فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوْا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ 192
Translations
And if they cease, then indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
Transliteration
Fa-in intahaw fa-inna Allaha ghafurun rahimun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah conveys Allah's merciful promise that if those engaged in hostility or wrongdoing cease their actions, Allah will forgive them and show them mercy. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this verse establishes the principle of divine forgiveness contingent upon repentance and cessation of sin, reflecting Allah's attribute of being the Most Forgiving (Al-Ghafur) and the Most Merciful (Ar-Rahim). The ayah demonstrates that no matter how severe one's transgressions, the door to Allah's forgiveness remains open to those who sincerely turn away from evil.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Baqarah's discussion of fighting and self-defense in Islam (ayahs 190-193). It follows verses establishing the permissibility and conditions of defensive fighting, and this verse offers the merciful outcome if aggressors desist from their hostility, emphasizing Islam's preference for peace and reconciliation.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The most beloved of deeds to Allah are those done most consistently, even if they are small' (Sahih Bukhari 6464). Additionally, the hadith 'Verily, Allah is gentle and loves gentleness' (Sahih Muslim 2154) relates to the theme of Allah's mercy and clemency.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that sincere repentance and abandonment of wrongdoing opens the pathway to Allah's infinite mercy and forgiveness, encouraging believers to never despair of Allah's compassion regardless of past mistakes. It also reflects the Islamic principle that peace and reconciliation are preferable to continued conflict, offering hope and redemption to all who turn away from transgression.
Related Ayahs
يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَيُدْخِلْكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ وَمَسَـٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِى جَنَّـٰتِ عَدْنٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
He will forgive for you your sins and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence. That is the great attainment.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ ٱلْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُۥ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِۦ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ رَّحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَٱغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا۟ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ سَبِيلَكَ وَقِهِمْ عَذَابَ ٱلْجَحِيمِ
Those [angels] who carry the Throne and those around it exalt [Allāh] with praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask forgiveness for those who have believed, [saying], "Our Lord, You have encompassed all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who have repented and followed Your way and protect them from the punishment of Hellfire.
وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا۟ فَـٰحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ لِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَن يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمْ يُصِرُّوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُوا۟ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ
And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allāh and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allāh? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.
وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلْوَدُودُ
And He is the Forgiving, the Affectionate,