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
۞ وَوَٰعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰ ثَلَـٰثِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَتْمَمْنَـٰهَا بِعَشْرٍ فَتَمَّ مِيقَـٰتُ رَبِّهِۦٓ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ۚ وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِأَخِيهِ هَـٰرُونَ ٱخْلُفْنِى فِى قَوْمِى وَأَصْلِحْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ
And We made an appointment with Moses for thirty nights and perfected them by [the addition of] ten; so the term of his Lord was completed as forty nights. And Moses said to his brother Aaron, "Take my place among my people, do right [by them], and do not follow the way of the corrupters."
تِلْكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآئِهَا ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ فَمَا كَانُوا۟ لِيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِمَا كَذَّبُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
Those cities - We relate to you, [O Muḥammad], some of their news. And certainly did their messengers come to them with clear proofs, but they were not to believe in that which they had denied before. Thus does Allāh seal over the hearts of the disbelievers.
قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers."
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ إِمَّآ أَن تُلْقِىَ وَإِمَّآ أَن نَّكُونَ نَحْنُ ٱلْمُلْقِينَ
They said, "O Moses, either you throw [your staff], or we will be the ones to throw [first]."