'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "Say, 'Come, I will recite what your Lord has forbidden to you: that you do not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment. And do not kill your children for fear of poverty; We provide for them and for you. And do not approach immoralities, what is apparent of them and what is concealed. And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason.'" This is a command from Allah - glorified and exalted is He - to His Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - to call all of creation to listen to the recitation of what Allah, the Exalted, has forbidden by the legislation of Islam, which was sent to both the black and the red. And "Come"; its meaning is: 'Approach'; and its origin is from "al-'uluww"; so it is as if the invitation, since it is a command from the caller, employs the elevation of the invited. And "ta'ala"; it is a form that corresponds to "a'la"; for "tafa'ala"; it corresponds to "fa'ala". And "I will recite"; its meaning is: 'I will narrate; and I will state'; from "at-tilawah"; which is the following of some letters by others. And "what"; it is in the accusative case due to His saying, the Exalted, "I will recite"; and it means "that which"; and Al-Zajjaj said: It is permissible that His saying, the Exalted, "I will recite"; is suspended from the action; and "what"; is in the accusative case due to "has forbidden". Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this is a concern: and "that"; in His saying, the Exalted, "that you do not associate"; it is valid that it be in the position of raising (p-490) by beginning; and the estimation is: "The command is that..."; or: "That is that..."; and it is valid that it be in the position of the accusative; as a substitute for "what"; this was said by Makki and others. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And the meaning invalidates it; so contemplate it. And it is valid that it be a verbal noun for its sake; and the estimation is: "The intention that you do not associate anything with Him"; except that this interpretation removes "that you do not associate"; from what is recited; and makes it a reason for the recitation of the prohibited things. And "you do not associate"; it is valid that it be in the accusative case due to "that"; and it is directed that it be in the jussive case due to the prohibition; and this is the correct meaning intended; and "that"; it may be connected to what it has made accusative; and it may be connected to the verb that is jussive by command and prohibition; and "anything"; it is general and intended by it every object of worship besides Allah, the Exalted. And "good treatment"; it is in the accusative case as a source; and its indicator is an implied verb from its wording; its estimation is: "And be good to parents with good treatment." And the prohibited things are disconnected from these mentioned by meaning; and they are: associating partners; disobedience to parents; approaching immoralities; and killing the soul. And Ka'b al-Ahbar said: "These verses are the opening of the Torah: (In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, 'Say, Come, I will recite what your Lord has forbidden to you...'; to the end of the verse)"; and Ibn Abbas said: These verses are the definitive ones that Allah, the Exalted, mentioned in Surah Al-Imran; upon which the laws of creation have gathered; and they have never been abrogated in any religion; and it has been said: They are the ten words revealed to Musa - peace be upon him. And if someone objects who says: Indeed, "you do not associate"; is in the accusative case due to "that"; by the conjunction of the jussives upon it; then that exists in the speech of the Arabs; and Al-Tabari cited a proof for that:

'He performed Hajj and advised Sulayma the servant to not see or speak to anyone.'

And its drink will not cease to be cooled.

And His saying, the Most High, "And do not kill your children"; this is a prohibition against the custom of the Arabs in burying daughters alive; and "the child" includes both male and female, from among the sons; and "poverty" means lack of wealth; this was said by Ibn Abbas and others; it is said: "The man became impoverished" if he became poor.

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: It seems that its meaning is: "became impoverished"; that is, "nothing remains for him except poverty"; as they say: "He became dust" if nothing remains for him except dust; and "He became sandy" if nothing remains for him except sand; and "poverty" refers to black stones; its singular form is "malakah"; and Mundhir ibn Sa'id mentioned that "poverty" means spending; and it is said: "He impoverished his wealth" meaning he spent it; and it was mentioned that Ali - may Allah be pleased with him - said to a woman: "Impoverish from your wealth what you wish"; and the Naqqash mentioned from Muhammad ibn Nu'aim al-Tirmidhi that it is extravagance in spending; and the Naqqash also narrated from Mu'arrij that he said: "Poverty" means hunger; in the language of Lakhm.

And His saying, the Most High, "And do not approach immoralities, what is apparent of them and what is concealed"; this is a general prohibition against all types of immoralities; and they are sins; and "apparent" and "concealed" are two states that encompass the categories of what is designated for them; and some of the interpreters went to say that the intention of this verse is specific matters; so Al-Suddi and Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with them - said: "What is apparent" refers to the well-known fornication; and "what is concealed" refers to taking secret lovers; and they used to find the well-known alone abhorrent; so Allah, the Most High, prohibited all of it; and Mujahid said: "What is apparent" refers to marrying the wives of fathers; and the like; and "what is concealed" refers to fornication; and other than this is a specification that does not have a proof; rather it is merely a claim.

And His saying, the Most High, "And do not kill"; this verse includes the prohibition of killing a Muslim soul and one under covenant; and the meaning of the verse is: "except by the right that necessitates killing it"; and the Shari'ah has clarified it; which is disbelief in Allah, the Most High, and killing a soul; and fornication after marriage; and highway robbery; and what branches from that.

And "that" refers to these prohibitions; and "the commandment" is the confirmed, established order; and from it is the saying of the poet:

I find that you did not hear the command of Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah, when he commanded and witnessed.

And His saying, the Most High, "Perhaps you"; this is a hope; in addition to us; meaning: "Whoever hears this commandment hopes for the occurrence of the effect of reason after it; and the distinction of benefits and harms in religion."