Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:23

(They said: "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves") meaning: we have harmed ourselves through disobedience. It is also said: we have diminished our portion by exposing ourselves to expulsion from Paradise. They omitted the vocative particle as an expression of profound reverence, for it contains an aspect of the meaning of command.

(And if You do not forgive us) that, by not punishing us for it, (and have mercy on us) by being pleased with us. It is also said: the intended meaning is "if You do not conceal us through protection from that which causes the diminution of our portion, and have mercy on us by favoring us with that which replaces what we have missed," (we will surely be among the losers).

This is the response to an implied oath that indicates the response to the preceding conditional clause, according to what has been said. The verse has been used as evidence that minor sins are punishable—given the avoidance of major sins—if Allah the Exalted does not forgive them. The Mu'tazila maintained that avoiding major sins necessitates the expiation of minor sins even if the servant does not repent from them. They explained that what is mentioned here follows the custom of the friends of Allah and the righteous in their magnifying of minor misdeeds and their humbling themselves regarding their great good deeds, and thus it does not contradict the fact that they were both forgiven.

Many of the Ahl al-Sunnah categorized this under the "humbling of the self," based on the view that what occurred was due to forgetfulness, and there was neither a major nor a minor sin involved. The Imam claimed that this act was a minor sin and that it occurred before the prophethood of Adam, peace be upon him, for it is not permissible for prophets—upon them be peace—after their prophethood to commit either a major or a minor sin. The discourse on this issue is well-known.