Tafsir of Ash-Shura 42:25

"And He is the One who accepts repentance from His servants" (by forgiving what they have repented from and accepting it). The verb is constructed with ‘an (from) due to it implying the meaning of "distancing," and with min (from) due to it implying the meaning of "taking," as in His saying, “And what prevents their contributions from being accepted from them?”—meaning, from being taken. It is also said that "acceptance" here implies the meaning of "forgiveness," and the speech is based on the assumption of an added noun—i.e., He accepts repentance, forgiving the sins of His servants—but this is an unnecessary elaboration.

Repentance is to refrain from what is ugly and from the failure to perform obligations in the present, to regret the past, and to resolve to abandon it in the future. They have added to this the "extrication" from it in any way possible if the sin involves a right due to a servant; this is done by returning it to him, or to his agent, or by seeking his pardon if he is alive, or by returning it to his heirs if he is dead—if they can be found. The judge, if he is trustworthy, is like an elixir; but if one cannot manage any of that, he should give charity on the victim's behalf; otherwise, he should pray for him and seek forgiveness for him. In al-Kashf, it is stated that "extrication" is included in "refraining," for one cannot be considered to have refrained from it while still being entangled in it. It has been chosen that its essence is returning, and that regret and resolve are only so that the return may be a cessation and so that it may be verified that it is the repentance to which we have been invited. This conforms to what is in al-Ihya—that it is essentially a name for that state, while the rest are conditions for its verification. It is also stipulated that the motive for returning, along with regret and resolve, must be religious. If one were to refrain due to another impediment, such as physical weakness or debt, that would not be considered repentance at all. Al-Zamakhshari alluded to this by noting that the return is because what is being returned from is ugly and a failure to fulfill an obligation. If one refrains from it while seeking praise, out of hypocrisy, or for reputation, it is excluded; for the "ugliness" of the ugly deed means it necessitates punishment in the hereafter and blame in this world. If one refrained for the sake of the aforementioned, he would not be returning because of that [ugliness].

It is narrated by Jabir that a Bedouin entered the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and said: "O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness and repent to You," and then he magnified Allah (takbir). When he finished his prayer, Ali (may Allah honor his face) said to him: "O man, the speed of the tongue in seeking forgiveness is the repentance of liars, and your repentance needs repentance." He asked, "O Commander of the Faithful, what is repentance?" He said: "It is a name that applies to six meanings: regret for past sins, returning to the neglected obligatory acts, returning rights to the oppressed, dissolving the self in obedience just as you nurtured it in disobedience, making the self taste the bitterness of obedience just as you made it taste the sweetness of disobedience, and weeping in place of every laugh you laughed." This suggests that repentance is the sum of these matters, meaning its most perfect forms; or it may be a name for each one of them, and the former is more apparent.

There is a difference of opinion regarding repentance from some sins while persisting in others: is it valid or not? That which the companions hold is that it is valid, due to the apparent meanings of the verses and hadiths, and the fact that the definition applies to it. Most of the Mu'tazila hold that it is not valid. Abu Hashim, one of them, said: "If one repents from an ugly act because it is ugly, it is mandatory that he repent from all ugly acts; and if he repented from it not merely because of its ugliness but for another purpose, his repentance is not valid." This is countered by saying that it is possible for the motive to be the intensity of the ugliness or another religious matter. Furthermore, a similar argument could be applied to performing good deeds; in fact, one could say: "If one performs a good deed because it is good, he must perform every good deed; and if he performs it for another purpose, it will not be accepted." In this, there is room for investigation. The Mu'tazila used this verse as evidence that it is mandatory for Him (Exalted is He) to accept repentance, while the people of Sunnah used it to argue against its obligation, due to the fact that one cannot be praised for performing an obligation. In this, too, there is room for investigation. The most beneficial approach in this context are the proofs for the negation of obligation upon Him (Mighty and Majestic is He) in an absolute sense.

"And He pardons the sins"—both the minor and the major—for whomever He wills, without the stipulation of anything, unlike repentance for major sins and avoiding them for minor ones. Al-Tibi said: "The meaning is that it is His nature (Exalted is He) to accept repentance from His servants when they repent, and to pardon their sins by His pure mercy or through the intercession of an intercessor." The Mu'tazila said: "It means He pardons major sins if one has repented from them, and minor sins if major ones have been avoided. Thus, 'pardoning the sins' for Him is more general than 'accepting repentance,' as it includes minor sins if major ones are avoided." This is a generalization after specification. However, the manifest meaning lies with the people of Sunnah, as there is no indication in the majestic wording for restricting the "sins"—yes, by consensus, it refers to sins other than shirk (polytheism).

"And He knows what you do" (with the ta [address] according to Hafs, the two brothers, ‘Alqama, and ‘Abdullah; and with the ya [third person] according to the majority). Based on the former, there is a shift in address (iltifat), and ma is a relative pronoun with the referent omitted—i.e., He knows that which you do, whether it be good or evil, so He shall recompense with reward or punishment, or He shall—Glorified be He—pass over it by pardoning, according to what His will (Mighty and Majestic is He) necessitates, which is founded upon wisdom and interests. It is said: He knows that, and so He recompenses the repentant and passes over the others if He (Glorified be He) wills. The first view is more apparent. In al-Kashshaf: He (Glorified be He) knows that, and so He rewards for good deeds and punishes for sins. In al-Kashf, after citing this: "It—His saying 'And He knows'—is a corollary (tadhil) to the previous speech, confirming what He mentioned regarding acceptance and pardon; for if He knows both the deeds and the doers, He shall recompense each according to what he did. Thus, it is even more appropriate that He should recompense these doers of good for their deeds. Furthermore, it contains subtlety and an exhortation to remain cautious of Him (Exalted is He) and to be sincere to Him (Glorified be He) in the purification of repentance. We, too, do not deny that a corollary contains confirmation, as is not hidden."