Az-Zumar · Makki · ayah 53 of 75

Az-Zumar 39:53

۞ قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

“Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh forgives all sins.[1354] Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."”

Saheeh International

Essence

Allah calls the people who have wasted themselves 'My servants', and the first thing He forbids them is giving up.

A reflection

Your sin is not that large

The ayah ends with a claim about Allah: He alone is the Forgiving, the Merciful. Hold that next to the thought many people carry quietly for years. What I did is too much for Him.

It sounds like humility. Look closer and it is the opposite. It makes your sin the largest thing in the room, larger than His mercy. It sets your record against His names and declares your record the winner. That is the ego again, wearing sackcloth instead of a crown.

Picture a father who has fallen months behind on the mortgage. His grown daughter offers to clear the arrears. He refuses. I made this mess, he says, I will carry it. He believes he is being honourable. In fact he would rather lose the house than be someone who was helped.

Despair of Allah's mercy has that shape. Pride would sooner sink than be rescued. One early commentator argued that despair comes only from ignorance of Him. Ignorance of His power, of His knowledge, or of His freedom from all need.

A sceptic may ask whether a God who announces that He alone forgives is simply praising Himself. But He gains nothing from your forgiveness. He is free of need (35:15). The announcement is for the person outside the door, who needs to know the door has a keyholder and that He is not reluctant.

The same pride has a public form. The commentaries preserve a report that Ibn Masʿud once found a preacher frightening people with chains and fire. He stood over him and asked: why do you make people despair? Then he recited this ayah. Making others hopeless is not seriousness. It is claiming a verdict that belongs to Allah alone.

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.