وَأَنيبوا إِلىٰ رَبِّكُم وَأَسلِموا لَهُ مِن قَبلِ أَن يَأتِيَكُمُ العَذابُ ثُمَّ لا تُنصَرونَ

وَاتَّبِعوا أَحسَنَ ما أُنزِلَ إِلَيكُم مِن رَبِّكُم مِن قَبلِ أَن يَأتِيَكُمُ العَذابُ بَغتَةً وَأَنتُم لا تَشعُرونَ

Turn penitently to your Lord and submit to Him before the punishment overtakes you, whereupon you will not be helped.

Follow the best of what has been sent down to you from your Lord, before the punishment overtakes you suddenly while you are unaware.’

EXEGESIS

Anībū: see nāba yanūbu under verse 8. It is said that tawbah is a return out of fear of punishment, while inābah is a return out of love and respect for God’s munificence.^{‎[1]Qushayri, 3/288.} This is very compatible with the kind and delicate language of the last verse.

Apparently, aḥsan (the best) in verse 55 is mentioned in the superlative form for emphasis. It is only a descriptive adjective, intended to emphasise the excellence of all of which God has sent.

Other suggested meanings for the best of what has been sent down to you are: 1. God’s orders as opposed to the stories in the Quran. 2. Concentrating on what God has made obligatory (wājib), recommended (mustaḥabb), forbidden (ḥarām), or reprehensible (makrūh), as opposed to what He has merely permitted (mubāḥ). 3. Performing what God has ordered and described as good instead of what He has forbidden and disapproved of, because both have been discussed in what has been sent down to you from your Lord.^{‎[2]Tabari, 24/13; Maybudi, 8/432, narrated from Hasan al-Baṣrī.} 4. Following the abrogating (nāsikh) instead of the abrogated (mansūkh). 5. Following the Quran as the best divine book compared to other scriptures (see verse 23). As Tabatabai has pointed out, all of these meanings are included in submit to Him in verse 54, and therefore they would be repetitive. His suggested meaning, then, is: the best refers to the highest degree of servitude in God’s orders, such as constant remembrance of God, maximum level of self-restraint, sincerity, and struggling in God’s way as He deserves.^{‎[3]Mizan, 17/281-282.} These are what distinguish the foremost ones from the people of the right hand (56:9-10).

In these two verses, the punishment (al-ʿadhāb, with a definite article) apparently refers to the punishment of hell in the hereafter. Another possibility is punishment in this world, whereby the individuals or communities that persist in wrongdoing are exterminated. In verse 55, suddenly (baghtah) reminds the reader that God’s punishment could overtake them at any time and in any condition, when they are least expecting it. So one should Turn penitently to your Lord right away because once God’s punishment comes (with death), there will be no chance of repentance (38:3, 71:4). See verses 7:95-99 and 16:45-47.

EXPOSITION

These two verses qualify the unconditional statement of Indeed Allah forgives all sins. In other words, the promise that God will forgive all sins is for those who Turn penitently to Him and submit to Him, and who Follow the best of what has been sent down from Him. Before the punishment overtakes you shows that this repentance is effective only if it occurs before one’s death (4:17-18).^{‎[4]Furqan, 25/362.} Therefore, there is no contradiction between these verses and verses 4:48 and 4:116: Indeed Allah does not forgive that any partner should be ascribed to Him, but He forgives anything besides that to whomever He wishes. The current verses talk about forgiveness of sins when a servant repents to his Lord, submits to Him, and follows what He has sent. According to these verses, any sin, including polytheism, will be forgiven if a servant repents from it. Verses 4:48 and 4:116, however, talk about forgiveness of sins without repentance, which is up to God’s wish, except for the sin of setting partners with Him, which will not be forgiven without repentance. This is why verse 53 has been identified as the most inclusive verse in the Quran by Imam Ali (a), because it encompasses all sins and all wrongdoers.^{‎[5]Tabari, 24/11; Tabrisi, 8/784-785.} See Insights from Hadith on verse 53.

Turn penitently to your Lord and submit to Him … Follow the best of what has been sent down to you. These two commands refer to repenting from sins and not committing them again, as well as performing what God has enjoined in terms of obligatory and supererogatory acts. They could also include correcting one’s beliefs, intentions, and attachments. It is notable that turning penitently to God is the practice and custom of the prophets, as mentioned about Prophet Abraham (a), Prophet Shuʿayb (a), and Prophet David (a) (11:75, 11:88, 38:24; see also 31:15).^{‎[6]Maybudi, 8/440.}

There are two reasons for why one should Follow the best of what has been sent down to you from your Lord: 1. Because it is the best thing that can be followed. 2. Because it is sent from your Lord, who best knows what is good for you and is kinder to you than anyone else.^{‎[7]Qaraati, 8/190.}

Note that the mention of punishment in these two verses, as well as what follows in the following verses, serves to balance the intense level of hope in verse 53 by some fear and caution. This is essential to prevent sinners from neglecting their duties or underestimating their disobedience. We should realise that punishment, forgiveness, and reward in the hereafter are not based on arbitrary, random, or conventional grounds. Instead, they are based on our existential capacity and realisations. This is one of the meanings of the prophetic narration: ‘You will die as you live, and you will be resurrected as you die.’^{‎[8]Ibn Abī Jumhūr al-Aḥsāʾī, ʿAwālī al-Laʾālī, 4/72, h. 46.} Meanwhile, His hands are wide open: He bestows as He wishes (5:64). Therefore, ‘If He tells you: “You do not have the capacity of receiving My grace,” then tell Him: “Receptivity is also bestowed by Thee!”’^{‎[9]Hasan Zādeh Āmulī, Hezār wa Yek Kalimeh, 2/208-209, kalimeh 256.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.^{‎[10]Isaiah 27:5.}
2. If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings … Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.^{‎[11]Jeremiah 26:3 and 26:13.}
3. I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them.^{‎[12]Jeremiah 35:15.}

The idea that God’s punishment (or the final hour) will occur when it is least expected is found in many Biblical passages. For example:

4. For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.^{‎[13]Ecclesiastes 9:12.}
5. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.^{‎[14]1 Thessalonians 5:2-4.}

[1] Qushayri, 3/288.
[2] Tabari, 24/13; Maybudi, 8/432, narrated from Hasan al-Baṣrī.
[3] Mizan, 17/281-282.
[4] Furqan, 25/362.
[5] Tabari, 24/11; Tabrisi, 8/784-785.
[6] Maybudi, 8/440.
[7] Qaraati, 8/190.
[8] Ibn Abī Jumhūr al-Aḥsāʾī, ʿAwālī al-Laʾālī, 4/72, h. 46.
[9] Hasan Zādeh Āmulī, Hezār wa Yek Kalimeh, 2/208-209, kalimeh 256.
[10] Isaiah 27:5.
[11] Jeremiah 26:3 and 26:13.
[12] Jeremiah 35:15.
[13] Ecclesiastes 9:12.
[14] 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4.