ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ فَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُۥ لَكُنتُم مِّنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ 64
Translations
Then you turned away after that. And if not for the favor of Allāh upon you and His mercy, you would have been among the losers.
Transliteration
Thumma tawallaytum min ba'di dhalika falaula fadlullahi alaikum wa rahmatuh lakuntum minal khasirin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the Children of Israel's betrayal after witnessing the miraculous parting of the sea and receiving the Torah. Allah reminds them that despite their turning away from His covenant, only His grace (fadl) and mercy (rahma) prevented them from being among the losers. Ibn Kathir notes this refers to their worship of the calf and subsequent disobedience, emphasizing that divine mercy alone preserves believers from ruin and disgrace.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the historical narrative of Surah Al-Baqarah (verses 40-103) that recounts the Bani Isra'il's covenant with Allah and their subsequent violations. It specifically follows the incident of the Golden Calf, establishing the pattern of their promise-breaking and Allah's continued forbearance through His mercy rather than immediate punishment.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to Hadith Qudsi: 'My mercy precedes My wrath' (Sahih Bukhari 7405). Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Muslim about Allah's ninety-nine attributes of mercy, emphasizing that His mercy encompasses all things.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that our spiritual survival and success depend entirely on Allah's grace and mercy rather than our own strength or righteousness. It should inspire deep gratitude for His forbearance with our failings and sincere repentance, recognizing that turning away from divine guidance leads only to loss and regret.
Related Ayahs
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allāh -
فَقُلْنَا ٱضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُحْىِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَيُرِيكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
So We said, "Strike him [i.e., the slain man] with part of it." Thus does Allāh bring the dead to life, and He shows you His signs that you might reason.
وَمَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسْمَعُ إِلَّا دُعَآءً وَنِدَآءً ۚ صُمٌّۢ بُكْمٌ عُمْىٌ فَهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
The example of those who disbelieve is like that of one who shouts at what hears nothing but calls and cries [i.e., cattle or sheep] - deaf, dumb and blind, so they do not understand.
ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ ۚ وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allāh and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination."