أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُۥ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ 74
Translations
So will they not repent to Allāh and seek His forgiveness? And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
Transliteration
Afala yatubun ilallahi wa yastaghfirunh. Wallahu ghafurun raheem.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah calls upon those who have committed shirk (associating partners with Allah) to repent and seek forgiveness from Allah, emphasizing that Allah is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, the ayah presents an appeal to the polytheists, encouraging them to abandon their false beliefs and turn back to monotheism, reassuring them that despite their grave sin of shirk, Allah's mercy encompasses all who sincerely repent. The rhetorical question structure (Afala - 'Will they not...?') conveys both rebuke and invitation, highlighting the illogicality of persisting in disbelief when repentance and forgiveness are available.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Medinan surah Al-Ma'idah, which addresses various theological and legal matters. The broader context of 5:72-75 discusses the Christian belief in Jesus as the son of God, and this ayah serves as a direct call to those holding such beliefs to reconsider and return to the true path of monotheism and Allah's submission.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever repents before the sun rises from the west, Allah will forgive him' (Sahih Muslim 2703). Additionally, 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah, then to disobey parents, then to commit murder' (Sahih Bukhari 2654), contextualizing the severity of shirk that this ayah addresses.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah offers hope that no sin is beyond Allah's forgiveness for those who sincerely repent, even the grave sin of shirk; it teaches believers to invite others to repentance with compassion rather than despair, recognizing that Allah's mercy precedes His justice.