Shameful Deeds
6. Sura al-Anam
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
قُلْ
تَعَالَوْاْ
أَتْلُ
مَا
حَرَّمَ
رَبُّكُمْ
عَلَيْكُمْ
...
6: 151. Say:
"Come, I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from":
C976. Instead of following Pagan superstitions, and being in constant terror of imaginary taboos and prohibitions, we should study the true moral law, whose sanction is Allah's Law.
The first step is that we should recognise that He is the One and Only Lord and Cherisher. The mention of goodness to parents immediately afterwards suggests:
- that Allah's love of us and care for us may -on an infinitely higher plane- be understood by our ideal of parental love, which is purely unselfish;
- that our first duty among our fellow creatures is to our father and mother, whose love leads us to the conception of divine love.
Arising from that is the conception of our converse duties to our children. Allah provides sustenance (material and spiritual) not only for us, but for them; hence any custom like the Pagan custom of sacrificing children of Moloch stands condemned.
Then come the moral prohibitions against lewdness and all unseemly acts, relating to sex or otherwise, open or secret. This is followed by the prohibition of killing or fighting.
All these things are conformable to our own interests, and therefore true wisdom from our own point of view.
...أَلاَّ تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِ شَيْئًا ...
- join not anything as equal with Him;
...وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا...
- be good to your parents:
...وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ أَوْلاَدَكُم مِّنْ إمْلاَقٍ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ...
- kill not your children on a plea of want; -- We provide sustenance for you and for them; --
...وَلاَ تَقْرَبُواْ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ...
- come not nigh to shameful deeds, whether open or secret;
...وَلاَ تَقْتُلُواْ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللّهُ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ...
- take not life, which Allah hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law:
C977. For the comprehensive word haqq I have used the two words "justice and law"; other significations implied are:
right, truth, what is becoming, etc.
It is not only that human life is sacred, but all life is sacred. Even in killing animals for food, a dedicatory formula "in the name of Allah" has to be employed, to make it lawful:
see 698 to 5:4, and n. 962 to 6:138.
...ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُمْ بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿١٥١﴾
thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom.
وَلاَ
تَقْرَبُواْ
مَالَ
الْيَتِيمِ
إِلاَّ
بِالَّتِي
هِيَ
أَحْسَنُ
حَتَّى
يَبْلُغَ
أَشُدَّهُ...
6: 152. - And come not nigh to the orphan's property, except to improve it, until he attain the age of full strength;
...وَأَوْفُواْ الْكَيْلَ وَالْمِيزَانَ بِالْقِسْطِ ...
- give measure and weight with (full) justice;
...لاَ نُكَلِّفُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا...
no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear;
...وَإِذَا قُلْتُمْ فَاعْدِلُواْ وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى...
- whenever ye speak, speak justly, even if a near relative is concerned;
...وَبِعَهْدِ اللّهِ أَوْفُواْ...
- and fulfil the Covenant of Allah:
...ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿١٥٢﴾
thus doth He command you, that ye may remember.
وَأَنَّ
هَـذَا
صِرَاطِي
مُسْتَقِيمًا
فَاتَّبِعُوهُ...
6: 153. Verily, this is My Way, leading straight: follow it:
...وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ...
follow not (other) paths: they will scatter you about from His (great) path:
...ذَلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ﴿١٥٣﴾
thus doth He command you that ye may be righteous.
C979. Note again the triple refrain with variations, in 6:151, 152, and 153.
- In verse 151, we have the moral law, which it is for our own good to follow: "Thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom."
- In verse 152, we have to deal justly and rightly with others; we are apt to thing too much of ourselves and forget others: "Thus doth He command you, that ye may remember."
- In verse 153 our attention is called to the Straight Way, the Way of Allah, the only Way that leads to righteousness: "Thus doth He command you, that ye may be righteous."
Asad’s Version:
6: 151 Say: “Come, let me convey unto you what God has [really] forbidden to you;
Do not ascribe divinity, in any way, to aught beside Him;
and do good unto your parents;
and do not kill your children for fear of poverty – for it is We who shall provide sustenance for you as well as for them;
and do not commit any shameful deeds, be they open or secret;
and do not take any human being’s life – which God has declared to be sacred –otherwise than in [the pursuit of] justice;
this has He enjoined upon you so that you might use your reason;
6: 152 And do not touch the substance of an orphan – save to improve it – before he comes of age.”
And give full measure and weight, with equity : [however], We do not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear; and when you voice an opinion, be just, even though it be against one near of kin.”
And [always] observe your bond with God: this has He enjoined upon you, so that you might keep it in mind.
6: 153 and [know] that this is the way leading straight unto Me: follow it, then, and follow not other ways, lest they cause you to deviate from His way. [All] this has He enjoined upon you, so that you might remain conscious of Him. Asad