ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِجَهَـٰلَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوٓا۟ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ 119
Translations
Then, indeed your Lord, to those who have done wrong out of ignorance and then repent after that and correct themselves - indeed, your Lord, thereafter, is Forgiving and Merciful.
Transliteration
Thumma inna rabbaka lilladhina amiloo assoo'a bijahaalatin thumma taboo min ba'di dhalika wa aslahoo inna rabbaka min ba'diha laghafoorun raheem
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses those who commit evil deeds out of ignorance but subsequently repent sincerely and reform themselves—assuring them that Allah is Most Forgiving and Merciful after their repentance. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this verse demonstrates Allah's compassion for sincere repentants, stipulating that true tawbah requires abandoning the sin, expressing remorse, and making amends ('islah'). The mention of 'ignorance' (jahaalah) indicates that the person acted without full knowledge or understanding, yet accountability is not negated; rather, repentance remains the path to divine forgiveness.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Nahl (Meccan chapter) within a broader context discussing divine mercy and guidance. While no specific asbab al-nuzul is definitively established for this particular verse, it fits thematically within the surah's discussion of Allah's signs and mercies, emphasizing that even those who err have an opportunity for redemption through sincere repentance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Repentance erases what came before it' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet stated: 'The one who repents from sin is like one who has not sinned,' emphasizing the completeness of forgiveness after genuine tawbah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that no sin is unforgivable when met with genuine repentance, sincere remorse, and concrete reform—offering hope to all believers who stumble. It encourages a compassionate understanding of human weakness while emphasizing personal responsibility to turn back to Allah and restore one's relationship with Him and society.
Related Ayahs
وَٱلْخَيْلَ وَٱلْبِغَالَ وَٱلْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةً ۚ وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And [He created] the horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and [as] adornment. And He creates that which you do not know.
وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ أَيْمَـٰنَكُمْ دَخَلًۢا بَيْنَكُمْ فَتَزِلَّ قَدَمٌۢ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهَا وَتَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِمَا صَدَدتُّمْ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلَكُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
And do not take your oaths as [means of] deceit between you, lest a foot slip after it was [once] firm, and you would taste evil [in this world] for what [people] you diverted from the way of Allāh, and you would have [in the Hereafter] a great punishment.
وَأَوْفُوا۟ بِعَهْدِ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا عَـٰهَدتُّمْ وَلَا تَنقُضُوا۟ ٱلْأَيْمَـٰنَ بَعْدَ تَوْكِيدِهَا وَقَدْ جَعَلْتُمُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَيْكُمْ كَفِيلًا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ
And fulfill the covenant of Allāh when you have taken it, [O believers], and do not break oaths after their confirmation while you have made Allāh, over you, a security [i.e., witness]. Indeed, Allāh knows what you do.
إِنَّمَا سُلْطَـٰنُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَهُۥ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِهِۦ مُشْرِكُونَ
His authority is only over those who take him as an ally and those who through him associate others with Allāh.