What is the criterion for someone who openly commits a sin? Is everyone who smokes, or listens to music, or sleeps through a prescribed prayer, or lies, or does not pray with the congregation, or delays prayer beyond its time, or breaks an appointment, considered to be openly committing a sin if he declares his action among people and shows no concern?

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "All of my Ummah (community) are forgiven except for those who publicize their sins." Publicizing sins means committing a sin openly, or disclosing it after Allah has concealed it. Whoever publicizes a sin in front of people brings ruin upon themselves and others, as the sin becomes trivial in people's eyes, leading them to commit it. Such a person becomes one of the leaders who invite to the Fire, bearing the burden of their actions and the burden of those who act upon it until the Day of Judgment. Also, among publicizing sins is when a person commits a bad deed at night or in their home, and Allah conceals it, then they wake up and inform people of what they did, thereby revealing Allah's concealment.

Anyone who publicizes a sin and displays it among people is considered a publicizer. However, the degrees of publicizing vary according to the sin; some are matters of disagreement, some are minor sins, and some are major sins.