ذٰلِكَ أَمرُ اللَّهِ أَنزَلَهُ إِلَيكُم ۚ وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يُكَفِّر عَنهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِ وَيُعظِم لَهُ أَجرًا
That is the ordinance of Allah which He has sent down to you, and whoever is wary of Allah, He shall absolve him of his misdeeds and give him a great reward.
EXEGESIS
Amr was explained under verse 1. As amr can have the meaning of a command, the word That (dhālika) should refer to what was mentioned regarding the rulings revealed in the earlier verse. Hence it means that the aforementioned ruling is the command of God that He has sent down as revelation. Even though obviously the Prophet is the recipient of that revelation, the expression is to you in plural (ilaykum), as the ruling is meant to be delivered to the people. This expression does, however, create a stylistic link with the initial verse of the surah, and the expression O Prophet! When you divorce women. The interplay between the words Prophet and the plural you divorce (ṭallaqtum) is similar to the terms used here, sent down and the plural to you. This is, once again, a reminder that the command of God is sent down to the people through His Messenger so that they may know how to best conduct themselves.
Yukaffir (absolve) is an imperfect tense verb from takfīr, which literally means to cover or atone for something. Here, it refers to God covering and removing sins and misdeeds that the God-wary may have committed and then later repented for or overcame through righteousness, as Indeed good deeds efface misdeeds (11:114). So it is that on the Day of Judgement they will not find themselves asked about these mistakes and sins that they had committed, having in effect been absolved of them. For more on this, see the commentary on verse 2:271.
EXPOSITION
Continuing with the main theme once again, we are told that the rulings given by God are the ordinance of Allah that has been given to us through revelation so that we may conduct ourselves in accordance with the divine order. This is, once again, an emphatic reminder that these commands are binding and compulsory. This is also linked to the concept of God-wariness throughout the surah, for it is the God-wary who live in accordance with the harmony of God’s command. Indeed, the very definition of God-wariness is to abide by God’s commands. All in all, there are five blessings recounted in this surah for the God-wary, of which the final two are mentioned in this verse:
- He shall make a way out for him.
- Provide for him from whence he does not reckon.
- He shall grant him ease in his affairs.
- He shall absolve him of his misdeeds.
- Give him a great reward.
These copious rewards are all-encompassing and meet all of a person’s wants and needs: an end to difficulties, a security in worldly sustenance, ease in all affairs, forgiveness of sins, and access to paradise. Indeed, anyone would be foolish to turn down such rewards, let alone invite upon himself the destruction that comes from abandoning God-wariness (this idea is revisited in verse 10).
As the exegetes have pointed out, being wary of Allah here means avoiding sins and disobedience. We also understand from this that obeying God’s commands is a critical part of God-wariness. One might wonder then why such people – who are God-wary and thus avoiding sins – are being promised absolution from misdeeds. The answer is that there is a clearly implied meaning in the statement, and whoever is wary of Allah, He shall absolve him of his misdeeds, and that is that being God-wary does not mean necessarily that one is sinless. Even the God-wary may have lapses and commit mistakes. The beauty of God’s mercy is that He never closes the door of repentance to those who wish to repent.
There is a good reminder here as well that Muslims should also be forgiving, like God, and remember that if someone has truly repented, we should not think that they will have no chance of salvation.
The great reward being referred to here is of course paradise. So it is that God promises a twofold benefit for the God-wary in this verse, fixing both their past by absolving their misdeeds, and securing their future, by promising them paradise.
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Tabatabai has argued that what is meant by misdeeds (sayyiʾāt) is the small sins, and that God-wariness refers to avoiding major sins. In this way, the verse would mean that avoiding the major sins would be cause for the absolution of minor sins, as per the verse, If you avoid the major sins that you are forbidden, We will absolve you of your misdeeds (sayyiʾāt), and admit you to a noble abode (4:31). He also adds that since the verse is clearly referring to the rulings of divorce (that is the ordinance of Allah which He has sent down to you), it then follows that not abiding by those rulings would count as a major sin.
Makārim Shīrāzī responds to this argument by saying that while it is true that sayyiʾāt is sometimes used specifically for minor sins, it is also used in general to mean any sin, such as in the verse, Had the People of the Book believed and been God-wary, We would surely have absolved them of their misdeeds (sayyiʾāt) (5:65), where it is clear that accepting Islam should cause all sins, not just minor ones, to be forgiven.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
[1] Tibyan, 10/34; Tabari, 28/93.
[2] Raghib, p. 714.
[3] Tibyan, 10/34; Tabari, 28/93. Although others have said it refers to the specific rulings mentioned in this surah, i.e. the special reward in store for those who abide by these commands (Zamakhshari, 4/557). However, even though this may be true, there is no real reason to limit the generality of the verse in this way.
[4] Mizan, 19/531.
[5] Qaraati, 10/109.
[6] Tibyan, 10/34; Tabari, 28/93.
[7] Qaraati, 10/109.
[8] Mizan, 19/316-317.
[9] Nemuneh, 24/246.
[10] 1 John 1:9.