Quranic theme
Crime
الجريمة
12 verses
"Do not conceal evidence: anyone who does so has a sinful heart" (2:283). With this directive, the Quran intertwines legal procedure with spiritual reality. Crime is treated not merely as a breach of state law or social order, but as a deliberate corruption of trust that directly impacts one's standing with God.
How does the Quran treat financial and legal fraud?
Financial deceit is explicitly criminalized. The text warns against consuming property wrongfully and forbids using wealth to bribe judges with the intent of sinfully acquiring others' property (2:188). Vulnerable wealth holds special protection; guardians of orphans are instructed to give them their property without exchanging good assets for bad, as consuming an orphan’s wealth alongside one's own is termed "a great sin" (4:2). Similarly, if a husband initiates a divorce to replace a wife, he cannot reclaim any part of her bride-gift, even if he had given her a vast amount of gold (4:20).
In matters of testaments, the integrity of a dying wish is heavily guarded. Altering a bequest after hearing it places the guilt entirely on the one making the change (2:181). However, intervening to correct a testator's clear mistake or wrongdoing in order to reconcile the parties incurs no sin (2:182). When recording debts on a journey where a scribe cannot be found, physical collateral must be handed over as security; if the parties choose to rely on mutual trust instead, the trusted party must fulfill that trust without fail (2:283).
What about unseen and social offenses?
Not all offenses involve physical property or courthouses. Social violations like making baseless assumptions, spying, and speaking ill of others behind their backs are strictly prohibited, with backbiting equated to the repulsive act of eating a dead brother's flesh (49:12).
Yet, the framework carefully differentiates between malicious intent and forced necessity. While consuming carrion, blood, pig's meat, or animals dedicated to anything other than God is forbidden, a person driven to eat them by extreme hunger—rather than desire or excess—commits no sin, as God is merciful (2:173). This distinction between deliberate transgression and desperation shapes the Quranic view of guilt. As Muhammad Abu Zahra observes regarding the expiation of offenses (Zahrat al-Tafasir, 10/5142), addressing the transgression serves to remove its disgrace from the perpetrator, preventing that lingering shame from cheapening the individual's self-worth and making further crimes easier to commit.
What is the most severe crime?
While financial and social crimes violate human rights, the supreme transgression is theological. Joining partners with God is declared a "tremendous sin" and is the single offense God does not forgive, though He may forgive anything less than that for whoever He wills (4:48). The prophets themselves faced accusations of criminality from their detractors. When opponents claimed the revelation was fabricated, the instruction was to reply that the messenger would be responsible for his own crime if he made it up, but that he was entirely innocent of the crimes his accusers committed (11:35).
Earthly justice manages the collateral of a journey and the terms of a bequest, but the ultimate accounting addresses violence that human societies historically permitted and ignored. The final measure of justice bypasses worldly courts, arriving precisely when the baby girl buried alive is asked for what sin she was killed (81:8-9).
Verses
All 12 verses, in mushaf order.
إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْمَيْتَةَ وَٱلدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ ٱلْخِنزِيرِ وَمَآ أُهِلَّ بِهِۦ لِغَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنِ ٱضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
He has only forbidden you carrion, blood, pig’s meat, and animals over which any name other than God’s has been invoked. But if anyone is forced to eat such things by hunger, rather than desire or excess, he commits no sin: God is most merciful and forgiving.
فَمَنۢ بَدَّلَهُۥ بَعْدَ مَا سَمِعَهُۥ فَإِنَّمَآ إِثْمُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يُبَدِّلُونَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
If anyone alters the bequest after hearing it, the guilt of the alteration will fall on them: God is all hearing and all knowing.
فَمَنْ خَافَ مِن مُّوصٍ جَنَفًا أَوْ إِثْمًا فَأَصْلَحَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَلَآ إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
But if anyone knows that the testator has made a mistake, or done wrong, and so puts things right between the parties, he will incur no sin: God is most forgiving and merciful.
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا۟ بِهَآ إِلَى ٱلْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا۟ فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Do not consume your property wrongfully, nor use it to bribe judges, intending sinfully and knowingly to consume parts of other people’s property.
۞ وَإِن كُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ وَلَمْ تَجِدُوا۟ كَاتِبًا فَرِهَـٰنٌ مَّقْبُوضَةٌ ۖ فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضًا فَلْيُؤَدِّ ٱلَّذِى ٱؤْتُمِنَ أَمَـٰنَتَهُۥ وَلْيَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُۥ ۗ وَلَا تَكْتُمُوا۟ ٱلشَّهَـٰدَةَ ۚ وَمَن يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُۥٓ ءَاثِمٌ قَلْبُهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ
If you are on a journey, and cannot find a scribe, something should be handed over as security, but if you decide to trust one another, then let the one who is trusted fulfil his trust; let him be mindful of God, his Lord. Do not conceal evidence: anyone who does so has a sinful heart, and God is fully aware of everything you do.
وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰٓ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا تَتَبَدَّلُوا۟ ٱلْخَبِيثَ بِٱلطَّيِّبِ ۖ وَلَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَمْوَٰلِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ حُوبًا كَبِيرًا
Give orphans their property, do not replace [their] good things with bad, and do not consume their property with your own- a great sin.
وَإِنْ أَرَدتُّمُ ٱسْتِبْدَالَ زَوْجٍ مَّكَانَ زَوْجٍ وَءَاتَيْتُمْ إِحْدَىٰهُنَّ قِنطَارًا فَلَا تَأْخُذُوا۟ مِنْهُ شَيْـًٔا ۚ أَتَأْخُذُونَهُۥ بُهْتَـٰنًا وَإِثْمًا مُّبِينًا
If you wish to replace one wife with another, do not take any of her bride-gift back, even if you have given her a great amount of gold.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱفْتَرَىٰٓ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا
God does not forgive the joining of partners with Him: anything less than that He forgives to whoever He will, but anyone who joins partners with God has concocted a tremendous sin.
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ ٱفْتَرَىٰهُ ۖ قُلْ إِنِ ٱفْتَرَيْتُهُۥ فَعَلَىَّ إِجْرَامِى وَأَنَا۠ بَرِىٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُجْرِمُونَ
If [these disbelievers] say, ‘He has made this up,’ say [Muhammad], ‘If I have made this up, I am responsible for my own crime, but I am innocent of the crimes you commit.’
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا۟ وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Believers, avoid making too many assumptions- some assumptions are sinful- and do not spy on one another or speak ill of people behind their backs: would any of you like to eat the flesh of your dead brother? No, you would hate it. So be mindful of God: God is ever relenting, most merciful.
وَإِذَا ٱلْمَوْءُۥدَةُ سُئِلَتْ
when the baby girl buried alive is asked
بِأَىِّ ذَنۢبٍ قُتِلَتْ
for what sin she was killed,