Tafseer of Consultation · Ash-Shura · 42:37
And those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, and when they are angry, they forgive,
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the words of the Exalted: وَالَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الإِثْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشَ وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ (And those who avoid the major sins and the indecencies, and who, when they are angered, forgive) (42:37).
The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and what is with Allah is for those who believe (وَالَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَائِرَ الإِثْمِ), that is to say: the great indecencies of sin. We have already set out how the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) differ concerning this, and we have set out what in our view is correct concerning it in Sūrah An-Nisāʾ; that makes its repetition here unnecessary.
(وَالْفَوَاحِشَ) (and the indecencies) — it has been said that this concerns fornication (zinā).
Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad related to me, he said: Aḥmad related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī (وَالْفَوَاحِشَ), he said: the indecencies, that is fornication (zinā).
The Qurʾān reciters differ over the reading of His words (كَبَائِرَ الإِثْمِ). The majority of the reciters of Medina read it in the plural, as also in Sūrah An-Najm. The majority of the reciters of Kūfa read it as "kabīr al-ithm" (the great sin) in the singular in both places together. It appears that whoever read it thus intended by "the great sin" the ascribing of partners to Allah (shirk). Thus al-Farrāʾ used to say: it is as though I prefer that whoever reads "kabāʾir al-ithm" should pronounce "al-fawāḥish" in the genitive, so that "al-kabāʾir" is annexed to a whole, since it is a plural. And he said: I have not heard a single reciter pronounce "al-fawāḥish" in the genitive.
The correct view concerning this, in our opinion, is that they are two readings, each of which has been read by scholars among the reciters, given the close kinship of their meanings. With whichever of the two the reciter reads, he is correct.
His words: (وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ) — the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and when they are angered at whoever has committed a crime against them, they forgive the one who has wronged them his sin, and they refrain from punishing his offence.
