Surah Al-A'raf — Verse 33

Word Meanings:

• Al-Fawahish (الفواحش): Acts of great indecency and moral abomination—major sins that are extremely repugnant to sound nature and divine law.
• Ma Zahara minha wa ma batan (ما ظهر منها وما بطن): What is committed openly and what is done secretly.
• Al-Ithm (الإثم): Sin and disobedience—all acts that incur divine displeasure.
• Al-Baghy (البغي): Transgression and injustice against others, including oppression, arrogance, and aggression.
• Sultan (سلطان): Proof, authority, or evidence.

Tafsir (Explanation):

O Messenger, tell those who falsely claim to know what Allah has forbidden—those who prohibit what He has made lawful and invent lies about His religion—that your Lord has only forbidden specific things, and these are clearly defined. He has not left His prohibitions vague or subject to human whims.

First, Allah has forbidden all indecent acts—those that are committed openly before people’s eyes, and those committed in secret where no one sees but Allah. This includes adultery, fornication, theft, and every shameful deed, whether done publicly to impress or privately to satisfy base desires. Both are equally forbidden, for Allah sees what is hidden and what is apparent.

Second, He has forbidden all sins—every act of disobedience to His commands, whether great or small.

Third, He has forbidden transgression and injustice—wronging others in their lives, wealth, or honor without any just cause. This includes oppression, tyranny, arrogance, and every form of aggression against fellow human beings.

Fourth, He has forbidden associating partners with Him in worship—calling upon idols, saints, or any created being alongside Allah, or attributing divinity to anything other than Him. This is forbidden because no authority or proof has ever been sent down to justify it. It is pure invention.

Fifth, He has forbidden speaking about Allah without knowledge—attributing to Him things He never said, declaring things lawful or unlawful without His sanction, inventing false doctrines, or describing Him in ways that contradict His revelation. This includes claiming He has a son, or prohibiting what He has made permissible, or fabricating religious rules.

These are the true prohibitions—not the superstitious customs of the pre-Islamic era, such as forbidding certain cattle or crops without divine warrant. Allah’s prohibitions are rooted in wisdom, justice, and mercy. They protect the individual’s soul, safeguard society’s moral fabric, and uphold the rights of Allah and His creation.

So let every believer take heed: the path of righteousness is clear. Avoid the forbidden, embrace the lawful, and never speak about your Lord except with certain knowledge from His Book and the authentic guidance of His Messenger. For Allah is Most Merciful, and His prohibitions are but a shield to guard you from harm—both in this world and in the Hereafter.