Tafsir of Al-Furqan 25:68

"And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden"—meaning, Allah the Exalted has forbidden its killing. The prohibition only applies to actions, not to the entities themselves; thus, the possessed noun (idafa) was omitted and the possessor (mudaf ilayh) was put in its place as an intensification of the prohibition.

"Except by right": This relates to "they kill." The exception is mufarragh (disconnected/exclusive) from the most general categories of reasons. That is, they do not kill the soul for any reason whatsoever, except for a reason of "right" that removes its sanctity and immunity, such as adultery after having been married, or disbelief after belief. It is also permissible that it be a descriptor for an omitted verbal noun, meaning: "they do not kill it with any form of killing, except a killing accompanied by right." Or, it may be a state (hal), meaning: "they do not kill it in any state whatsoever, except while they are accompanied by right."

It is also said: It may be related to the omitted [act of] killing, and the exception is likewise from the most general categories of reasons—meaning they do not kill the soul that Allah has forbidden killing for any reason except by right. In this interpretation, the exception would be mufarragh within an affirmative statement to allow for the meaning by intending universality, or because "forbidden" (harrama) implies negation. The artificiality of this is evident.

"And do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse"—meaning they do not tread upon a private part that is forbidden to them.

The intent behind negating these great indecencies is to allude to the state in which their enemies from Quraysh and others were. Otherwise, there would be no need for this after having described them with the preceding attributes—such as kind interaction, enlivening the night with prayer, and their increased fear of Allah—for the need for such descriptions to negate the aforementioned sins is self-evident. From this, one understands the resolution of what has been said: that the apparent order should have been the opposite, prioritizing takhliya (clearing out vices) over tahliya (adornment with virtues), as if it were said: "And those whom Allah has purified and declared innocent from what you are upon—of idolatry, killing the forbidden soul (like the buried-alive infant), and adultery."

It is also said that explicitly negating idolatry, despite the evident nature of their belief, is either to emphasize their perfection in devotion and sincerity, or to highlight the gravity of murder and adultery by stringing them together with it. It has been explicitly stated in the narrations of Al-Bukhari, Muslim, and At-Tirmidhi, from Ibn Mas’ud, who said: "I asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), 'Which sin is the greatest?' He replied, 'That you set up a peer to Allah while He created you.' I said, 'Then what?' He said, 'That you kill your child for fear that he might eat with you.' I said, 'Then what?' He said, 'That you commit adultery with your neighbor's wife.' Then Allah the Exalted sent down in confirmation of this: 'And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity'—to the end of the verse."

The two Sheikhs (Al-Bukhari and Muslim), Abu Dawud, and An-Nasa’i recorded from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that some people of polytheism had killed often and committed adultery often; then they came to Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and said, "What you say and call to is good, if only you could tell us that there is an expiation for what we have done." So, "And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity" was revealed, and "Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves...'" was revealed.

Imam Ar-Razi mentioned that this is mentioned after what preceded because one who is described by those [virtuous] qualities might still commit these affairs under the guise of religion. Thus, He—Glorified be He—clarified that the mukallaf (accountable person) does not become one of the "Servants of the Most Merciful" through those virtues alone until it is added to that his being distant from these major sins. And this, as you see, is [the explanation].

It is permissible to say regarding the priority of tahliya over takhliya that the attributes mentioned in tahliya are more in accord with servitude, which was made the title of the subject, due to the clarity of their indication of the abandonment of egoism, and the increase in submission, fear, and moderation in behavior within that which the Master has permitted. This does not preclude the intention of the allusion mentioned in takhliya. This intent is supported by the follow-up with His saying (Mighty and Majestic is He):

"And whoever does that will meet the athama"—meaning, whoever does what has been mentioned will meet in the Hereafter a punishment the magnitude of which cannot be estimated. Interpreting athama as punishment is narrated from Qatadah and Ibn Zayd, and Abu Hayyan reported it from the linguists, citing the verse: "May Allah reward Ibn 'Urwah where he is, for his disobedience (’uquq), and for disobedience there is a reward (jaza’)."

Ibn al-Anbari recorded from Ibn Abbas that he interpreted it to Nafi’ bin al-Azraq as "the recompense," citing the verse of 'Amir bin al-Tufayl: "We quenched our spearheads with his blood, and Himyar met from us athama (recompense)." The difference between the two is slight. Abu Muslim said athama means ithm (sin), and the speech follows the assumption of a possessive noun—meaning "the penalty for sin"—or it is a metaphor where the cause is mentioned and the effect is intended.

Al-Hasan said: It is one of the names of Hell. Others said: It is a well in it. Others said: It is a mountain. A group narrated from Abdullah bin Umar and Mujahid that it is a valley in Hell, and Mujahid said: It contains pus and blood.

Ibn al-Mubarak recorded in Az-Zuhd from Shafa al-Asbahi that it contains snakes and scorpions, in the vertebrae of one of which is the amount of seventy jars of poison, and the scorpion among them is like a mule with a saddle. From 'Ikrimah: It is a name for valleys in Hell that contain the adulterers.

It has been recited "yulqa" (with a damma on the ya, a fatha on the lam, and a shadda on the qaf). Ibn Mas’ud and Abu Raja’ recited "yulqa" with an alif, intending the omission of the damma implied on the alif, so the alif was retained. Abu Mas’ud also recited "ayyaman" (plural of yawm), meaning "adversities." The usage of "days" for this meaning is common, as in "a day of days" and "the days of the Arabs" for their battles and conflicts.