ما هو الحنث العظيم في سورة الواقعة؟

The exegetes have differed in their interpretations of the Almighty's saying: "And they used to persist in the great 'ḥinth'." Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Ikrimah, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, and As-Suddi said: It is polytheism (shirk). Ash-Sha'bi said: It is the false oath that immerses one in sin (al-yameen al-ghamūs). It was also narrated from Qatadah and Mujahid that it refers to the great sin from which they do not repent. There is no contradiction among these interpretations, for "ḥinth" in the Arabic language means sin and transgression. Polytheism is the greatest of sins, and the false oath is a sin. Each exegete interpreted it with a part of what the word encompasses.