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Surah Al-An'aam 6:120

سُورَةُ الأَنۡعَامِ“The Cattle”

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Qur'an 6:120

وَذَرُوا ظَٰهِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَبَاطِنَهُٓ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْسِبُونَ ٱلْإِثْمَ سَيُجْزَوْنَ بِمَا كَانُوا يَقْتَرِفُونَ

Wa zaroo zaahiral ismi wa baatinah; innal lazeena yaksiboonal ismaa sa yujzawna bimaa kaanoo yaqtarifoon

Translation

And leave what is apparent of sin and what is concealed thereof. Indeed, those who earn [blame for] sin will be recompensed for that which they used to commit.

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Tafsir of this Ayah Ibn Kathir

Leave sin, open and secret. Verily, those who commit sin will get due recompense for that which they used to commit.) Mujahid said tha (120)

وَذَرُوا ظَاهِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَبَاطِنَهُ

(Leave evil, open and secret...) refers to all kinds of sins committed in public and secret. Qatadah said that,

وَذَرُوا ظَاهِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَبَاطِنَهُ

(Leave sin, open and secret...) encompasses sins committed in public and secret, whether few or many. In another statement, Allah said,

قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ

(Say: "(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are 'Al-Fawāḥish' (evil sins) whether committed openly or secretly.)[7:33] This is why Allah said,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْسِبُونَ الْإِثْمَ سَيُجْزَوْنَ بِمَا كَانُوا يَقْتَرِفُونَ

(Verily, those who commit sin will get due recompense for that which they used to commit.)

Whether the sins they committed were public or secret, Allah will compensate them for these sins. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that An-Nawwas bin Sam'an said, "I asked Allah's Messenger ﷺ about 'Al-Ithm'. He said,

الْإِثمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي صَدْرِكَ وَكَرِهْتَ أَنْ يَطَّلِعَ النَّاسُ عَلَيْهِ

(The sin is that which you find in your heart and you dislike that people become aware of it.)