إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱفْتَرَىٰٓ إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا 48
Translations
Indeed, Allāh does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allāh has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.
Transliteration
Inna Allaha la yaghfiru an yushrika bihi wa yaghfiru ma doona dhalika liman yasha'u wa man yushrik billahi faqad iftara ithman azima
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes the gravest sin in Islam—associating partners with Allah (shirk)—as the only unforgivable sin if one dies upon it, while Allah forgives all other sins for those He wills. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that the unforgivability of shirk is conditional on dying without repentance, as sincere repentance before death can lead to forgiveness. The ayah concludes by calling shirk a tremendous sin, highlighting its severity as it directly contradicts monotheism and violates the fundamental purpose of creation.
Revelation Context
This ayah is thematically positioned within Surah An-Nisa's discussion of Islamic law and ethics. While no specific incident of revelation is recorded for this verse, it contextualizes the laws of inheritance and women's rights that follow by establishing the foundational principle of Islamic belief—tawhid (monotheism). The surah overall addresses moral and social responsibilities of the Muslim community.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate something with Allah, though He created you.' (Sahih Bukhari) Additionally, the Prophet emphasized: 'Whoever meets Allah with no shirk in his heart shall enter Paradise, and whoever meets Him while associating partners with Him shall enter the Fire.' (Sahih Muslim)
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that while Allah's mercy is vast and encompasses all sins through repentance and His will, we must prioritize protecting our faith from shirk—maintaining pure monotheism. For contemporary Muslims, this underscores the importance of sincere tawhid and the urgency of repentance, as no other sin carries the same eternal consequence as associating partners with Allah.