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378chapter sixcific type of prohibition) is that the former contains rules that arecontingent and that give people the choice between obedience anddisobedience, while the latter are absolute and eternal, even thoughthe former includes the latter. It also means that ‘major sins’, incontrast to absolute taboos, may increase or decrease in numberaccording to the historical (legal and moral) context. If, for example,in a certain society traffic incidents have reached an alarmingly highnumber because of the inconsiderate behaviour of drivers, theauthorities, equipped with more legislative powers, will change theirattitude, and while having viewed inconsiderate driving as a minoroffence in the past will now regard it as a major crime and punishit with tougher sentences. This will continue until the new regulationshave made an impact and have reduced the number of incidents. Incontrast, absolute taboos do not increase or decrease in number anddo not change their content. To kill a person or to marry one’smother or sister remains Èar§m everywhere—in London, Damascus,or Mecca, and at all times in history, whether in the seventh, twentieth,or fortieth centuries. The Book gives fourteen absolute taboos,of which the first nine are as follows:I. To commit idolatryII. To be disrespectful to parentsIII. To kill one’s children for fear of povertyIV. To come close to shameful deeds (adultery)V. To take life unjustifiedVI. To consume the property of orphansVII. To give false measure and weightVIII. To commit perjuryIX. To break a vow (this is different from an oath which Godhas allowed us to expiate; but the vow of a doctor is a pledgeto Allah binding the doctor to the cure of his patients: breakinga vow cannot be expiated by a fast of three days or thefeeding of ten poor people; unfortunately, many peopleoften confuse an irrevocable vow to Allah with an expiatoryoath).Together with the tenth (religious) command, which is to follow thestraight path (6:153), these nine taboos comprise God’s ethical guidance( al-furq§n), elsewhere called the ‘Ten Commandments’ or the