ﲍ ﲎ ﲏ ﲐ ﲑ ﲒ ﲓ ﲔ ﲕ ﲖ ﲗ ﲘ ﲙ ﲚ ﲛ ﲜ ﲝ ﲞ ﲟ ﲠ ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ ﲫ ﲬ ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ
Those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, only [committing] slight ones. Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness. He was most knowing of you when He produced you from the earth and when you were fetuses in the wombs of your mothers. So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.
Tafsir
Verse range: 53:32
{Those who avoid the major sins and indecencies, except for minor faults...}
This phrase, {Those who avoid the major sins and indecencies, except for minor faults}, is likely a substitute (بدل) for the preceding phrase, {those who do good} (from verse 31). It is as if God said: He will recompense those who do evil, and He will recompense those who do good. This clarifies that the doer of good is one who does not commit evil or repulsive acts that are considered sins in the sight of his Lord. Thus, those who do good are those who avoid [sins], and for them is the best reward (al-Ḥusnā).
This distinction clarifies the evil-doer and the good-doer: whoever does not avoid major sins is an evil-doer, and whoever avoids them is a good-doer.
There is a subtle point here: Since the good-doer is one who avoids sins, the one who performs supererogatory acts (nawāfil) is superior to the good-doer. However, God promised the good-doer the increase (al-ziyādah). Therefore, those superior to the good-doers will receive further increases, and they are the ones who receive a double recompense.
Alternatively, this could be the beginning of a new statement, implying: "Those who avoid the major sins, God will forgive them." This is supported by the subsequent verse: {Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness}. Under this interpretation, this verse, along with the preceding one, explains the state of the evil-doer, the good-doer, and those who neither did good nor evil—those who committed no sin, even if they did not perform good deeds. This category resembles children before the obligations of accountability, and for them is forgiveness, which is less than al-Ḥusnā (the best reward).
This is further clarified by the following verse: {He knows you best when He brought you forth from the earth, and when you were hidden as embryos}, meaning He knows the state where there was neither good nor evil, just as He knew the one who went astray and erred, and the one who did good and was guided.
In this context, there are several issues:
If this phrase is a substitute for {those who did good} (past tense, aḥsanū), why does this phrase use the present tense, {those who avoid} (yajtanibūn), instead of the past tense, ijtanabū?
Answer: This is like a speaker saying, "I gave to those who asked me," meaning those whose habit and custom it was to ask. Similarly, here, {those who avoid} means those whose habit and custom it is to avoid [sins], not merely those who avoided [a sin] once and then committed it again.
If one objects, noting that in other places concerning major sins, the past tense is used (e.g., Surah Ash-Shura 37: {and when they are angry, they forgive}), or the past tense is used for avoiding Ṭāghūt (e.g., Surah Az-Zumar 17: {and those who avoided Ṭāghūt...}), what is the difference?
Answer: Avoiding the worship of Ṭāghūt relates to belief (iʿtiqād). Once a belief is established, it usually manifests outwardly. Whoever avoids it believes in its falsehood and persists in avoidance. However, actions like drinking or adultery are matters where people's states vary; one might abstain for a time and then return to it. This is why a sinner who repents undergoes purification (yastabri’), but an unbeliever who converts to Islam does not. Therefore, regarding sins, the present tense {those who avoid} is used to indicate continuous and persistent abandonment.
Regarding the worship of idols, the past tense {avoided} (ijtanabū) was used to indicate the completion of the act. Furthermore, major sins have many types, requiring avoidance of one type, then another, and so on, implying repetition and renewal, hence the use of the present tense. Idol worship, however, is a single, unified act, so the past tense indicating a single, decisive avoidance was used.
{Major sins} (kabā’ir) is the plural of kabīrah (major), which is an adjective. What is the noun being described?
Answer: It is an adjective describing the act (fiʿl), as if saying: "The major acts of sin."
If one asks why the adjective "major" is exclusively used for sins, and why one cannot speak of a "major good deed" (al-fiʿlah al-kabīrah al-ḥasanah)?
Answer: A good deed cannot be considered "major" because when weighed against what is obligatory for a servant in return for God's countless favors, it is extremely small. If God did not accept it, it would be mere dust. However, a bad deed from a servant upon whom God has bestowed abundant favors is indeed major. If not for God's grace, even the act of eating, drinking, and neglecting worship would be a sin. But God forgives some sins and lessens others.
If major sins are mentioned, why follow them with {indecencies} (al-fawāḥish)?
Answer: {Major sins} refers to the magnitude of the sin, while {indecencies} refers to the ugliness or shamelessness of the act. It is as if He said: "Those who avoid acts great in magnitude and ugly in appearance."
Linguistically, fāḥish is specific to ugliness that exceeds the limit of concealment. The structure of the root letters supports this; if you transpose them to ḥashaf, it carries the meaning of extreme badness beyond limits. It is also said of a she-camel that it stops in a specific posture to urinate (faḥashat an-nāqah), indicating that faḥsh is inherently linked to ugliness.
This is why He said {major sins} (kabā’ir al-ithm) but did not say {indecencies of sin} (al-fawāḥish min al-ithm). The major sins require qualification with "sin" because without that qualification, the intended meaning (magnitude) would not be achieved, unlike indecencies, whose inherent meaning already implies ugliness.
There are many opinions regarding major sins and indecencies:
All these definitions define the thing by something similar to it or superior to it in obscurity. As we stated, major sins are those great in magnitude, and indecencies are those whose ugliness is evident. Thus, major relates to quantity/magnitude, and indecency relates to quality/manner.
Based on our view: Originally, every transgression should be a major sin because God's favors are numerous, and opposing the Benefactor is a great evil. However, God excused His servants for error (khaṭa’) and forgetfulness (nisyān) because they do not indicate a lack of reverence. This is either due to their universality among people or their frequent occurrence (like lying or backbiting once or twice, or glances and minor repulsive acts that have an element of doubt). Few avoid these in all eras.
This is why our scholars state that listening to music accompanied by stringed instruments constitutes fisq (immorality), but if one listens to it in a town where such things are not considered serious, it does not constitute fisq. Thus, a minor sin reverts to our previous point: if the intelligent person does not consider it a dereliction of reverence, they are not committing a major sin.
Therefore, matters vary based on time and person. A pious scholar who frequently follows women or engages in excessive play is committing a major sin. However, a pimp, a vendor, or an idle person engaging in the same activity might not be considered so. Similarly, playing during prayer time versus playing at other times. Consequently, every sin is a major sin, except what the accountable person knows or suspects is excluded by God's grace and forgiveness concerning major sins.
There are several opinions regarding {except for al-Lumam}:
Under this third view, {except for al-Lumam} has several possibilities:
a. Exception from al-Fawāḥish (Indecencies): i. Discontinuous exception: Because al-Lumam is not considered an indecency. ii. Continuous exception: Because every sin, when viewed against God's right and what is due from the servant, is major and indecent. This is why God said, {And when they commit an indecency...} (Al-A'raf: 28), yet God made exceptions for certain matters. Thus, al-Fawāḥish means every sin except what God has exempted and promised to forgive.
b. {Except} meaning "other than": The meaning is: "and indecencies other than al-Lumam." i. If used for specification (like: "Men other than those with sexual desire"), then al-Lumam is the very definition of indecency. ii. If used for emphasis or clarification (like: "Men other than women came to me"), it serves to confirm and explain.
c. Exception from the implied action: It is an exception from the verb {avoid} (yajtanibūn), which implies non-approach. It is as if He said: "They do not approach them, except for a brief approach without actual commission," which is al-Lumam.
{Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness}
This statement is most apparent under our first interpretation (that {those who avoid...} is a new sentence). The good-doer is rewarded, and their sin is forgiven. The one who avoids major sins also has their minor sins forgiven. The one who commits major sins and then repents has their sin forgiven. No one remains outside the scope of forgiveness except those who did evil and persisted in it. Thus, forgiveness is vast.
There is another subtle meaning: When God excluded the evil-doer from forgiveness, He clarified that this is not due to a deficiency in forgiveness itself, but rather due to God's Will. If God had willed to forgive everyone who did good or evil, He could have, and His forgiveness would not have been narrow for them.
Forgiveness (maghfirah) means covering up (satr), which only occurs over something ugly. When one considers the actions of any creature relative to the countless favors bestowed upon them by God, one finds them deficient and sinful. If one repays the Benefactor of innumerable favors, while being openly self-sufficient and clearly majestic, with a mere penny or less, that act requires covering up.
{He knows you best when He brought you forth from the earth, and when you were hidden as embryos; so do not claim purity for yourselves. He knows best who is righteous.}
There are several connections (relevance) for this statement:
In this context, there are several issues:
The word {when} (idh) could relate to {He knows best} (i.e., He knew you at the time of creation). Or, it could relate to the imperative {remember} (idh-kuru), serving as a confirmation of His knowledge. The implication would be: "He knows you best [and that is sufficient]. If you doubt His knowledge of you, then remember your state when you were created from dust."
We have repeatedly mentioned that some scholars interpret {from the earth} to refer to Adam, as he was made of dust. We argued that everyone originates from the earth, as it becomes nourishment, which then becomes semen.
If one argues: "The phrase {when He brought you forth from the earth} must refer to Adam, because {and when you were hidden as embryos in your mothers' wombs} refers to others (since Adam was not an embryo), but if {when He brought you forth} refers to all people, then all people must have been embryos in their mothers' wombs, which is the view of the philosophers?"
Answer: This is not the case. We say that the address is directed to those present at the time of revelation (or all people after revelation, depending on the view). All these individuals originated from the earth, and they all passed through the stage of being embryos.
Embryos are those in the wombs. After birth, one is called a child or a fetus that was miscarried. What is the purpose of stating {in your mothers' wombs}?
Answer: It is to emphasize the perfection of His knowledge and power. The mother's womb is a place of extreme darkness. Whoever knows the state of the fetus within it cannot have anything hidden from Him concerning the manifest state of His servants.
If we hold that {He knows you best} confirms His knowledge of the misguided, then the command {so do not claim purity for yourselves} is clearly connected to that knowledge. But if we hold that it confirms the recompense (i.e., He knows the parts and will reassemble them), how is {so do not claim purity for yourselves} connected?
Answer: In this case, it means: Do not absolve yourselves from punishment, and do not say, "The parts have scattered, so punishment cannot occur." This is because the One who knew you at creation knows you at reassembly and will restore the parts to the bodies of their owners, recompensing them for what they did. This supports the interpretation of {He knows best who is righteous}—He knows their parts and will restore them to them, rewarding them for what they put forth.
There are three possibilities:
Another possibility under this third view is that it is guidance for the believers: "God knows you, O believers, from your first creation until your last day. Therefore, do not claim purity for yourselves out of hypocrisy or arrogance, nor say to another, 'I am better, purer, and more pious than you,' for the matter rests with God." Another interpretation here suggests a warning about the outcome: "Do not be certain of your salvation, O believers, because God knows the ultimate outcome of the one who adheres to piety." This supports the saying, "I am a believer, God willing," referring to the final outcome.
{Have you seen the one who turned away? And gave a little, and then ceased? Does he possess knowledge of the Unseen, so that he sees?}
