(… لَا تُحِلُّوا شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ …) (…do not violate the rites of Allah…): Meaning, do not abandon the rites of Allah (swt). And when the word “rites” is used, it means the rituals of Hajj, and the ritual is the devotional command that Allah (swt) commanded His servants to do.

(… وَلَا الشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ …) (…or [the sanctity of] the sacred month…): That is the sacred months, so do not refrain from what Allah forbade during them, such as fighting, hunting…. When you obey Allah’s (swt) command then this an act of worship, whether you know the wisdom behind them or not.  

(… وَلَا الْهَدْيَ وَلَا الْقَلَائِدَ …) (…or [neglect the marking of] the sacrificial animals and garlanding [them] …): Means, do not abandon the practice of bringing the sacrificial animals to the Sacred House, as they used to do, and do not abandon the practice of garlanding these animals on their necks, so that they are distinguished from other cattle. This way, it will be known that these animals are intended to be offered as Hady at the Ka`bah.

(… وَلَا آمِّينَ الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرِضْوَانًا …) (…or [violate the safety of] those coming to the Sacred House seeking bounty from their Lord and [His] approval. …): Some Muslims, who were prevented from circumambulating the Ka’bah and performing Umrah by the polytheists of Mecca at the Treaty of Al-Hudaybiyyah, believed that it is possible for them to prevent others from Ihram and from circumambulating the Sacred House of Allah if they could do so. Allah (swt) has made it clear that it is not permissible for us to violate the people coming to the Sacred House (Makkah), seeking the bounty and good pleasure of their Lord. As for those who come to it to practice the Atheism and infidelity in it, about those Allah (swt) says:

 يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌ فَلَا يَقْرَبُوا الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَٰذَا ۚ وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ عَيْلَةً فَسَوْفَ يُغْنِيكُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ إِن شَاءَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

(O you who have believed, indeed the polytheists are unclean, so let them not approach al-Masjid al-Haram after this, their [final] year. And if you fear privation, Allah will enrich you from His bounty if He wills. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Wise.) (At-Tawba: 28)

(… وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ أَن صَدُّوكُمْ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ أَن تَعْتَدُوا …) (…And do not let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from al-Masjid al-Haram lead you to transgress.…): Meaning: Do not let the hatred of a people who prevented you from reaching the Sacred Mosque – and that was the year of al-Hudaybiyah – cause you to prevent them and prevent them from the Sacred Mosque as they prevented you. This is the greatness of this religion, to repel evil by that which is better, and it is the standard of goodness, giving, mercy and love. Any kind of aggression against people, money, blood, or honor is strictly prohibited by the text of the Holy Qur’an.

(… وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ …) (…And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.…): This noble verse contains the building of the universe and the prevention of corruption. In it there is cooperation between all the components of society on two matters: cooperation in righteousness and piety, and in preventing cooperation in sin and aggression. Righteousness refers to that wavers in your soul and you accept that people find out about it. And the sin is what waves in your soul and hate anyone seeing it. Hence, the criterion of cooperation is cooperation in goodness, giving and generosity, and giving each person his due right, and cooperation in order to spread the development of the universe and build the real renaissance that takes place through this great principle, cooperation between all parties and all people to do good and prevent evil, standing in the face of harm and evil. Piety refers to all kinds of goodness for Islam only enjoins piety and doing good, such as with regard to parents, children, relatives, neighbors, the people of the neighborhood, the community and the homeland.  People are on righteousness and piety, and not cooperating in sin and aggression, for transgression against lives, honor and money, all of these are signs of sin and transgression that the Holy Qur’an has prohibited.

(  وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ … ) (And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty …): Allah (swt) ends this verse with the order of piety, that is fearing Him (swt). When Imam Ali (May Allah honour his face) was asked what is Piety, he said: “Piety is to act according to what Allah has commanded, to be contentment with little, and to be ready for the day of passing away.” Here Allah (swt) asks His servants to fear Him while in other verses, such as:

 وَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ

(And fear the Fire) (Ali-Imran: 131)

Meaning, make a barrier between you and the Fire. Hence, when Allah says: (And fear Allah), it means put a barrier between you and the wrath of Allah (swt). For the necessity of the Man’s well education and the uprightness of the approach in this worldly life, it is necessary for the punishment to be according to a divine text, that is, He (swt) shows that a certain action has a punishment, and another has a specific reward. However, Islam is an invitation to good, it is an invitation to mercy, giving, love, peace and security, accordingly, it is called the religion of Islam, which is derived from peace, security and reassurance for all people, moreover, the greeting in Islam is: (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings), and when the Prophet (saws) said:

‘By him in whose hand my soul is, you will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another: should I not guide you to something doing which you will love one another: spread out salutation among you.”[1]

Meaning, to spread the safety among you. So it is not just a word spoken by the tongue, but peace is for others to feel safe towards this person; because it is a source of goodness, giving and mercy, so we find that Islam forbids aggression, murder, lying, bribery, theft, treachery, betrayal, slander, fraud and deception.

[1] Sahih Muslim, The Book of Faith, Hadith No. 54.