An-Nisa · Madani · ayah 116 of 176

An-Nisa 4:116

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَـٰلًۢا بَعِيدًا

“Indeed, Allāh does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allāh has certainly gone far astray.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Almost word for word, Allah repeats 4:48: less than partnership He may forgive, but whoever sets up partners has wandered far from the road.

A reflection

The door that stayed open behind the thief

This sentence was first met at 4:48, and its full treatment lives there. Here it returns, almost unchanged, at a pointed moment.

The ayat just before told of a man who stole and blamed an innocent man. When revelation exposed him, he fled to Makkah and left Islam. Reports of his end differ. Commentators set this repeated sentence straight after his story.

One classical commentator draws out the hard lesson. Had he not died associating partners with Allah, his theft and betrayal would have stayed within Allah's will, to punish or pardon. The door was still open behind him. What closed it was not the crime. It was turning to other gods instead of turning back.

Notice what drove him off. Reports say he feared the penalty and the disgrace. Pride of reputation would rather run than be seen confessing.

Picture an apprentice who scratches a customer's car. Ashamed, he resprays it at night and makes it worse. Then he simply stops coming to work. The owner would have shouted, docked his wages and kept him on.

The ego prefers saving face to being forgiven. Allah needs nothing from our return. He announces the open door twice because we need it.

The full entry has 2 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.