Surah Al-Furqan, Ayah 69

The Attributes of the Servants of the Most Gracious include avoiding Shirk, Murder and Zina

Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "The Messenger of Allah was asked which sin is the most serious" He said:

«أَنْ تَجْعَلَ للهِ نِدًّا وَهُوَ خَلَقَك»

(That you appoint a rival to Allah when He has created you.) He asked, "Then what" He said:

«أَنْ تَقْتُلَ وَلَدَكَ خَشْيَةَ أَنْ يَطْعَمَ مَعَك»

(That you kill your child for fear that he may eat with you.) He said, "Then what" He said:

«أَنْ تُزَانِي حَلِيلَةَ جَارِك»

(That you commit adultery with your neighbor's wife.) `Abdullah said, "Then Allah revealed, confirming that:

وَالَّذِينَ لاَ يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهَا ءَاخَرَ

(And those who invoke not any other god along with Allah....)" This was also recorded by An-Nasa'i, and by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. It was narrated that Sa`id bin Jubayr heard Ibn `Abbas saying that some of the people of Shirk killed a great deal and committed Zina a great deal, then they came to Muhammad ﷺ and said: "What you are saying and calling people to is good, if only you would tell us that there is a way to expiate for what we have done." Then the Ayah:

The next verse mentions some details of the punishment to be faced by the aforementioned sinners. In the context of these verses it is certain that this chastisement will be exclusive to those who were infidels and also indulged in adultery or homicide. In the first place the phrase يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ (The punishment will be doubled for him - 69) cannot be applied on Muslim sinners because they are told both in the Qur'an and in the Sunnah that they will get only one punishment against a sin. Any increase in the intensity of chastisement will not be in the case of believers. Doubling of chastisement will be exclusive to infidels i.e. the first chastisement will be for infidelity and in case they have also committed sins the chastisement will be doubled. Secondly, it is also mentioned about this chastisement that it will be perpetual وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا - 25:69) i.e. the punished will be placed there forever after being disgraced and condemned. On the other hand no believer will be condemned for ever in the Jahannam, no matter how big a sin he has committed. Muslims will be taken out of the Jahannam when they have completed their term there. In brief, those infidels who reject monotheism and also commit adultery and homicide will be awarded doubled chastisement which will increase in intensity and will last forever. In the next verse there is a solace for the above type of sinners in that if they seek Allah's forgiveness and act righteously, then Allah Ta’ ala is expected to change their sins into righteous deeds. In other words, once they have repented on their past sins and accepted Islam, their past sins will be taken away from their record and all that will be left in the record would be nothing but righteous deeds. It is because Allah Ta'ala has promised that when an infidel accepts Islam, all sins he might have committed during infidelity are pardoned. Hence their previous record which was full of sins and evil deeds will be forgiven and scraped, and will be replaced with a fresh record of good and righteous deeds which they would perform after submitting to Islam. This explanation of conversion of sins into virtues is given by Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، Hasan al-Basri, Said Ibn Jubair and Mujahid رحمۃ اللہ علیہم (Mazhari).

Ibn Kathir has given another explanation for conversion of sins into virtues. He says that when they will remember all those sins which they had committed during the period of their infidelity, they will repent and seek Allah's forgiveness. This act of repentance will replace their sins into virtues. In support of this explanation some traditions have also been quoted.

Three sins have been mentioned in this verse—polytheism, the killing of a person without justification and adultery. These three forms of wrongdoing are great sins against God and His subjects. The sign of real faith in God is that a man abstains from them. Those who have indulged in these sins can save themselves from retribution by repentance, but for those who die without repenting and reforming, there will be severe punishment before God at God’s behest, which they will in no way be able to avoid.