6.151
Abbas - Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs
(Say) O Muhammad to Malik Ibn 'Awf and his fellows: (Come, I will recite unto you that which your Lord hath made a sacred duty for you) in the Scripture that was revealed to me: (that ye ascribe no thing as partner unto Him) the first thing is that you do not associate with Him any of the idols (and that you do good to parents) you be dutiful to parents, (and that ye slay not your children) your daughters (because of penury) out of fear of humiliation and poverty. (We provide for you and for them) i.e. for your children (and that ye draw not nigh to lewd things) fornication (whether open) i.e. open fornication (or concealed) taking lovers in secret. (And that ye slay not the life which Allah hath made sacred, save in the course of justice) as a result of cases such as retaliation, stoning, apostasy. (This He hath commanded you) in the Qur'an, (in order that you may discern) His command and divine Oneness.
Say ‘Come I will recite that which your Lord has made a sacred duty for you that allā consisting of an-lā an being explicative you associate nothing with Him that you be dutiful to parents and that you do not slay your children by burying them alive because of poverty destitution that you may fear — We will provide for you and them — and that you do not draw near any acts of lewdness grave sins such as fornication whether it be manifest or concealed that is acts committed overtly or in secret and that you do not slay the life which God has made sacred except rightfully as in the case of retaliation or as the prescribed punishment for apostasy and the stoning of an adulterer. This which is mentioned is what He has charged you with that perhaps you will understand reflect.
Say: 'Come, I will recite that which your Lord has made a sacred duty for you: having proven that in terms of what they deem licit and make illicit idolaters are [merely] following their caprices, since idolatry in itself is simply the worship of caprice and Satan - and so when they became veiled in the attributes of the soul from the attributes of the Truth and made caprice master over them, worshipping it and obeying its commands and its prohibitions in terms of what it [caprice] deems licit or illicit - He makes it clear that the act of deeming things licit or illicit that is pursued regarding these has been commanded by God, exalted be He; and given that the discourse is directed at them with regard to their prohibiting what are goodly things, He enumerates the things that are forbidden in order that the permitted things be inferred therefrom. By forbidding genera of vices, He has encompassed all the types of excellent things. He begins by forbidding the vice of the speech faculty, which is the noblest of them [the faculties] - for the vice thereof is the worst of grave sins, entailing as it does all [other] vices, in contrast to the vices of its two sister-faculties, the bestial and the predatory - and says: that you associate nothing with Him, since idolatrous association is the result of its mistaken consideration and its shortcoming in employing the intellect and perceiving the proof. He then follows it with [the mention of] being dutiful to parents. For knowledge of the rights due to them comes after the knowledge of God in terms of existentiation and lordship, as they [the parents] are two causes that are close in terms of existence and nurture and two means which God, exalted be He, has made loci for the manifestation of His two attributes of existentiation and lordship. That is why he [the Prophetḍ] said, 'Whoever is obedient to his parents is indeed obedient to God and His Messenger'. Disobedience to them comes after idolatry, since ignorance of what is due to them can only be out of the ignorance of what is due to God and of the knowledge of His attributes. Then [He mentions] the prohibition against the slaying of one's children for fear of poverty.
To do that can only be the result of ignorance and blindness concerning His causation of provision for every creature and [ignorance of] that the provisions of servants are in His hand, expanding provision for whomever He wishes or restricting [it], and the result of being veiled from the mystery of [divine] predetermination, not knowing thus that provisions are predetermined in relation to lifespans, much like the predetermination of terms of life. And so the most important of these [vices] occurs as a result of its [the faculty's] erroneous knowledge of God's essence. The second [of these vices] is the result of its error regarding the knowledge of His attributes. The third is the result of [the error regarding] the knowledge of His acts. Thus only a degenerate who is veiled from the essence of God, exalted be He, and from His attributes and acts commits these three [types of] vices, and these veilings are the mother of all vices and the roots thereof. He then illustrates the vice of the bestial faculty, because its vice is more manifest and long-standing, saying: and that you do not draw near any acts of lewdness, deeds that are despicable and vile to the intellect, whether it be manifest, such as engaging in illicit fornication in inns, drinking wine and the consumption of usury, or concealed, such as seeking acts of lewdness such as those mentioned, having the intention and the resolve to [commit] them or hiding them, as in the case of theft or engaging in forbidden things secretly. He then points out the vice of the predatorial faculty, saying: and that you do not slay the life which God has made sacred, that is to say, through retaliation or disbelief. He concludes the narrative with His words: This, the avoidance of the three genera of the vices of the soul, is what He has charged you with that perhaps you will understand: in other words, only the people of the intellect are able to avoid them. The one who commits them is one without [the faculty of] reason (ʿaql). He then wishes to illustrate that the three vices by their confluence entail the vice of injustice, which is the greatest of these [vices] and the sum thereof, just as the virtues [of the soul] entail justice, which is the perfection of these [virtues] and the one that subsumes them [all]. Thus He says:
Dawud Al-Awdy narrated that, Ash-Sha`bi said that, `Alqamah said that Ibn Mas`ud said, "Whoever wishes to read the will and testament of the Messenger of Allah on which he placed his seal, let him read these Ayat,
(Say: "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited you from: Join not anything in worship with Him...'') until,
لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
(...so that you may have Taqwa) 6:153.'' In his Mustadrak, Al-Hakim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "In Surah Al-An`am 6, there are clear Ayat, and they are the Mother of the Book (the Qur'an).'' He then recited,
(Say: "Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited you from...") Al-Hakim said, "Its chain is Sahih, and they did not record it.'' In his Mustadrak Al-Hakim also recorded that `Ubadah bin As-Samit said, "The Messenger of Allah said,
«أَيُّكُمْ يُبَايِعُنِي عَلَى ثَلَاث»
(Who among you will give me his pledge to do three things) He then recited the Ayah,
(Whoever fulfills (this pledge), then his reward will be with Allah, but whoever fell into shortcomings and Allah punishes him for it in this life, then that will be his recompense. Whoever Allah delays (his reckoning) until the Hereafter, then his matter is with Allah. If He wills, He will punish him, and if He wills, He will forgive him.)'' Al-Hakim said, "Its chain is Sahih and they did not record it.'' As for the explanation of this Ayah, Allah said to His Prophet and Messenger Muhammad : Say, O Muhammad, to those idolators who worshipped other than Allah, forbade what Allah provided them with and killed their children, following their opinions and the lures of the devils,'
قُلْ
(Say) to them
تَعَالَوْاْ
(Come) come here, come close
أَتْلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ
(I will recite what your Lord has prohibited you from. ) meaning, I will inform you about what your Lord has forbidden for you in truth, not guessing or wishful thinking. Rather, it is revelation and an order from Him.
Shirk is Forbidden
أَلاَّ تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئاً
(Join not anything in worship with Him;) this Allah has ordained, for He said at the end of the Ayah,
ذلِكُمْ وَصَّـكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
(This He has commanded you that you may understand.) In the the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Abu Dharr said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(Jibril came to me and conveyed the good news that, "Whoever among your followers dies, worshipping none along with Allah, will enter Paradise." I said, "Even if he stole or committed illegal sexual intercourse'' He said, "Even if he stole or committed illegal sexual intercourse." I said, "Even if he stole or committed illegal sexual intercourse" He said, "Even if he stole or committed illegal sexual intercourse." I said, "Even if he stole or committed illegal sexual intercourse" He said, "Even if he stole or committed illegal sexual intercourse or even if drank alcohol.") Some of the Musnad and Sunan compilers recorded that Abu Dharr said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(Allah said, `O Son of Adam! As long as you supplicate to Me and hope of Me, I will forgive whatever you committed, and it will be easy for Me to do that. And even if you brought the earth's fill of sins to Me, I will bring forth its fill of forgiveness, as long as you do not associate anything or anyone in worship with Me. And even if you err and your errors accumulate until they reach the boundaries of the sky and you then ask Me for forgiveness, I will forgive you.') This subject is also mentioned in the Qur'an, for Allah said,
(Verily, Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners (in worship) with Him, but He forgives whom He wills, sins other than that.) 4:116 Muslim recorded a Hadith in the Sahih that reads,
(And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents.) 17:23 Allah often mentions obeying Him and being dutiful to parents together. Allah said,
(Give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination. But if they (both) strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not; but behave with them in this world kindly, and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience. Then to Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do.) 31:14-15 Therefore, Allah ordered children to be dutiful and kind to their parents, even if they were idolators. Allah also said,
(And (remember) when We took a covenant from the Children of Israel, (saying): Worship none but Allah and be dutiful and kind to parents.) 2:83 There are several Ayat on this subject. It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that Ibn Mas`ud said, "I asked Allah's Messenger about which deed is the best. He said,
«الصَّلَاةُ عَلَى وَقْتِهَا»
(The prayer, when it is performed on time.) I said, `Then' He said,
«بِرُّ الْوَالِدَيْن»
(Being dutiful to parents.) I asked, `Then' He said,
«الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ الله»
(Jihad in Allah's cause.) Ibn Mas`ud said, "The Messenger of Allah said these words to me, and had I asked him for more, he would have said more.''
(Kill not your children because of poverty, We shall provide sustenance for you and for them.) After Allah commanded kindness to parents and grandparents, He next ordered kindness to children and grandchildren. Allah said,
وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلَـدَكُمْ مِّنْ إمْلَـقٍ
(kill not your children because of poverty,) because the idolators used to kill their children, obeying the lures of the devils. They used to bury their daughters alive for fear of shame, and sometimes kill their sons for fear of poverty. It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "I asked the Messenger of Allah, `Which sin is the biggest' He said,
«أَنْ تَجْعَلَ للهِ نِدًّا وَهُوَ خَلَقَك»
(To call a rival for Allah, while He Alone created you.) I said, `Then what' He said,
(And those who invoke not any other god along with Allah, nor kill such person as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse...) 25:68.'' Allah's statement,
مِّنْ إمْلَـقٍ
(Because of Imlaq) refers to poverty, according to Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah, As-Suddi and others. The Ayah means, do not kill your children because you are poor. Allah said in Surat Al-Isra',
وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلادَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَـقٍ
(And do not kill your children for fear from Imlaq.) 17:31, that is, do not kill your children for fear that you might become poor in the future. This is why Allah said,
نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُم
(We shall provide sustenance for them and for you) 17:31, thus mentioning the provision of the children first, meaning, do not fear poverty because of feeding your children. Certainly, their provision is provided by Allah. Allah said,
نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ
(We provide sustenance for you and for them,) thus starting with parents, because this is the appropriate subject here and Allah knows. Allah said next,
(Say: "(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (immoral sins) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners (in worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge.") 7:33 We also explained this meaning in the explanation of the Ayah,
وَذَرُواْ ظَـهِرَ الإِثْمِ وَبَاطِنَهُ
(Leave sin, open and secret) 6:120. The Two Sahihs recorded that Ibn Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(None is more jealous than Allah. This is why He has forbidden the immoral sins committed openly or secretly.) `Abdul-Malik bin `Umayr said that Warrad narrated that Al-Mughirah said that Sa`d bin `Ubadah said, "If I see a man with my wife (committing adultery), I will kill him with the sword." When the matter came to the Messenger of Allah, he said,
(Do you wonder at Sa`d's jealousy By Allah, I am more jealous than Sa`d, and Allah is more jealous than I. This is why He has forbidden the immoral sins committed openly and in secret.) This Hadith is in the Two Sahihs).
(And kill not anyone whom Allah has forbidden, except for a just cause (according to Islamic law).) This part of the Ayah emphasizes this prohibition in specific, although it is included in the immoral sins committed openly and in secret. In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Ibn Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(The blood of a Muslim person who testifies that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah is prohibited, except for three offenses: a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse, life for life, and whoever reverts from the religion and abandons the Jama`ah (the community of faithful believers).) There is a prohibition, a warning and a threat against killing the Mu`ahid, i.e., non-Muslims who have a treaty of peace with Muslims. Al-Bukhari recorded that `Abdullah bin `Amr said that the Prophet said,
(Whoever killed a person having a treaty of protection with Muslims, shall not smell the scent of Paradise, though its scent is perceived from a distance of forty years. ) Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said,
(Whoever killed a person having a treaty of protection with the Muslims, and who enjoys the guarantee of Allah and His Messenger, he will have spoiled the guarantee of Allah for him. He shall not smell the scent of Paradise though its smell is perceived from a distance of seventy years.) Ibn Majah and At-Tirmidhi recorded this Hadith, and At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih.'' Allah's statement,
ذلِكُمْ وَصَّـكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
(This He has commanded you that you may understand.) means, this is what He has commanded you that you may comprehend His commandments and prohibitions.
6.151-153
Maududi - Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an
That is, "The limits set by your Lord are not those which you have imposed on yourselves, but they are the following which Allah has set for the regulation of human life and which have always been the fundamental basis of all Divine Laws." (Please compare these precepts with those contained in Exodus chapter 20).
One is guilty of shirk if: (a) one sets up another besides Allah as god, or (b) one attributes to another any of those attributes that naturally and exclusively belong to Allah, or (c) one sets up a partner with Allah in His powers, or (d) in His rights. According to (a), all those creeds which set up partners with Allah in the essence of His Godhead shall be shirk, e.g., the creed of Trinity of the Christians, the creed of musrhik Arabs to believe in the angels to be daughters of God and to attribute "Godhead" to their gods and goddesses and the members of the royal families. According to (b), all those, who believe that someone other than Allah also possesses one or some or all of the attributes which exclusively belong to Allah, shall be guilty of shirk. For instance, it will be shirk if one believes that someone knows all about everything including the "unseen" or hears everything or is completely free from each and every defect and weakness, and is infallible like Allah. According to (c), one shall be guilty of shirk, if one believes that someone else besides Allah is able to wield any one or all of those powers that exclusively belong to Him. For instance, one shall be committing shirk, if one believes that someone else besides Allah can, in a supernatural way, benefit or harm or fulfill heeds or help or protect or defend, or hear prayers, or make or mar destinies, or set the limits of lawful or unlawful, proper or improper, or prescribe laws (shar a) for human life. These shall be shirk, for all these things are the exclusive characteristics of Godhead. It shall be shirk under (d) if one surrenders to another any or all of those rights to which Allah alone is entitled. For instance, Allah alone has the right that man should stand with bound hands, bow and prostrate before Him, or he should make vows and give offerings in His name alone or make sacrifices as a mark of gratitude in acknowledgment of His greatness; He alone has the right that He should be invoked to ward off troubles etc. Likewise, Allah alone is entitled to all forms of worship, devotion and glory and He alone has the right to be loved more than anyone or anything else and all other affections should be sacrificed for His love. He alone should be feared so that one would not dare displease or disobey Him openly and secretly. He alone has the right to be obeyed unconditionally and unreservedly; and His Guidance alone should be made the sole standard of judging right from wrong and none else should be obeyed except in accordance with the obedience to Allah. If ever one of these rights is surrendered to someone other than Allah, it will be setting that one as a partner with Him, whether that one is given the title of god or not.
"Kind treatment" includes respect and honor, obedience and desire to please and serve parents etc., This right of the parents has been stated in the Qur'an at several places immediately after the rights of Allah. This is a clear proof that this right of the parents is only next to the right of Allah and has priority over all human rights.
The Arabic word fawahish applies to all kinds of impure acts, whose obscenity is absolutely obvious. The Qur'an declares adultery, sodomy, nudism, calumny, marriage with father's wife as "indecencies." Besides these, theft, drinking and beggary have also been included in the list of indecencies in the Traditions. Likewise, all other obscene acts are also indecencies and the Divine Commandment demands that such acts should neither be committed openly nor secretly.
This is the declaration of the sanctity of human life by Allah Who has made it inviolable as a basic principle. As regards its destruction "by right", the Qur'an allows this in three cases and the Holy Prophet added two more to these. The Qur'an makes it lawful to take the life of the one: (1) who is proved guilty of the intentional murder of another person. (2) who opposes Islam and obstructs its establishment so as to leave no other alternative than to fight with him, (3) who spreads disorder within the Islamic territory or exerts to overthrow the established Islamic government. Besides these, the Holy Prophet has made it lawful to.take the life of the one: (4) who, in spite of being married, is proved guilty of adultery, (5) who becomes an apostate and deserts the Islamic Community. These five are the only cases in which it becomes lawful to take human life and there is no other case in which it becomes lawful to take human life and there is no other case besides these in which human life may be taken, be it that of a Muslim, or of a dhimmi, or of an unbeliever.
"The best way" will be the one which is based on selflessness, good intentions and the welfare of the concerned orphan, and which is not objectionable in the sight of God or man.
"You shall use full measure and a just balance,'' is a fundamental principle of the Divine Law: Allah has added, "We charge one.....one can bear," to assure people that whoever tries his very best to be just and right in measuring, weighing and carrying out other trade transactions, will be absolved from his responsibility and will not be taken to account, if in spite of his best efforts, there happens to be an unintentional error.
"Covenant with Allah" is: (i) The solemn agreement which man makes with Allah, (i!) the solemn pledge which he makes with another man in the name of Allah, and (iii) the natural compact that comes into force as soon as one is born in the human society on Allah's earth. The first two kinds of covenants are intentional and optional, but the third one is a moral and natural obligation. Though man has no option in the choice of the third compact, yet it is as binding as the first two and should be honored as 'much. This is because Allah has given him life with extraordinary physical and mental faculties and furnished the earth for his habitation and provided nourishment, and limitless resources etc., for him. Naturally all this entails some rights of Allah on him. Likewise it entails some, rights of the mother who gives birth to and nourishes him and of the father who brings him up and of the society that affords him many kinds of facilities and opportunities. All these rights become, by their very nature, obligatory on him in varying degrees. It is true that this "Covenant" of man with God and society has not been written in any statute book, nevertheless it has been ingrained by Nature in each and every particle of his body, which itself owes its very existence to this Covenant. A reference to this has been made in Al-Baqarah, ti: 27: "....who break Allah's Covenant after ratifying it: who cut asunder what Allah has ordered to be joined and who produce chaos on the earth." It has again been mentioned in Al-A'raf, VII: 172 to this effect: At the time of the creation of Adam, Allah brought forth all his would-be descendants up to the Last Day, from the loins of mankind, and trade them stand witnesses to the Covenant that He is their Lord.
"..... you should follow this way because this is the Right Way." This "Natural Covenant" demands that man should follow the Way shown by Allah, because any deviation from it into the paths of rebellion or independence or in the worship of another than Allah will be the first violation against that Covenant, and will mislead one into other violations one after the other. Besides, no man can fulfill the obligations of this most delicate, vast and intricate Covenant unless one accepts Divine Guidance and follows it in every aspect of life. "...... you should not follow other ways" because they will turn you away from His Right Way which is the only Way which leads to His nearness, pleasure and approval. Moreover, when the people deviate from His High Way, each man has to make his own choice out of the hundreds of other ways. Thus the people are scattered in all directions and there is bewilderment, confusion and disorder among all mankind and this becomes a hindrance in the way of its real progress and development (Please see also E.N. 35, Al-Ma'idah).
…Do not draw near any acts of lewdness, whether openly or in secret...Whether openly refers to that which it has been forbidden to do with the external bodily members. Or in secret means the persistence (iṣrār) in committing that act, and this is of two kinds: the first is that a person commits a sin and persists in committing it; the other is that he persists in sin through desiring it in his heart, but he is not able to do it when he finds the opportunity because of a weakness in his bodily members, even though he is intent upon doing it. This is one of the most serious forms of persistence.Then Sahl said:Whoever eats what is permissible (ḥalāl) with gluttony is persistent (muṣirr), and whoever preoccupies himself with what the morrow may bring before the morrow arrives is persistent.He was asked about the prophets Â, regarding whether they thought about that which did not concern them. He replied:An act with their bodily members was allowed to them, considering that they repented to God, Exalted is He, afterwards, let alone a mere thought.He was asked, ‘Is there a form of worship for the heart, which God requires of it, other than that which is performed by the bodily members?’ He replied, ‘Yes, it is the tranquil repose (sukūn) of the heart [in God].’ Then he was asked, ‘Is such tranquil repose [in God] obligatory (farḍ) or the knowledge by which it is attained?’ He answered, ‘It is a [kind of] knowledge, which I am calling tranquil repose, and that tranquil repose [in God] leads to certainty (yaqīn). Furthermore, tranquil repose accompanied with certainty is an obligation (farīḍa).’His words, Exalted is He:
