Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:27

An-Nisā’ (The Women): Verse 27

And Allah intends to forgive you...

The First Issue:

It is narrated that the Magians (Zoroastrians) permitted marrying sisters, nieces (daughter of brother), and nieces (daughter of sister). When Allah forbade these unions, the Magians argued: "You permit marrying the daughter of the maternal aunt ('ammah) and the paternal aunt (khālah), yet you forbid the daughter of the brother and the daughter of the sister to us. Therefore, you should also permit marrying the daughters of the brother and the sister [to us]." This verse was then revealed [addressing these prohibitions].

The Second Issue:

The Mu'tazilah argue that His statement, "And Allah intends to forgive you," indicates that the Almighty intends repentance from everyone, and obedience from everyone.

Our scholars (Ahl al-Sunnah) respond: This is impossible because the Almighty already knew that a specific sinner would not repent. His knowledge that the person will not repent, alongside His supposed intention that the person should repent, are two contradictory states. Since that prior knowledge is immutable, intending the opposite of what He already knows will occur is intending an impossibility, which is itself impossible.

Furthermore, if Allah intends for everyone to repent, yet Satan intends for you to incline greatly [towards sin], and then Satan's desire is realized while the Merciful's desire is not, then Satan's execution of will within the dominion of the Merciful is more complete than the execution of the Merciful's will within His own dominion. This is impossible.

Therefore, it is established that the statement "And Allah intends to forgive you" is an address directed toward specific people for whom this repentance has been realized.

Allah intends to lighten [the burden] for you, and man was created weak.