(32, 33) “Say, ‘Who has forbidden the adornment Allah has brought forth for His servants and the wholesome provisions?’ Say, ‘They are for those who believe during the life of this world and will be exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection.’ Thus do We explain the signs in detail for people who know. * Say, ‘My Lord has forbidden only shameful deeds, whether open or hidden; sin; wrongful transgression; associating with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority; and saying about Allah what you do not know.’”
Allah Most High denounces those who act obstinately and forbid the wholesome things that Allah has made lawful: “Say, ‘Who has forbidden the adornment Allah has brought forth for His servants’”—including every type and variety of clothing—“and the wholesome provisions,” including every kind of food and drink? In other words: Who would dare forbid that with which Allah has blessed His servants? Who would restrict what Allah has made abundant for them?
Allah granted His servants this abundance of wholesome things so that they might use them to assist them in worshipping Him. He has permitted them only for His believing servants. Thus He says: “Say, ‘They are for those who believe during the life of this world and will be exclusively theirs on the Day of Resurrection.’” That is, they will incur no adverse consequence for enjoying them.
The verse implies that whoever does not believe in Allah but instead uses these things to disobey Him does not enjoy them without consequence, nor are they lawful for him. Rather, he will be punished for them and for his indulgence in them, and he will be questioned about these blessings on the Day of Resurrection.
“Thus do We explain the signs in detail”—that is, We clarify and elucidate them—“for people who know,” because they are the ones who benefit from the signs Allah has explained, know that they are from Allah, comprehend them, and understand them.
He then mentions the prohibitions that Allah has forbidden in every revealed law, saying: “Say, ‘My Lord has forbidden only shameful deeds’”—that is, grave sins regarded as abhorrent and repugnant because of their enormity and ugliness, such as fornication, sodomy, and similar acts.
His words, “whether open or hidden,” refer to shameful deeds committed through outward bodily actions and those arising from the inward actions of the heart, such as arrogance, conceit, ostentation, hypocrisy, and the like. “Sin and wrongful transgression” means sins concerning Allah’s rights that render a person sinful and incur punishment, and transgression against people’s lives, property, and honor. This therefore includes sins relating to the rights of Allah and those relating to the rights of His servants.
“And associating with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority”—that is, no proof. On the contrary, He has sent down evidence and decisive proof establishing His oneness. Associating partners with Allah means joining any created being with Him in worship. Minor shirk may also fall under this, such as showing off in worship, swearing by other than Allah, and similar acts.
“And saying about Allah what you do not know” regarding His names, attributes, actions, and revealed law. Allah has forbidden all these things and prohibited His servants from engaging in them because of the harm they cause both individually and generally, the injustice and audacity toward Allah they entail, the oppression of Allah’s servants, and the alteration of Allah’s religion and revealed law.