In this verse, Allah (swt) clarifies five prohibitions:

– The first one is: ( قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ ) (Say, “My Lord has only forbidden immoralities – what is apparent of them and what is concealed): To ensure the healthy life of any society, immoralities must be forbidden. Scholars deduced that this word (immorality) ultimately refers to adultery. In fact, the purity of lineage and kinship is the corner stone for any society. If the lineages were mixed up together, then no father will know who his own son is, then things will get mixed up together and the social order that Allah (swt) wants for societies will fail.

All forms of immoralities are prohibited, whether they are apparent and common in a society, or concealed and uncommon. Islam stands against these immoralities and prevents any approach to them. For that Islam prohibits people from looking at other’s kinswomen or to even go near that zone which causes immorality..

The second prohibition is: ( وَالْإِثْمَ ) (and sin): Scholars said that (sins) refers to the very enormous sins such as alcohol and gambling. Islam preserves the essential component that controls the motion of society; which is the mind. Alcohol clouds the mind and gambling wastes money. The function of society heavily depends on the mentality of its people. Hence, if the mind is veiled by alcohol and people were to take each other’s money through gambling; consequently, society’s functions will be disrupted. This is why the first prohibition is immoralities, which cause harm to the lineage and kinship, and the second prohibition is sin. These prohibitions are for the sake of  ensuring correct regulation of society, preservation of reason, the life of individuals within that society, and to protect the properties.

The third prohibition is: ( وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ) (and oppression without right): Oppression is the unjustified transgression of limits, and the Arabic word (Baghi) for transgression, is the stem of the word (baghaa’) which means to overstep what is permitted. In this verse, Allah (swt) says: (and oppression without right), which means that there is justified, as well as unjustified aggression. Oppression is the unjustified transgression of the limits, but it is also possible to transgress the limits justifiably. For example, taking the money of a simple-minded person to invest it and make it grow for him. In doing that, it seems that we have transgressed against the rightful owner but our intention is to protect that person’s livelihood.

The fourth prohibition is: ( وَأَن تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا ) (and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority): If the people are not fully minded to the orders and prohibitions of Allah (swt), then they may fall into polytheism. Associating others with Allah (swt) is not only committed by worshiping idols, the sun, or the moon, but it could also be through ostentatious acts, and by doing something for other than the sake of Allah (swt).

Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

‘While I was with the Prophet (saws), I saw on his face that he was not pleased, I asked him what is the matter, and he said: “Something I fear for my nation after me”, I asked, ‘what is it, O’ Messenger of Allah?’, he answered: ” associating others with Allah and hidden desires”, I asked: ‘O’ Messenger of Allah, could your nation associate others with Allah after you?’, he said: “O’ Shaddad, they will not worship the sun or the moon or idols or stones, but they will do deeds for the sake of anyone other than Allah”[1]

And in the Qudsi Hadith, he (saws) said:

“I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me”[2]

The fifth prohibition is: ( وَأَن تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ) (and that you say about Allah that which you do not know): This is an ongoing problem to this day. Many people argue about unlawful matters, such as interests, and try to debate it and convince others that it is lawful. It would be less evil to him if he acknowledges that interests are unlawful and admits to have done something wrong by committing the sin of taking interests than to claim its lawfulness and to say about Allah (swt) without having any actual knowledge.

[1] al-Mustadrak Ala-as-Sahihain for the Al-Hakim, part 4, p. 366, Hadith No. 7940.

[2] Sahih Muslim, the Book of Piety, Hadith No. 2985.