إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ حَسَنَـٰتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا 70
Translations
Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allāh will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.
Transliteration
Illa man taba wa amana wa amila amalan salihan fa-ula'ika yubaddilu Allahu sayyiatihim hasanat. Wa kana Allahu ghafuran rahiman.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah provides a message of hope and divine mercy, stating that whoever repents, believes, and performs righteous deeds will have their evil deeds transformed into good deeds by Allah. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this transformation is a unique divine gift granted to the sincere repentant, demonstrating that no sin is too great for Allah's forgiveness when coupled with genuine tawbah (repentance), iman (faith), and righteous action. This ayah concludes the discourse on those who associate partners with Allah by offering them a path to redemption.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Furqan is Meccan and addresses the polytheists of Mecca who rejected the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad. This particular ayah appears in a section discussing those who worship false gods and commit shirk, but offers them an avenue of repentance and salvation. The context is thematic rather than tied to a specific historical incident (asbab al-nuzul), emphasizing Allah's mercy toward sinners who genuinely turn back to Him.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Islam wipes away what came before it, and repentance wipes away what came before it' (Sahih Muslim). Additionally, Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah... except for one who repents' (Sunan Ibn Majah), reflecting the same theme of redemption through sincere tawbah.
Themes
Key Lesson
No matter how grave one's sins, sincere repentance combined with genuine faith and righteous action can transform those sins into virtues in the sight of Allah—a powerful reminder for modern Muslims that redemption is always within reach through God's infinite mercy. This ayah encourages believers never to despair of Allah's forgiveness and to actively pursue repentance and good works as a pathway to spiritual renewal.