قُل لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ ٱللَّهِ لِيَجْزِىَ قَوْمًۢا بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ 14
Translations
Say, [O Muḥammad], to those who have believed that they [should] forgive those who expect not the days of Allāh [i.e., of His retribution] so that He may recompense a people for what they used to earn.
Transliteration
Qul lilladhīna āmanū yagfirū lilladhīna lā yarjūna ayyāma Allāhi liyajziya qawman bimā kānū yaksibūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the believers to forgive those who do not fear or anticipate the Days of Allah (the Day of Judgment and divine retribution), so that Allah may reward people according to their deeds. Ibn Kathir explains this as an instruction in forbearance and mercy toward the disbelievers and wrongdoers, with the understanding that ultimate justice rests with Allah alone. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that this forgiveness is not condoning disbelief, but rather establishing a moral standard where believers demonstrate righteousness while leaving final judgment to the Almighty.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Jathiyah is a Meccan surah dealing with themes of divine justice, resurrection, and the consequences of accepting or rejecting Allah's signs. This ayah appears in the context of instructions to believers about how to conduct themselves toward those who reject faith and divine accountability, reflecting the early Meccan period when Muslims were a minority facing opposition.
Related Hadiths
Related to the theme of forgiveness: Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said, 'The strong person is not the one who throws his adversaries to the ground. Rather, the strong person is the one who controls himself when he is angry' (Sahih Bukhari 6116). Also relevant: 'Whoever suppresses anger while being able to execute it, Allah will fill his heart with contentment on the Day of Judgment' (Sunan Ibn Majah).
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers are encouraged to embody mercy and forgiveness toward those who reject divine truth, recognizing that ultimate justice belongs to Allah alone. This teaches that spiritual maturity involves controlling anger and extending forgiveness while maintaining faith in divine accountability, which paradoxically becomes the source of true strength and peace.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ أَنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُۥ مَعَهُۥ لَٱفْتَدَوْا۟ بِهِۦ مِن سُوٓءِ ٱلْعَذَابِ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۚ وَبَدَا لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يَكُونُوا۟ يَحْتَسِبُونَ
And if those who did wrong had all that is in the earth entirely and the like of it with it, they would [attempt to] ransom themselves thereby from the worst of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection. And there will appear to them from Allāh that which they had not taken into account.
أَوْ تَقُولَ حِينَ تَرَى ٱلْعَذَابَ لَوْ أَنَّ لِى كَرَّةً فَأَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
Or [lest] it say when it sees the punishment, "If only I had another turn so I could be among the doers of good."
ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ أَيُّهَا ٱلضَّآلُّونَ ٱلْمُكَذِّبُونَ
Then indeed you, O those astray [who are] deniers,
أَفَمَن يَتَّقِى بِوَجْهِهِۦ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۚ وَقِيلَ لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ذُوقُوا۟ مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ
Then is he who will shield with his face the worst of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection [like one secure from it]? And it will be said to the wrongdoers, "Taste what you used to earn."