Tafsir of Ghafir 40:1

Classification: Meccan.

Opinions on Revelation:

• Al-Hasan: It is Meccan, except for the verse "And exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord," because the [five daily] prayers were ordained in Medina.
• Ibn Abbas and Ibn al-Hanafiyyah: It is reported that all the Hawamim (surahs starting with Ha-Mim) are Meccan.

Verse Count:

• Eighty-five verses.
• It is also said: Eighty-two verses.

In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

1. Ha-Mim.

2. [This is] the revelation of the Book from Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.

3. The Forgiver of sin, Acceptor of repentance, Severe in punishment, Owner of abundance. There is no deity except Him; to Him is the destination.

Recitation: It is recited with imāla (inclining the vowel) of the alif in "Ḥā" and with tafkhīm (full-sounding/thickening). It is also recited with the mīm quiescent (sukūn) and with a fatḥa.

The rationale for the fatḥa:

1. Movement to avoid the meeting of two quiescent letters, preferring the lightest of vowels.
2. Similar to ayna (where) and kayfa (how).
3. Or it is in the accusative case (naṣb) due to an implied verb "Read!" (iqraʾ).
4. It is indeclinable (mamnūʿ min al-ṣarf) due to being feminine and a proper noun, or because it is a proper noun following the pattern of foreign words like Qābīl (Cain) and Hābīl (Abel).

Lexical Notes:

• Al-Tawb, al-thawb, and al-awb are synonyms meaning "return."
• Al-ṭawl, al-faḍl, and al-ziyāda (bounty/excess) are related. It is said: "He has ṭawl over him," meaning ifḍāl (bestowing favor). It is said: "He ṭāla upon him and taṭawwala," meaning he showed him favor.

Theological/Grammatical Inquiry: If you ask: How do these attributes differ in definiteness and indefiniteness, while the described subject (God) is definite, which requires the attributes to be definite as well?

I say: As for Ghāfir al-dhanb (Forgiver of sin) and Qābil al-tawb (Acceptor of repentance), they are definite because they do not imply the occurrence of the actions in the present or future (as if they were separate events). Their genitive construction (iḍāfa) is not literal; rather, it signifies the permanence and continuity of these attributes. Thus, their status is like "God of creation" and "Lord of the Throne."

As for Shadīd al-ʿiqāb (Severe in punishment), its case is problematic because it is effectively "Severe is His punishment," and it cannot escape this interpretation. Al-Zajjāj considered it an appositive (badal). However, it being the only indefinite attribute among definite ones creates a noticeable dissonance.

The correct view is: When this single indefinite term is found among these definite ones, it signals that all of them are appositives, not mere adjectives. An analogy: if a poem is composed entirely in the Mustafʿilun meter, it is judged to be Rajaz. If a single foot of Mutafāʿilun appears, it becomes Kāmil.

One might argue: They are adjectives, and the alif-lām (definite article) was omitted from Shadīd al-ʿiqāb to match the preceding and following terms in wording. The Arabs often deviated from grammatical rules for the sake of parallelism (izdiwāj).

Alternatively, it may be said that its indefiniteness was intentional to signify extreme severity—that there is nothing more calamitous or bitter—to increase the warning. This is the very reason for choosing the appositive structure over the adjective.

If you ask: What is the significance of the wāw (and) in Qābil al-tawb? I say: It contains a profound point: it indicates that the repentant sinner is granted two mercies:

1. That his repentance is accepted and recorded as an act of obedience.
2. That it is made an eraser of sins, as if he had never sinned. It is as if He said: "The gatherer of forgiveness and acceptance."

Historical Anecdote: It is narrated that Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) missed a man of great strength from the people of Syria. It was said to him: "He has persisted in drinking." Umar said to his scribe: "Write: From Umar to so-and-so: Peace be upon you. I praise Allah to you, besides whom there is no god. Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm: Ḥā-Mīm... until His saying: 'To Him is the final destination.' (40:1-3)."

He sealed the letter and told his messenger: "Do not give it to him until you find him sober." Then he ordered those with him to pray for his repentance. When the letter reached him, he began reading it, saying: "Allah has promised to forgive me and warned me of His punishment." He kept repeating it until he wept, then he desisted and his repentance was sincere. When the news reached Umar, he said: "Do this. When you see your brother has slipped, straighten him, support him, and pray to Allah to accept his repentance; do not be helpers of the devils against him."