This is an excerpt from Imaam Ibn Kathir’s tafseer and an excerpt from Imaam as-Sa’dee’s tafseer regarding the following verse (39:53) followed by a question answered by Shaikh Ibn Baz.
The verse:
“Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves! Do not give up hope of the Mercy of Allaah! Indeed Allaah forgives all sins (when the servant repents from them)! Indeed He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (39:53)
The Arabic for the excerpts from Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Tafseer as-Sadee can be downloaded from here:
Imaam Ibn Kathir mentioned as part of his tafseer (explanation):
So all of these (previously mentioned) ahaadeeth show that what is meant is that all of that (i.e. those sins) are forgiven when a person repents from them. And the servant should definitely not give up hope for the Mercy of Allaah (God, The Creator) – even if his sins are tremendous and numerous. For indeed the door to Mercy and taubah (repentance) is wide. Allaah, The Most High, said (translated):
“Do they not know that Allaah accepts the repentance of His servants” (9:104)
And He, Lofty and Exalted is He, said (translated):
“Whoever does evil or wrongs himself, then seeks forgiveness from Allaah, will find Allaah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (4:110)
And He, Lofty and Exalted is He, said regarding the reality of the Hypocrites (translated):
“Indeed the Hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire and you will never find for them any helper. Except for those who repent (by becoming Muslim in reality) and rectify themselves” (4:145-6)
And He, Lofty is His Majesty, said (translated):
“Indeed those have disbelieved who say, ‘Allaah (God) is the third of three (in a trinity).’ But there is none who deserves to be worshiped except for the One God. If they do not stop what they are saying, a painful punishment will befall the disbelievers (who don’t become Muslim) from amongst them.” (5:73)
Then He, Exalted is His Magnificence, said (in the next verse, translated):
“Will they not repent to Allaah (by becoming Muslim) and seek His Forgiveness? Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (5:74)
And He, Blessed and Exalted is He, said (translated):
“Indeed those who put the Believing men and women to trial (by torturing and killing them), then they do not repent…” (85:10)
(The eminent scholar) Al-Hasan al Basree – (we ask that) Allaah’s Mercy be upon him – said: “Look at this generosity and kindness (of Allaah)! They killed his righteous believing servants and He calls them to repentance and forgiveness” And the verses like this are very numerous.
And in the two Saheehs from Abu Sa’eed (we ask that) Allaah be pleased with him) who narrated from the Messenger of Allaah – sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam – the hadeeth of the man who killed 99 people. Then he became regretful (and he searched for the most knowledgeable person) and he asked a worshiper from the worshipers from the offspring of the Prophet Ya’qoob (Jacob) if there was any repentance for him. The worshiper told him, “No.” So he killed him and now he had killed 100 people. Then (he searched for the most knowledgeable person and) he asked a scholar from the scholars from the offspring of Prophet Ya’qoob – was there any repentance for him? So he said, “(Yes) and who can come between you and repentance? (meaning: no one can come between you and your repenting to Allaah alone)”
Then the Scholar commanded him to go to a place where the people worshiped only Allaah. So he went out and he intended to reach this place when death came to him while he was traveling. So the angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed (over who should take his soul). So Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, commanded them to measure the distance between the two lands and find out which one he was closer to. They found that he was closer to the land he was emigrating to by a hand span (or foot). So the angels of mercy took his soul.
And it has been mentioned that he was crawling on his chest when death came to him and that Allaah – The Blessed and Most High – commanded the land of good to come closer (to him) and commanded the land he came from to distance itself (from him). This is the meaning of the hadeeth and we have recorded it (this hadeeth) in another place with its exact wording.
Ali bin Abu Talhah narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas – (we ask that) Allaah be pleased with him and his father (‘Abbaas) – regarding His – Mighty and Majestic is He – Statement (translated):
“Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves! Do not give up hope of the Mercy of Allaah! Indeed Allaah forgives all sins (when the servant repents from them)!” (39:53) until the end of the verse
(Ibn Abbaas) said: “Indeed Allaah, The Most High, invites to His Forgiveness the one who claims that al-Maseeh (Prophet Jesus, son of Mary) is Allaah (God, The Creator), and the one who claims that al-Maseeh is the son of Allaah, and the one who claims that ‘Uzair (Prophet ‘Ezra) is the son of Allaah, and the one who claims that Allaah is poor, and the one who claims that the Hand of Allaah is tied up, and the one who claims that Allaah, The Most High – is the third of three (in a trinity). Allaah says to these people (translated):
“Will they not repent to Allaah (by becoming Muslim) and seek His Forgiveness? Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (5:74)
And He invited to repentance (79:18-19) the one who said worse statements than these, the one (Pharoah) who said: “I am your Lord, The Most High” (79:24) and he (Pharoah) said: “I do not know that you have any god other than myself” (28:38)
Ibn Abbaas – (we ask that) Allaah, The Most High, be pleased with them both (him and his father) – said: “Whoever from the servants of Allaah gives up hope of repenting to Allaah after this then he has indeed rejected the Book of Allaah – The Mighty and Majestic…”
(end of quoting from Tafseer Ibn Katheer)
The following is an excerpt from the Tafseer of Imaam as-Sa’dee for this verse (39:53):
The Most High informs His servants who have transgressed against themselves of the vastness of His generosity. And He encourages them to repent before they are unable to do that (i.e. before death). He said: “Say” (meaning): O Messenger and whoever follows him in calling to the religion of Allaah, informing the servants about their Lord. “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves!” (meaning): by following what their souls invite them to from sins and pursuing that which displeases and angers The All-Knower of the unseen.
“Do not give up hope of the Mercy of Allaah” meaning: Do not despair of it so that you throw yourself into destruction by your own hands saying: “My sins have become numerous and my faults have accumulated, so there is no way to remove them and no way to change them” – so that you remain, due to that – continuous upon disobedience, increasing in what will cause The Most Merciful to be angry with you.
Rather, know your Lord by His Names which show His generosity and kindness. And know that He forgives all sins (when the servant repents from them) including: polytheism (shirk), killing, fornication (all types), interest, oppression, and other than that from the major sins and minor ones….
…However, there are reasons (or causes) to obtain His Forgiveness and Mercy, if the servant does not do them, then he has indeed shut upon himself the door to mercy and forgiveness. The highest and most important of them – and there is no reason (to obtain them) other than this – is turning to Allaah with repentance and sincerity, along with dua, humility, and worship. So come to this highest of causes and this most important of paths (to obtaining Allaah’s Forgiveness and Mercy)
(end of quoting from Tafseer Imaam as-Sa’dee)
Shaikh Bin Baz was asked the following1:
I am a youth who is 19 years old and I have transgressed against myself with sins many times – to the point that I don’t pray in the masjid and I have never fasted the entire month of Ramadan in my life. I do other evil deeds. Many times I have committed myself to repenting but I return to the sin. I accompany youths in my area who are not completely upright – like many of the friends of my brothers who come to our house – they too are not righteous. And Allaah knows that I have indeed transgressed against myself with sins many times and that I have done atrocious deeds. But every time I decide to repent, I return again (to the sin) as I did before. I implore you to guide me to the way which will bring me closer to my Lord and distance me from these evil deeds.
Shaikh Bin Baz replied:
Allaah, Mighty and Majestic is He, says (translated):
“Say: O My servants who have transgressed against themselves! Do not give up hope of the Mercy of Allaah! Indeed Allaah forgives all sins (when the servant repents from them)! Indeed He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (39:53)
The scholars have agreed that this noble verse was sent down regarding those who repent. So whoever repents from his sins with a sincere repentance, Allaah will forgive all of His sins due to this noble verse. And due to His – free is He from all deficiencies and defects – Statement (translated):
“O you who believe! Repent to Allaah with a sincere repentance! Your Lord will expiate your sins2 and enter you into gardens under which rivers flow.” (66:8)
So He – free is He from all deficiencies and defects – connected in this verse the expiation of sins and the entrance into Paradise to the sincere repentance. And that (sincere repentance) includes: leaving the sins, and staying away from them, and regretting what one has committed in the past from them along with a firm, truthful decision not to return to them out of magnifying Allaah – free is He from all deficiencies and defects – and desiring His reward and fearing His punishment. From the conditions of the sincere repentance is to right the wrongdoings with those who were wronged or to make amends for them (those sins) with them (those wronged) when the sin was a wrong committed regarding blood, wealth, or honor. But if it is not easy to make amends with his brother with regards to his honor, then he prays a lot for him and mentions about him the best deeds that he knows about him in the same places where he backbit him. For indeed the good deeds expiate the evil deeds. And He – free is He from all deficiencies and defects – said (translated):
“And repent to Allaah – all of you – O Believers – so that you may be successful” (24:31)
So He – Mighty and Majestic is He- in this verse connected success to repentance. This shows that the one who repents is successful and happy. And when the one repenting follows his repentance with faith and good deeds, Allaah erases his evil deeds and replaces them with good deeds.
As He – free is He from all deficiencies and defects – said in surah al-Furqaan after He mentioned (in a prohibitive way) shirk, murder, and fornication (translated):
“And whoever does that (those previously mentioned sins) will meet the punishment. His punishment will be multiplied on the Day of Judgement and he will live in it (the punishment in the Fire) in humiliation. Except for the one who repents and believes and does good deeds. Those – Allaah will change their evil deeds into good deeds. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (25:68-70)
And from the causes of repentance (being accepted) is humility to Allaah – free is He from all deficiencies and defects – and asking Him for guidance and asking Him for success and asking Him to grant you a (successful) repentance. He is the One Who – free is He from all deficiencies and defects – said (translated):
“Call upon Me (alone) and I will answer you” (40:60)
And He is the One Who – Mighty and Majestic is He – said (translated):
“And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad – sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam) about Me, I am indeed near to them (with My Knowledge). I answer the du’a of the one who calls upon Me when he calls upon Me.” (2:186)
Also from the causes of the repentance (being successful) and being upright upon it is: accompanying the best of the people and following their example in their righteous good deeds along with distancing oneself from accompanying evil people. It has been authentically narrated from the Prophet – sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam – that he said (translated):
“A man is upon the religion of his close friend, so let each one of you look at (i.e. choose carefully) who he takes as a close friend”3
And he – alayhe as-salaatu was-salaam – said (translated):
““The example of a good companion (who sits with you) in comparison with a bad one, is I like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith’s bellows (or furnace); from the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either burn your clothes or your house, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof.”4
Footnotes
1See this link: http://www.binbaz.org.sa/mat/300
2Imaam as-Sa’dee said regarding this verse : “Allaah ordered (us) with sincere repentance in this verse. And he promised in exchange for it the expiation of sins, entrance into Paradise, and success…”
3Shaikh Albaanee graded it Hasan (good) in “Al-Imaan” of Ibn Taymiyyah (60). And there is a similar wording (using theword “rajul” instead of “mar’” which is also graded hasan by Shaikh Albaanee (for example in Saheeh Abu Dawood #4833) and others
4From Saheeh Bukhari, Kitaab ul Buyoo’ (Book of Sales and Trade). Translation of this hadeeth taken from: http://spubs.com/sps/sbk/
Tags: despair, explanation, give, hope, mercy, selves, servants, tafseer, transgressed, up, verse, zumar
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