ﲓ ﲔ ﲕ ﲖ ﲗ ﲘ ﲙ ﲚ ﲛ ﲜ ﲝ ﲞ ﲟ ﲠ ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."
Tafsir
Verse range: 39:53
{أسرفوا على أنفسهم} They committed crimes against themselves by excessive indulgence in sins and going to extremes in them.
{لا تقنطوا} It is recited with the fatḥah, kasrah, and ḍammah on the nūn.
{إن الله يغفر الذنوب جميعا} This is conditional upon repentance. This condition has been mentioned repeatedly in the Qur’an; thus, its mention in some places serves as a mention for those places where it was omitted. The Qur’an is considered a single discourse, and contradiction within it is impermissible.
In the recitation of Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas‘ud: (He forgives all sins for whom He wills). The meaning of "whom He wills" is "the one who repents," because Allah’s will follows His wisdom and justice, not merely His dominion and power.
It is said that in the recitation of the Prophet (ﷺ) and Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her): (He forgives all sins and does not care). The negation of "caring" is analogous to the negation of "fear" in His saying: {And He does not fear the consequence thereof} (Ash-Shams: 15).
Occasion of Revelation: It is said that the people of Makkah said: "Muhammad claims that whoever worshipped idols and killed a soul that Allah has forbidden will not be forgiven. How then can we migrate, having worshipped idols and killed?" So, this verse was revealed.
It is also narrated that ‘Ayyash bin Abi Rabi‘ah, Al-Walid bin Al-Walid, and a group with them accepted Islam, but were then persecuted and tortured, causing them to apostatize. People said: "Allah will never accept any repentance or ransom from them." Thus, this verse was revealed. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote it to them, so they accepted Islam and migrated. It is also said it was revealed regarding Wahshi, the killer of Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him).
From the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "I would not love to possess the world and all that is in it in exchange for this verse." A man asked: "O Messenger of Allah, even for one who associated partners with Allah?" He remained silent for a moment, then said: "Indeed, even for one who associated partners with Allah," three times.
{وأنيبوا إلى ربكم وأسلموا له من قبل أن يأتيكم العذاب ثم لا تنصرون} Turn in repentance to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment comes upon you, after which you will not be helped.
{واتبعوا أحسن ما أنزل إليكم من ربكم من قبل أن يأتيكم العذاب بغتة وأنتم لا تشعرون} Follow the best of what has been revealed to you from your Lord before the punishment comes upon you suddenly while you are unaware.
{أن تقول نفس يا حسرتا على ما فرطت في جنب الله وإن كنت لمن الساخرين} [Lest] a soul should say: "Oh, my regret over what I neglected regarding the right of Allah, and indeed, I was among the mockers."
{أو تقول لو أن الله هداني لكنت من المتقين} Or [lest] it says: "If only Allah had guided me, I would have been among the righteous."
{أو تقول حين ترى العذاب لو أن لي كرة فأكون من المحسنين} Or [lest] it says when it sees the punishment: "If only I had another turn, I would be among the doers of good."
{بلى قد جاءتك آياتي فكذبت بها واستكبرت وكنت من الكافرين} "Yes, My verses had come to you, but you denied them, acted arrogantly, and were among the disbelievers."
