a disliked act renders its doer a fasiq (transgressor) and may turn it into a minor sin, perhaps even leading him to commit forbidden acts (haram (definition)). Others, however, maintained that a disliked act does not become forbidden by persisting in it due to the absence of evidence, and that the concern is rather that it may weaken the doer's resolve to adhere to the limits of the Shariah. A Muslim should avoid disliked acts in pursuit of the safety of his religion. Scholars also differed on the criterion for persistence in a minor sin that elevates it to a major sin. Some see it as the intention to return to it, while others consider it to be continuous performance that indicates a lack of concern.