وَٱلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِهَا وَءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ 153
Translations
But those who committed misdeeds and then repented after them and believed - indeed your Lord, thereafter, is Forgiving and Merciful.
Transliteration
Wa alladhīna 'amilū as-sayyiāt thumma tābū min ba'dihā wa āmanū inna rabbaka min ba'dihā la-ghafūrun rahīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses those who have committed sins but subsequently repent sincerely and believe in Allah, assuring them of Allah's forgiveness and mercy. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this verse establishes the principle that sincere repentance (tawbah) wipes away sins, regardless of their severity, as long as the repentance is genuine and followed by righteous action. The placement of this ayah in the narrative of the golden calf incident demonstrates Allah's willingness to forgive even grave transgressions when met with true repentance and renewed faith.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-A'raf's discussion of the Children of Israel and their covenant with Allah. It follows the account of those who worshipped the golden calf, providing a merciful conclusion that emphasizes repentance as a path to redemption rather than eternal condemnation.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Repentance erases all sins that came before it' (Tirmidhi). Additionally, Hadith Qudsi states: 'I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me' (Sahih Bukhari), reflecting Allah's response to sincere repentance and faith.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah offers profound hope to all believers that no sin is too great for Allah's forgiveness if one sincerely repents, reforms their behavior, and renews their faith. It teaches that our relationship with Allah is not defined by our past mistakes, but by our genuine effort to return to righteousness and maintain belief in His guidance.
Related Ayahs
۞ هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَٰحِدَةٍ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا ۖ فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّىٰهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلًا خَفِيفًا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِۦ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَثْقَلَت دَّعَوَا ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ ءَاتَيْتَنَا صَـٰلِحًا لَّنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ
It is He who created you from one soul and created from it its mate that he might dwell in security with her. And when he [i.e., man] covers her, she carries a light burden [i.e., a pregnancy] and continues therein. And when it becomes heavy, they both invoke Allāh, their Lord, "If You should give us a good [child], we will surely be among the grateful."
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ ٱلْعِجْلَ سَيَنَالُهُمْ غَضَبٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَذِلَّةٌ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُفْتَرِينَ
Indeed, those who took the calf [for worship] will obtain anger from their Lord and humiliation in the life of this world, and thus do We recompense the inventors [of falsehood].
وَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ أَخْرِجُوهُم مِّن قَرْيَتِكُمْ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌ يَتَطَهَّرُونَ
But the answer of his people was only that they said, "Evict them from your city! Indeed, they are men who keep themselves pure."
ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لَهْوًا وَلَعِبًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ فَٱلْيَوْمَ نَنسَىٰهُمْ كَمَا نَسُوا۟ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَـٰذَا وَمَا كَانُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ
Who took their religion as distraction and amusement and whom the worldly life deluded." So today We will forget them just as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs and for having rejected Our verses.