وَلَمَّا سُقِطَ فِىٓ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَرَأَوْا۟ أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ ضَلُّوا۟ قَالُوا۟ لَئِن لَّمْ يَرْحَمْنَا رَبُّنَا وَيَغْفِرْ لَنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ 149
Translations
And when regret overcame them and they saw that they had gone astray, they said, "If our Lord does not have mercy upon us and forgive us, we will surely be among the losers."
Transliteration
Wa-lammā suqita fī aydīhim wa-ra'aw annnahum qad dallū qālū la-in lam yarḥamnā rabbunā wa-yaghfir lanā la-nakūnanna mina al-khāsirīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the moment when the Children of Israel, after worshipping the golden calf in the absence of Prophet Musa (Moses), realized their grave error when he returned with the Tablets. The phrase 'suqita fi aydihim' (it fell into their hands/they were seized with despair) conveys their shock and remorse. Upon recognizing their misguidance, they immediately turned to sincere repentance, acknowledging that without Allah's mercy and forgiveness, they would be among the losers. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize this as a demonstration of how true repentance involves both recognition of sin and desperate appeal to Allah's mercy.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the broader narrative of Surah Al-A'raf (7:138-156) regarding the incident of the golden calf. After Musa left his people for forty nights to receive the Torah, they were led astray by the sorcerer Samiri into idol worship. The ayah captures the critical moment of their collective realization and turning back to Allah, demonstrating the nature of sincere repentance.
Related Hadiths
The concept of sincere repentance is reinforced in the hadith: 'Repentance wipes away all sins that came before it' (Sunan Ibn Majah and Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith 'Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than one of you would be pleased at finding his lost camel in the desert' (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) reflects the mercy shown to those who recognize their mistakes.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that sincere repentance begins with honest recognition of our mistakes and an earnest plea for Allah's mercy—there is no shame in admitting wrongdoing, only in persistence in it. For believers today, it reminds us that no sin is too great for Allah's forgiveness if we turn back with genuine remorse and humility.
Related Ayahs
رُدُّوهَا عَلَىَّ ۖ فَطَفِقَ مَسْحًۢا بِٱلسُّوقِ وَٱلْأَعْنَاقِ
[He said], "Return them to me," and set about striking [their] legs and necks.
وَلَيْسَتِ ٱلتَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ ٱلْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّى تُبْتُ ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ وَلَا ٱلَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," or of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment.
هَـٰذَا مَا تُوعَدُونَ لِكُلِّ أَوَّابٍ حَفِيظٍ
[It will be said], "This is what you were promised - for every returner [to Allāh] and keeper [of His covenant].
ٱلتَّـٰٓئِبُونَ ٱلْعَـٰبِدُونَ ٱلْحَـٰمِدُونَ ٱلسَّـٰٓئِحُونَ ٱلرَّٰكِعُونَ ٱلسَّـٰجِدُونَ ٱلْـَٔامِرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱلنَّاهُونَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱلْحَـٰفِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
[Such believers are] the repentant, the worshippers, the praisers [of Allāh], the travelers [for His cause], those who bow and prostrate [in prayer], those who enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and those who observe the limits [set by] Allāh. And give good tidings to the believers.