Explanation of the author's statement and his saying: (Say: My Lord has only forbidden the open obscenities, whether apparent or hidden, and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority, and that you attribute to Allah that which you do not know)

Machine translationRead the Arabic original

The Shaykh : And He said

Say, "My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed

قل إنما حر ربي الفواحش ما ظهر منها وما بطن

[Al-A'raf 7:33]

Say

قل

The address is to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). "Harra" means prohibited, and the root of this word is the letters h, r, and m, which indicate prohibition. From this root is "haram al-bi'r" (the sacred area around a well), referring to the land protected around it, because it prevents encroachment upon it.
Now,

My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed

إنما حرم ربي الفواحش ما ظهر منها وما بطن

[Al-A'raf 7:33]

"al-fawahish" is the plural of "fahishah," which is a sin that is considered abominable, such as zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) and liwat (sodomy). Regarding zina, Allah the Exalted said:

And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality

ولا تقربوا الزنى إنه كان فاحشة

[Al-Isra 17:32]

And regarding liwat, Lut said to his people:

Do you approach the shameful act?

أتأتون الفاحشة

And among the forms of zina is when a man marries a woman who is not lawful for him due to kinship, breastfeeding, or in-law relations. Allah the Exalted said:

And do not marry those [women] whom your fathers married, except what has already occurred. Indeed, it was an immorality and hateful [to Allah] and was evil as a way.

ولا تنكحوا ما نكح آباؤكم من النساء إلا ما قد سلف إنه كان فاحشةً ومقتاً وساء سبيلا

[An-Nisa 4:22]

In fact, this is more severe than zina, because He described it with two descriptors: an obscenity and abhorrence, or rather three descriptors. Whereas in zina, He described it with two descriptors:

Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.

إنه كان فاحشة وساء سبيلا

[Al-Isra 17:32]

Now, His saying:

what is apparent of them and what is concealed

ما ظهر منها وما بطن

[Al-An'am 6:151]

It has been said that the meaning is what is apparent in its obscenity and what is hidden, because some obscenities are apparent to everyone, while others are hidden from some people. It has also been said that the meaning is what is apparent to people and what is hidden from them, in terms of the actor's action, not in terms of the act itself; that is, what a person displays to people and what he conceals.
Second, he said:

and sin, and oppression without right

والإثم والبغي بغير الحق

[Al-A'raf 7:33]

This means that sin and oppression without right are forbidden. By "sin" is meant the sins that lead to it, and by "oppression" is meant aggression against people.

The cause is only against the ones who wrong the people and tyrannize upon the earth without right

إنما السبيل على الذين يظلمون الناس ويبغون في الأرض بغير الحق

[Ash-Shuraa 42:42]

In His saying

and oppression without right

والبغي بغير الحق

[Al-A'raf 7:33]

there is an indication that all oppression is without right, and it is not intended that oppression is divided into two categories: oppression with right and oppression without right, because all oppression is without right. Accordingly, the description here is of the type of descriptive attribute, what is it? The revealing attribute, which scholars call a "kashifah" (revealing) attribute, meaning a clarifying one, which serves as an explanation for the described thing.
He said:

and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority

وأن تشركوا بالله ما لم ينزل به سلطانا

[Al-A'raf 7:33]

The proof is called "sultan" (authority) because it is a power for the one who argues with it. And regarding this restriction

of which He had not sent down [any] authority

ما لم ينزل به سلطانا

[Ali 'Imran 3:151]

we say in it what we said about oppression without right, namely that it is a revealing attribute or restriction, because whoever associates partners with Allah has no authority. Yes.
The student: ...

The Shaykh : Meaning it reveals the matter and clarifies it. He said:

and to say about Allah what you do not know.

وأن تقولوا على الله ما لا تعملون

[Al-Baqarah 2:169]

Also, this is among the things forbidden for us to say about Him what we do not know.
Now, that we say about Him what we do not know, regarding His essence, His attributes, His actions, and His rulings. It is forbidden for us to say about Allah what we do not know, whether it is in His essence, His names, His attributes, His actions, or His rulings. Five things: it is not permissible for us to say about Him what we do not know. If someone asks, where is the negative attribute in this verse? Is it "that you associate with Allah" or "that you attribute to Allah what you do not know" or both? The apparent view is that both are from the category of negative attributes. "That you associate with Allah" means do not make for Allah a partner in His perfection.

and to say about Allah what you do not know.

وأن تقولوا على الله ما لا تعلمون

[Al-Baqarah 2:169]

Likewise, in His perfection, it is part of the completeness of His authority that no one says about Him what he does not know.
Now, the methodological benefit from this noble verse is that we should be extremely averse to these five things that Allah the Exalted explicitly forbade. The scholars have said that these five prohibitions are among those that all divine laws have agreed to forbid. All divine laws, from the first to the last, have agreed to forbid them. Now, is the order of these five things in the mention according to their order in ugliness?
The student: No...

The Shaykh : Yes, that is right.

Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

Similar fatwas