وَٱلَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَـٰٓئِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا۟ هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ 37
Translations
And those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, and when they are angry, they forgive,
Transliteration
Wa alladhīna yajtanibūna kabā'ira al-ithmī wa al-fawāhisha wa idhā mā ghaḍibū hum yaghfirūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the characteristics of the righteous servants of Allah who abstain from major sins and indecencies, and crucially, when they become angry, they exercise self-control and forgive others. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this represents a pinnacle of moral virtue—controlling one's anger despite provocation—while Al-Qurtubi notes that forgiveness in the state of anger demonstrates true spiritual strength and adherence to divine guidance, as anger naturally inclines one toward retaliation.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within a passage (42:36-39) describing the attributes of those who have understood the message of Ash-Shuraa. The surah, revealed in Mecca during a period of Qureshi opposition to the Prophet Muhammad, emphasizes patience, consultation, and moral excellence as responses to adversity. This particular ayah contextualizes forgiveness as a direct response to anger, addressing the spiritual struggle of early believers facing persecution.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The strong man is not the one who overcomes people by his strength, but the strong man is the one who controls himself when angry' (Sahih Bukhari 6114). Additionally, Tirmidhi reports that controlling anger and forgiving others is among the qualities that grant one entry into Paradise.
Themes
Key Lesson
In our modern context, this ayah teaches that true strength lies not in suppressing anger or denying its existence, but in channeling it toward forgiveness and compassion—a practice that transforms personal disputes into opportunities for spiritual growth and reflects the mercy of Allah. For contemporary believers, this is a call to cultivate emotional intelligence and respond to provocation with the grace that Allah demonstrates toward His servants.
Related Ayahs
لَهُۥ مَقَالِيدُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth. He extends provision for whom He wills and restricts [it]. Indeed He is, of all things, Knowing.
ٱسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِرَبِّكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌ لَّا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ مَا لَكُم مِّن مَّلْجَإٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن نَّكِيرٍ
Respond to your Lord before a Day comes from Allāh of which there is no repelling. No refuge will you have that Day, nor for you will there be any denial.
۞ وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَن يُكَلِّمَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا وَحْيًا أَوْ مِن وَرَآئِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولًا فَيُوحِىَ بِإِذْنِهِۦ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِىٌّ حَكِيمٌ
And it is not for any human being that Allāh should speak to him except by revelation or from behind a partition or that He sends a messenger [i.e., angel] to reveal, by His permission, what He wills. Indeed, He is Most High and Wise.
تَرَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ وَهُوَ وَاقِعٌۢ بِهِمْ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فِى رَوْضَاتِ ٱلْجَنَّاتِ ۖ لَهُم مَّا يَشَآءُونَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَضْلُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
You will see the wrongdoers fearful of what they have earned, and it will [certainly] befall them. And those who have believed and done righteous deeds will be in lush regions of the gardens [in Paradise] having whatever they will in the presence of their Lord. That is what is the great bounty.