Anam 151 | aamsaafanquran's Blog

Anam 151

151- SAY : “COME AND LET ME RECITE TO YOU WHAT YOUR LORD HAS FORBIDDEN YOU; IT IS NOT TO WORSHIP PARTNERS BESIDES HIM, AND TO BE GOOD TO YOUR PARENTS, NOT TO KILL YOUR CHILDREN BECAUSE OF POVERTY, FOR WE PROVIDE FOR YOU AND FOR THEM, DO NOT APPROACH THE EVIL SINS, MANIFEST AND HIDDEN, AND DO NOT KILL THE SOUL ALLAH HAS FORBIDDEN TO KILL EXCEPT FOR THE RIGHT REASON, THIS IS WHAT ALLAH COMMANDS YOU TO DO, SO THAT YOU MAY BECOME WISE.

Allah the Highest is summarizing the important prohibitions for us in this Ayah.  It is not enough to refrain from such prohibitions, but we should do what is right and good too.

The commands mentioned are:

1-    To worship partners besides Allah the Highest.  This is the sin that is never forgiven, for Allah the Highest said: “ALLAH DOES NOT FORGIVE FOR PARTNERS TO BE WORSHIPPED BESIDES HIM, BUT FORGIVES WHATEVER ELSE FOR WHOM HE WILLS, FOR HE WHO WORSHIPS PARTNERS BESIDES HIM; HE HAS COMMITTED A GREAT SIN”.  (S:4 A:48)

2-    To be good to our parents.  We note that Allah the Highest did not say that one should not be bad to his parent, but that one should be positively good to them.  This command was repeated in Sorah Al-Esrae saying: “AND YOUR LORD DECREED THAT YOU WORSHIP NONE BY HE AND TO BE GOOD TO YOUR PARENTS”.  (S:17 A:23)

We are commanded to be good to our parents even if they are disbelievers and push a person to disbelieve, Allah the Highest said: “AND IF THEY STRUGGLE WITH YOU IN ORDER TO BELIEVE IN OTHERS YOU DO NOT KNOW BESIDES ME, DO NOT OBEY THEM, AND BE KIND TO THEM IN YOUR COMPANY”.  (S: 31 A: 15)

Abd Allah Ibn Masoud Asked Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him: “Allah’s messenger, what is the deed Allah loves most?” He said: “Praying at the right time”.  He said: “Then what?” he said: “To be good to your parents”, he said: “Then what?”  He said: “Jihad in the cause of Allah”.  (Muslim)

3-    Forbidding the killing our children, males or females, for killing them is a great in.  It is abhorrent to kill a child, and much worse is killing one’s own children.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him was asked: “Which is the greatest sin Allah’s messenger?” he said: “To take an equal to Allah who created you”. Then he was asked: “Then what?”  He said: “To kill your child not wanting him to eat with you” Then he was asked: “To commit adultery with your neighbour’s wife”.    (Bukhari and Muslim)

Allah the Highest reassures us that we will be provided for, and they will be provided for.  Allah the Highest tells us not to kill our children fearing poverty, meaning before poverty takes place.  Allah the Highest said: “AND DO NOT KILL YOUR CHILDREN BECAUSE OF FEAR OF POVERTY, WE PROVIDE FOR THEM AND FOR YOU”.  (S: 17 A: 31)

We should not that is worse under certain circumstances.  For example; to commit adultery is sinful, but  it is worse to do so with the neighour’s wife, for one is suppose to look after and help his neighbour not betray them.  The same applies to killing a child which is sinful, but killing our own is much worse, for we are entrusted with them and we should look after them and care for them.

Some quote these Ayahs in their argument against birth control.  All methods or birth control involving the prevention of pregnancy do not involve killing.  It becomes killing after the third month as the soul enters the body in the fourth month.  No one should assume that inducing abortion in the first three months of pregnancy is right or allowed, for during this period a small human being is being created and formed, and it is wrong to get ride of it, however from the fourth month on, it becomes killing, for this body will have a soul, and this foetus will inherit also.

4-    Allah the Highest is forbidding us from committing all sins and wicked deeds which we are told can be either Manifest or Hidden in these Ayahs:

“AND LEAVE THE MANIFEST AND HIDDEN SIN”   (S: 6 A: 120)

“AND DO NOT APPROACH THE WICKED DEEDS, THE MANIFEST AND THE HIDDEN OF THEM”    (S: 6 A: 151)

So what is the Manifest and what are the Hidden sins?

The Manifest sins are those seen by others and for being seen by other they have two sins:

First; the sin of the deed itself such as stealing, adultery, swearing.

Second: The sin of showing the sin to others.  For the person who shows the sins he commits is showing to every one that he does not care about Allah’s commands and prohibitions.  Also he is a bad example to others, encouraging them to commit such sins in public.  This is how sins become ordinary and normal daily practice and this is how mischief such as stealing, bribery, adultery and other sins spreads on earth.  The person who commits sins in public carries the sins of his deed and all the sins of those who follow his example, as Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said:  “He who makes a good example in Islam, he will have it’s reward and the reward of all those who follow him without reducing any of their reward, and he who makes a bad example in Islam, he will have it’s sin and the sins of those who follow him, without reducing their sins”.  (Muslim, Elm, 15 & Termezi, Elm, 15)

For example, if a person invites others to gatherings where they will learn and remember Allah the Highest, he will gain besides his reward, as much as the reward of those who respond to him, and those who follow them.  And if a person invites others to drink alcoholic drinks, he will have their sins and the sins of those who learned this from them as well. 

As for the Hidden Sins, they happen in many ways: 

First:  This is the sin committed in secret without the knowledge of others such as drinking intoxicants or bribery or adultery in secret.  This is one form.

Second: Doing good deeds to be seen.  That is for a person to do what he should do for the sake of Allah the Highest of Salah, Fasting, Zakah, charity, Hajj, and others seeking to be seen and seeking the reputation.  This is what Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him called the minor idolatry. 

Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “The most I fear for you is the minor sherk (Idolatry)”.  They said : “and what is the minor idolatry Allah’s messenger?”, he said : “Doing things to be seen to be doing them, Allah the Exalted and Majestic says on the day of resurrection when he recompense people for their deeds: “Go to those you want to of to in the lower life and see if they have a reward for you”.    (Ahmed)

Third:  One can do a deed which is not a sin in how it look to every one, but the real reason in to do wrong.  For example one may go to court to judge a dispute over property, knowing that the other person has the right to the property but can not prove it, while he can produce some evidence to support his claim.  In this case the judge will rule according to the evidence, and the person who has the right to the property will loose it.  Allah the Highest forbad this when he said in Sorah El-Baqarah  “ AND DO NOT EAT UP EACH OTHER’S WEALTH THROUGH FALSEHOOD AND PUT IT IN FRONT OF THE JUDGES AND RULERS TO EAT UP A PORTION OF PEOPLE’S WEALTH WRONGFULLY WHILE YOU KNOW”   (S:2  A:188)

There is also a Hadith narrated by Om Salama the Allah’s messenger’s wife, prayer and peace upon him, she said:  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him heard noises of people disputing outside his room, he went out to them and said: “I am but a human, and you come to me in a dispute, and may be one of you will be better spoken than the other, and I think he is truthful and rule in his favor.  Whoever I rule to some Muslim’s right, it is a piece of fire, he may take it or leave it”.  (Muslim; Aqdeya, 4 & Bukhari; Heyal, 10 & Termezi, Ahkam, 11)

Fourth:  Of the hidden sins is to look in secret at people private things and business and to spy on them and Allah the Highest said: “DO NOT SPY”.  (Al Hogorat)

Fifth: To be please for others one does not like suffer affliction or calamity like sickness or accident, instead of saying Dawa for them and thanking Allah the Highest for not suffering such afflictions himself.

Sixth: For one to wish in himself without showing his desire to have what is forbidden to him.  This is sinning in the heart which Allah the Highest does not take into account against us as long as we keep to ourselves unless a person acts on it or speak of it.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said:  “Allah pardoned my nation for what they thought to themselves unless they do or speak of it”.  (Bukhari;talaq,11 &  Muslim;Roaya;15  & Dawood;Talaq;15  & Termezi;Talaq,15)

This is because Allah the Highest said: “DO NOT LOOK OUT AT WHAT WE HAVE GIVEN SOME SPOUSES TO ENJOY”    (S: 15 A: 88)

And also said: “AND DO NOT WISH WHAT ALLAH FAVOURED SOME OF YOU OVER OTHERS”.    (S: 3 A: 32)

This was a brief account of some of the manifest and hidden sins, may Allah the Highest safe us from and pardons us.  Amen.

The Muslim should not kill another human being, Muslim or non-Muslim.  The penalty of killing should be sentenced be the courts and executed by the authorities.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said about killing a non-Muslim living among us or not in war: “He who kills those we live in peace with will not smell Paradise which can be smelt when it is forty years travelling away”.