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Tafsir of Al-Ma'idah 5:39

Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:39

ﱞ ﱟ ﱠ ﱡ ﱢ ﱣ ﱤ ﱥ ﱦ ﱧ ﱨ ﱩ ﱪ ﱫ ﱬ

But whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, indeed, Allah will turn to him in forgiveness. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Tafsir

Mafatih al-Ghayb

Verse range: 5:39

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Al-Ma'idah (5:39) - "So whoever repents after [committing] wrong..."

Issues Discussed in the Verse:

Issue 1: The Acceptance of Repentance

The verse indicates that Allah accepts the repentance of whoever repents.

Objection: The phrase "{and amends} (وأصلح)" suggests that mere repentance is not sufficient for acceptance.

Response: The meaning of "{and amends}" is that the repentance must be accompanied by a sincere, truthful intention and a firm resolve, free from all other ulterior motives.

Issue 2: Repentance Before Punishment (The *Hadd*)

If a person repents before the prescribed punishment (hadd) is carried out (for theft, in this context), does the punishment fall away?

  1. View of Some Early Scholars: The punishment is dropped. This is inferred because the mention of "The Forgiving, the Merciful" at the end of this verse implies the removal of the penalty. Since the penalty mentioned in this verse is the hadd, the apparent meaning of the verse suggests its removal.
  2. View of the Majority (Jumhūr): This hadd is not dropped; rather, it is carried out as a test (imtiḥān).

Issue 3: The Obligation of Accepting Repentance

The verse indicates that accepting repentance is not obligatory upon Allah, the Exalted.

This is because Allah praises Himself for accepting repentance. Praise (tamadduh) is only due for acts of grace and favor (tafaḍḍul and iḥsān), not for fulfilling obligations.

Then, Allah, the Exalted, said:

**{Do you not know that to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth? He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills. And Allah is over all things competent.}** (5:40)