Ali 'Imran · Madani · ayah 89 of 200

Ali 'Imran 3:89

إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ تَابُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“Except for those who repent after that[137] and correct themselves. For indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.”

Saheeh International

Essence

After every warning comes one word, 'except': those who turn back and repair what they spoiled find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.

A reflection

One word after three ayat of warning

A man in his fifties sits in his car outside a mosque for twenty minutes. He is sure that everyone inside will know where he has been for thirty years. He nearly drives away.

Read the three ayat before this one. Rejection after belief, guidance withheld, a curse from all creation, punishment without lightening or reprieve. Then a single word: illā, except. 'Except those who repent after that and set things right. For Allah is Forgiving, Merciful'.

A classical commentator calls this His gentleness, kindness, compassion and mercy towards His creation: whoever turns to Him, He turns to them.

Ghafūr has a picture in its root. The mighfar was the mail hood worn under a helmet, covering the head and neck. Forgiveness covers the sin, and guards the person from what it deserved.

This ayah shrinks the ego in a surprising place. We usually think of pride as thinking too well of ourselves. But there is another pride: deciding that our sin is bigger than His mercy. The man in the car is not being humble. He is quietly ranking his past above his Lord.

Allah needs nothing from our return. He is free of all need. He describes Himself this way so that no one on the edge of despair will drive away.

The man went in. Nobody asked where he had been. The imam simply said, 'Welcome', and made room in the row.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.