Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Al-An'am 6:120

Surah Al-An'am 6:120



ﱢ ﱣ ﱤ ﱥ ﱦ ﱧ ﱨ ﱩ ﱪ ﱫ ﱬ ﱭ ﱮ

And leave what is apparent of sin and what is concealed thereof. Indeed, those who earn [blame for] sin will be recompensed for that which they used to commit.

Allah says;

وذروا ظاهر اﻻثم وباطنه

Leave evil, open and secret... Mujahid said that, it refers to all kinds of sins committed in public and secret. Qatadah said that,

وذروا ظاهر اﻻثم وباطنه

(Leave sin, open and secret...), encompasses sins committed in public and secret, whether few or many. In another statement, Allah said,

قل إنما حرم ربي الفوحش ما ظهر منها وما بطن

Say: "(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (evil sins) whether committed openly or secretly. (7:33) This is why Allah said,

إن الذين يكسبون اﻻثم سيجزون بما كانوا يقترفون

Verily, those who commit sin will get due recompense for that which they used to commit. Whether the sins they committed were public or secret, Allah will compensate them for these sins. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that An-Nawwas bin Sam`an said, "I asked Allah's Messenger about Al-Ithm. He said,

اﻻثم ما حاك في صدرك وكرهت أن يطلع الناس عليه

The sin is that which you find in your heart and you dislike that people become aware of it

Tafsir of Al-An'am 6:120

Tafsir Ibn Kathir