(Leave evil, open and secret…) refers to all kinds of sins committed in public and secret. Qatadah said that,
(Leave sin, open and secret…) encompasses sins committed in public and secret, whether few or many. In another statement, Allah said,
(Say: “(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are Al-Fawahish (evil sins) whether committed openly or secretly.) 7:33 This is why Allah said,
(Verily, those who commit sin will get due recompense for that which they used to commit.) Whether the sins they committed were public or secret, Allah will compensate them for these sins. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that An-Nawwas bin Sam`an said, “I asked Allah’s Messenger about Al-Ithm. He said,
(The sin is that which you find in your heart and you dislike that people become aware of it.)