﴿فَاجْتَنِبُواْ الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الاٌّوْثَـنِ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ﴾

(So shun the Rijis of the idols, and shun false speech.) From this it is clear what Ar-Rijs means, i.e., avoid the abomination, which means idols. Shirk is mentioned in conjunction with false speech, as in the Ayah:

﴿قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْىَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُواْ بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَـناً وَأَن تَقُولُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

(Say: "(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (immoral sins) whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppression, joining partners with Allah for which He has given no authority, and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge''.) ﴿7:33﴾ This includes bearing false witness. In the Two Sahihs it was reported from Abu Bakrah that the Messenger of Allah said:

«أَلَا أُنَبِّــئُكُمْ بِأَكْبَرِ الْكَبَائِرِ؟»

(Shall I not tell you about the worst of major sins) We said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah.'' He said:

«الْإِشْرَاكُ بِاللهِ وَعُقُوقُ الْوَالِدَيْنِ»

(Associating others with Allah, disobeying one's parents.) He was reclining, then he sat up and said:

«أَلَا وَقَوْلُ الزُّورِ،أَلَا وَشَهَادَةُ الزُّور»

(and indeed giving false statements, and indeed bearing false witness...) and he kept on repeating it until we wished that he would stop.'' Imam Ahmad recorded that Khuraym bin Fatik Al-Asadi said, "The Messenger of Allah prayed As-Subh (Al-Fajr), and when he had finished, he stood up and said:

«عَدَلَتْ شَهَادَةُ الزُّورِ الْإِشْرَاكَ بِاللهِ عَزَّ وَجَل»

(Bearing false witness is on a par with the association of others with Allah.) Then he recited this Ayah:

﴿فَاجْتَنِبُواْ الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الاٌّوْثَـنِ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِحُنَفَآءَ للَّهِ غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ﴾

(So shun the Rijs of the idols, and shun lying speech. Hunafa' Lillah, not associating partners unto Him;)

﴿حُنَفَآءَ للَّهِ﴾

(Hunafa' Lillah) means, sincerely submitting to Him Alone, shunning falsehood and seeking the truth. Allah says:

﴿غَيْرَ مُشْرِكِينَ بِهِ﴾

(not associating partners unto Him;) Then Allah gives a likeness of the idolator in his misguidance and being doomed and being far away from true guidance, and says:

﴿وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَكَأَنَّمَا خَرَّ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ﴾

(and whoever assigns partners to Allah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky,) meaning,

﴿فَتَخْطَفُهُ الطَّيْرُ﴾

(the birds caught him in midair,)

﴿أَوْ تَهْوِى بِهِ الرِّيحُ فِى مَكَانٍ سَحِيقٍ﴾

(or the wind had thrown him to a far off place.) means, remote and desolate, dangerous for anyone who lands there. Hence it says in the Hadith of Al-Bara':

«إِنَّ الْكَافِرَ إِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُ مَلَائِكَةُ الْمَوْتِ وَصَعِدُوا بِرُوحِهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، فَلَا تُفْتَحُ لَهُ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ بَلْ تُطْرَحُ رُوحُهُ طَرْحًا مِنْ هُنَاك»

(When the angels of death take the soul of the disbeliever in death, they take his soul up to the heaven, but the gates of heaven are not opened for him; on the contrary, his soul is thrown down from there.) Then he recited this Ayah. The Hadith has already been quoted in our explanation of Surah Ibrahim. Allah gives another parable of the idolators in Surat Al-An`am, where He says:

﴿قُلْ أَنَدْعُواْ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ يَنفَعُنَا وَلاَ يَضُرُّنَا وَنُرَدُّ عَلَى أَعْقَـبِنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ كَالَّذِى اسْتَهْوَتْهُ الشَّيَـطِينُ فِى الاٌّرْضِ حَيْرَانَ لَهُ أَصْحَـبٌ يَدْعُونَهُ إِلَى الْهُدَى ائْتِنَا قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللَّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَى﴾

(Say: "Shall we invoke others besides Allah, that can do us neither good nor can harm us, and shall we turn back on our heels after Allah has guided us -- like one whom the Shayaلtin have made to go astray in the land in confusion, his companions calling him to guidance (saying): `Come to us.''' Say: "Verily, Allah's guidance is the only guidance.'') ﴿6:71﴾

﴿ذلِكَ وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ شَعَـئِرَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ - لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَـفِعُ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ مَحِلُّهَآ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ ﴾

(32. Thus it is, and whosoever honors the Sha`a'ir of Allah, then it is truly from the Taqwa of the hearts.) (33. In them are benefits for you for an appointed term, and afterwards they are brought for sacrifice to the `Atiq House.)