إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ تَابُوا۟ وَأَصْلَحُوا۟ وَٱعْتَصَمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَعَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا 146
Translations
Except for those who repent, correct themselves, hold fast to Allāh, and are sincere in their religion for Allāh, for those will be with the believers. And Allāh is going to give the believers a great reward.
Transliteration
Illa alladhina taboo wa aslahoo wa'tasamoo billahi wa akhlasoo deenahu lillahi fa-ula'ika ma'a al-mu'mineen wa sawfa yu'ti allahu al-mu'mineen ajran 'azheema
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah provides an exception to the previous verses condemning those who disbelieve and reject faith, offering hope for repentance and restoration. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, those who sincerely repent (taba), reform their actions (aslahu), hold firmly to Allah (i'tasamu), and purify their religion exclusively for Allah will be counted among the believers and shall receive a tremendous reward. The four conditions—repentance, reform, steadfastness, and sincere devotion—form a comprehensive path to redemption and acceptance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Medinan surah addressing the hypocrisy and disbelief prevalent in Medina during the Prophet's time. The broader context (4:137-146) discusses those who waver in faith and reject belief, making this verse's message of redemption through sincere repentance particularly relevant to the Muslim community navigating challenges in the early Islamic state.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Allah accepts the repentance of His servant as long as the soul has not departed from the body' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3537). Additionally, 'Repentance wipes away all sins that came before it' (Sunan Ibn Majah 4250), emphasizing that sincere tawbah (repentance) erases past transgressions.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that no sin is unforgivable if accompanied by genuine repentance, sincere reform, and exclusive devotion to Allah—offering profound hope and motivation for spiritual transformation. It emphasizes that repentance is not merely regret but requires concrete action (islah) and unwavering commitment (i'tisam) to walk the righteous path.
Related Ayahs
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآءُوكَ فَٱسْتَغْفَرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allāh. And if, when they wronged themselves, they had come to you, [O Muḥammad], and asked forgiveness of Allāh and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allāh Accepting of Repentance and Merciful.
إِنَّا نَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لَنَا رَبُّنَا خَطَـٰيَـٰنَآ أَن كُنَّآ أَوَّلَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Indeed, we aspire that our Lord will forgive us our sins because we were the first of the believers."
إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِى يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلرَّٰحِمِينَ
Indeed, there was a party of My servants who said, 'Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, and You are the best of the merciful.'
لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا۟ قَدْ كَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَـٰنِكُمْ ۚ إِن نَّعْفُ عَن طَآئِفَةٍ مِّنكُمْ نُعَذِّبْ طَآئِفَةًۢ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ مُجْرِمِينَ
Make no excuse; you have disbelieved [i.e., rejected faith] after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you - We will punish another faction because they were criminals.