Al-Jathiyah · Makki · ayah 14 of 37

Al-Jathiyah 45:14

قُل لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ ٱللَّهِ لِيَجْزِىَ قَوْمًۢا بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ

“Say, [O Muḥammad], to those who have believed that they [should] forgive those who expect not the days of Allāh [i.e., of His retribution] so that He may recompense a people[1470] for what they used to earn.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Forgive those who hurt you, not because the account is closed, but because you are not the one who settles it.

A reflection

'So that Umar is repaid for what he did'

The commentaries attach several stories to this ayah, and every one of them has ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb reaching for his temper. In one report a Makkan insulted him, and he was about to seize the man. In another, on a campaign, a hypocrite sneered at the believers with an old proverb: fatten your dog and it will eat you. When ʿUmar heard it, he wrapped himself in his sword and went to find him. In a third, a man in Madinah mocked the Quran's call to 'lend Allah a good loan', saying Muhammad's Lord must be in need. Again ʿUmar picked up his sword and set out.

In that last report, the Prophet ﷺ sent after him and called him back. 'Put down your sword,' he said, and recited this ayah. ʿUmar replied, by one account: by the One who sent you with the truth, you will not see anger in my face.

One commentator points out something important. These reports show forgiveness asked of a man who was well able to act on his anger. Forgiveness here is not the shrug of the powerless. It is the decision of the strong.

Another report, from a later generation, completes the picture. Someone recited this ayah in front of ʿUmar years afterwards. He said quietly that this meant ʿUmar would be repaid for what he did. He had understood the end of the ayah as a promise to himself. The one who forgives is the one Allah repays.

Picture a modern ʿUmar: a site manager, built like a wall, who overhears a subcontractor mocking his faith in the canteen. Everyone waits to see what he does. He finishes his tea, says nothing, and later asks the man if he needs help with his load. Nobody in that canteen thinks he was weak.

The ayah asks for that kind of strength. Hold the sword, and put it down.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.