Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:28

(God intends to lighten for you) meaning: in the obligations regarding the matter of women and marriage, by permitting the marriage of bondwomen. This was stated by Tawus and Mujahid. It has also been said: He lightens the obligations in a general sense, for the Almighty has lightened for this nation what He did not lighten for the nations that came before it. It is also said: He lightens by accepting repentance and granting the ability to perform it. The sentence is an initiating statement and has no place in grammatical inflection.

(And humankind was created weak) meaning: in the matter of women; he cannot exercise patience regarding them. This was stated by Tawus. In a narration: "There is no good in women, yet there is no patience without them. A noble man overcomes them, and a base man is overcome by them; therefore, I prefer to be a noble man who is overcome, and I do not desire to be a base man who overcomes." It is said: His desire and lust sway him, and his fear and sadness agitate him. It is also said: He is incapable of opposing desire and bearing the hardships of obedience. It is said: He is weak of judgment, unable to perceive secrets and wisdoms except through divine light.

From al-Hasan (may God the Almighty be pleased with him): the meaning is weak in constitution; the slightest incident that befalls him causes him pain. The weakness of the context's support for both of these views is not hidden, for the sentence is an appositive parenthetical clause brought forth to confirm what preceded it regarding lightening [the burden] through the concession of marrying bondwomen, and neither weakness of judgment nor weakness of constitution has any connection to that. The idea that it is an allusion to the ignorance of the Magi in their analogy based on the first of the two sayings is of no value.

"Weak" is in the accusative case as a state (hal), though it is said: it is due to the removal of the preposition, meaning: "from weak," and it refers to clay or the seminal drop; both are as you see. Ibn Abbas recited: "And He created humankind," in the active voice, with the pronoun referring to God, the Exalted and Majestic.

Al-Bayhaqi extracted in al-Shu'ab from him that he said: Eight verses were revealed in Surat al-Nisa' that are better for this nation than everything upon which the sun rises and sets:

The first: (God intends to make clear to you and guide you to the ways of those before you and to accept your repentance; and God is Knowing and Wise). The second: (And God intends to accept your repentance) to the end of it. The third: (God intends to lighten for you) to the end of it. The fourth: (If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance). The fifth: (Indeed, God does not do injustice, [even] by an atom's weight). The sixth: (And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of God will find God Forgiving and Merciful). The seventh: (Indeed, God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills) to the end of it. The eighth: (And those who believe in God and His messengers and do not discriminate between any of them—to them He is going to give their rewards) and the verse.