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Qur'an 6:151

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Qur'an 6:151
Verse's Information
Suraal-An'am
Verse151
Content Information
Place of
Revelation		Mecca
TopicMentioning five Major Sins
AboutProhibitions
Related VersesQur'an 6:152 ● Qur'an 6:153


Verse 151 of Sura al-An'am (Arabic: آیة 151 من سورة الأنعام) (Qur'an 6:151) forbids the audience from committing five Major Sins: Shirk (polytheism), not being good to parents, killing children, approaching shameful acts, and killing innocents. This verse and the following two verses explain the principles of prohibitions (Muḥarramāt) in ten sections, known as the fundamental instructions of the Islamic Shari'a, from which details and subsidiary religious rulings are derived. It is said that these rulings are in harmony with human nature and contribute to social order and human values.

The reasons for forbidding Shirk are stated to be human misguidance, the destruction of peace, and distancing oneself from the truth. Kindness to parents is emphasized due to their key role in human life and its connection with obedience to God. Furthermore, killing children out of fear of poverty is strongly condemned, and God is introduced as the guarantor of their sustenance. The verse continues by forbidding open and hidden sins such as adultery and secret illicit relationships, and emphasizes the prohibition of killing innocents, except in specific cases such as Qisas (retaliation) which the Shari'a allows. Finally, by emphasizing the use of intellect ('Aql), it calls upon humans to understand the benefits of these rulings and the consequences of abandoning them.

These verses are considered a decisive response to the fabricated laws of the polytheists. The principles raised in them are considered common among all Abrahamic Religions. Some exegetes have pointed to the Jewish Ten Commandments, which bears great resemblance to these instructions, considering these verses superior in depth and comprehensiveness. These instructions, as ethical and social principles, had a significant impact on the spread of Islam, including the conversion of the people of Medina.

Position and Importance

Verse 151 of Sura al-An'am refers to five instances of Major Sins:[1] associating partners with God, not being good to parents, killing children, shameful sins, and killing innocents.[2] In this verse and the next two verses,[3] the Prophet (s) is asked to address the polytheists,[4] explain the principles of prohibitions,[5] and recount the major sins in ten sections.[6]

In verses 148 to 150 of Sura al-An'am, the Qur'an rejects the fabricated laws of the polytheists[7] and in verse 151, it introduces God alone as the real authority for determining prohibitions,[8] referring to five other prohibitions in the following two verses.[9]

In verse 151 and the two verses following it, the phrase "This is what He has enjoined upon you" (Arabic: ذلِکمْ وَصَّاکمْ بِهِ) is considered an emphasis on the importance of executing divine rulings.[10] These verses end with the phrases "so that you may exercise your reason" (laʿallakum taʿqilūn), "so that you may take admonition" (laʿallakum tadhakkarūn), and "so that you may be God-wary" (laʿallakum tattaqūn), referring to the three stages of reasoning, admonition, and God-wariness (Taqwa). These stages are considered essential in all rulings, and the distribution of these emphases is regarded as a sign of the eloquence and rhetoric of the Qur'an.[11]

Not Exclusive to a Specific Shari'a

Exegetes consider these verses among the Muhkam (decisive) verses of the Qur'an,[12] emphasizing the importance of avoiding prohibitions.[13] It is said that the rulings presented in these verses are in harmony with human nature[14] and play a fundamental role in managing society.[15] Muhammad Sadiqi Tihrani, the author of the exegesis al-Furqan, believes that these ten main rulings, as fundamental principles and a comprehensive example of the mission of the Prophet of (s), govern all Shari'a rulings, and details and subsidiary rulings are derived from them.[16] Muhammad Jawad Mughniyya, the author of al-Tafsir al-kashif, reports that some exegetes have named these verses the "Ten Commandments".[17]

According to exegetes, the principles raised in verse 151 of al-An'am and the two subsequent verses are important commonalities among Abrahamic Religions.[18] Allama Tabataba'i believes that the Qur'an mentions these rulings in the religions of other Prophets as well,[19] just as Qur'an 42:13 states that the recommendations given to the Muslim umma are the same as those given to previous prophets.[20] Therefore, it is said that these principles are recognized as a basis for unity among missions, and followers of different religions will feel a commonality in goals and life relationships by relying on them.[21]

In the Torah (Exodus, Chapter 20), similar ten commandments are mentioned.[22] These instructions are known among Jews as the Commandments[23] and are famous.[24]

Impact of Verses on the Conversion of People of Medina

Historical reports state that Prophet Muhammad (s) recited this verse and the next two verses to invite various tribes to Islam.[25] This included a number of people from Medina, an action which paved the way for their conversion to Islam, the formation of the Pledge of al-Aqaba, and ultimately the conversion of the people of Medina.[26]

Order to Monotheism and Leaving Shirk

At the beginning of the verse, humans are advised to avoid associating partners with God.[27] Exegetes have said that God mentioned the ruling on Shirk before other sins in this verse because Shirk is the foundation,[28] the head of all sins,[29] and the greatest major sin.[30] It is considered the source of social corruption and divine prohibitions,[31] and a great injustice; committing it leaves no hope for divine forgiveness.[32] It is said that the precedence of the ruling on Shirk indicates the importance of Tawhid as the spirit of all Islamic teachings[33] and the basis of rights and obligations, through which all acts of obedience are accepted.[34]

Kindness to Parents

The second command in this verse is Kindness to parents.[35] Kindness to father and mother is defined as respect, preservation, care, obedience to them, and removing any hardship from them.[36] This command comes immediately after the order to Tawhid[37] and before other important commands,[38] which indicates the extraordinary importance of the rights of parents in religious teachings.[39] Therefore, disobedience to parents ( 'Uqūq) is considered one of the greatest sins after shirk[40] and entails severe consequences.[41]

It is said that in this verse, instead of prohibiting annoying parents, kindness to them is emphasized to show that merely refraining from mistreatment is not enough[42] and performing direct and immediate kindness to them is necessary and obligatory.[43] Some exegetes, citing several interpretive hadiths, have introduced Prophet Muhammad (s) and Imam Ali (a) as one of the instances of the verse.[44]

Prohibition of Killing Children Due to Poverty

In the third command of Verse 151 of Sura al-An'am, humans are forbidden from killing children due to fear of poverty, and God introduces Himself as the guarantor of their sustenance and that of the children.[45] It is said that this part of the verse is a reaction to the behavior of polytheists in the Jahiliyya era[46] who, due to prejudices and fear of living costs and famine,[47] killed their daughters[48] and even their sons.[49] They imagined that by killing children, they could prevent witnessing their hunger and humiliation.[50] Exegetes, citing this verse, have considered abortion[51] and some even preventing the formation of human sperm through various methods as instances of the prohibition in the verse.[52]

Avoiding Shameful Acts

In His fourth command in Verse 151 of Sura al-An'am, God forbids humans from approaching shameful sins (Fawāḥish).[53] According to Nasir Makarim Shirazi, the expression "do not approach sin" is usually used for sins that are tempting, and the purpose of these warnings is considered to prevent individuals from being placed in severe temptations of this type of sin.[54] According to the author of al-Furqan, avoiding major sins means avoiding their preliminaries; because approaching the preliminaries drags a person to the main sin.[55]

Acts such as adultery, Sodomy, and accusing chaste men and women of adultery are considered instances of "Fahsha".[56] It is said that the appearance of the verse indicates a general prohibition of any kind of sin, and there is no definitive reason to limit it to specific sins.[57] Mentions of instances in hadiths are presented only as clear examples.[58]

Apparent and Hidden Sins

Verse 151 of al-An'am emphasizes abandoning both apparent and hidden sins in one phrase.[59] Avoiding apparent sin refers to open and public sin, and hidden sin refers to secret sins.[60] Some exegetes, relying on a hadith from Imam al-Baqir (a), have considered apparent sin to be adultery and hidden sin to include secret and illicit relationships.[61] It is said that in the Jahiliyya era, secret adultery was not considered a sin and only open adultery was forbidden; but God forbade both types of sin.[62]

Some, with a different view, believe that apparent sins refer to acts performed by body parts, while hidden sins relate to intentions and decisions formed in the heart to oppose divine commands.[63]

Notes

  1. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, p. 30.
  2. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 372; Abū l-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān, vol. 8, p. 86.
  3. ↑ Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-bayān, vol. 5, p. 241; Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm, vol. 3, p. 323.
  4. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 4, p. 590.
  5. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, vol. 13, p. 179; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, p. 33.
  6. ↑ Ḥusaynī Shāh-ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīmī, Tafsīr-i ithnāʿasharī, vol. 3, p. 402; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, p. 33.
  7. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, p. 33.
  8. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, vol. 4, p. 314; Jaʿfarī, Tafsīr-i Kawthar, vol. 3, p. 582.
  9. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 372; Abū l-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān, vol. 8, p. 86.
  10. ↑ Maybudī, Kashf al-asrār, vol. 3, p. 522; Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 4, pp. 297-298.
  11. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, p. 32.
  12. ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 1, p. 221; Maybudī, Kashf al-asrār, vol. 3, p. 522; Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 9, p. 378.
  13. ↑ Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 4, p. 297.
  14. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 9, pp. 366-368.
  15. ↑ Qurashī, Aḥsan al-ḥadīth, vol. 3, p. 340.
  16. ↑ Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, Al-Furqān, vol. 10, p. 328.
  17. ↑ Mughniyya, Al-Kāshif, vol. 3, p. 282.
  18. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 372; Qurṭubī, Al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 7, pp. 131-132.
  19. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 372.
  20. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 372.
  21. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 9, pp. 366-368.
  22. ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 2, p. 581.
  23. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 9, p. 378.
  24. ↑ Qurṭubī, Al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 7, pp. 131-132.
  25. ↑ Bayhaqī, Dalāʾil al-nubuwwa, vol. 2, p. 425.
  26. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Iʿlām al-warā, pp. 55-61; Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 2, p. 582.
  27. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 4, p. 590.
  28. ↑ Mughniyya, Al-Kāshif, vol. 3, p. 282.
  29. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 9, pp. 368-369.
  30. ↑ Thaqafī Tihrānī, Rawān-i jāwīd, vol. 2, p. 397; Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 4, p. 297.
  31. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, pp. 32-33.
  32. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 373.
  33. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, pp. 32-33.
  34. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 373; Mughniyya, Al-Kāshif, vol. 3, p. 282.
  35. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, p. 29.
  36. ↑ Qurṭubī, Al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 7, pp. 131-132.
  37. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 374; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 4, p. 590.
  38. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, p. 33.
  39. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 374.
  40. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 374.
  41. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 9, p. 369.
  42. ↑ Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, vol. 2, p. 188.
  43. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, p. 33.
  44. ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 1, p. 220; Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 2, p. 778.
  45. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 4, p. 590; Baghawī, Maʿālim al-tanzīl, vol. 2, p. 170.
  46. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 374; Fakhr al-Rāzī, Al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, vol. 13, p. 178.
  47. ↑ Qurashī, Aḥsan al-ḥadīth, vol. 3, pp. 340-341.
  48. ↑ Ibn Sulaymān, Tafsīr Muqātil b. Sulaymān, vol. 1, p. 597; Maybudī, Kashf al-asrār, vol. 3, p. 522.
  49. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, pp. 33-34; Qurṭubī, Al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 7, pp. 131-132.
  50. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 374.
  51. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, pp. 33-34.
  52. ↑ Ḥusaynī Shāh-ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīmī, Tafsīr-i ithnāʿasharī, vol. 3, p. 404.
  53. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, vol. 4, p. 316; Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, vol. 8, p. 61.
  54. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, pp. 35-36.
  55. ↑ Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, Al-Furqān, vol. 10, pp. 332-333.
  56. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 375; Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, vol. 9, pp. 370-372.
  57. ↑ Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, vol. 8, p. 61.
  58. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 6, p. 35.
  59. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, vol. 4, p. 316.
  60. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, vol. 7, p. 375.
  61. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 4, p. 590.
  62. ↑ Thaʿlabī, Al-Kashf wa l-bayān, vol. 4, p. 204; Maybudī, Kashf al-asrār, vol. 3, p. 522.
  63. ↑ Qurṭubī, Al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 7, p. 133; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 4, pp. 590-591.

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