Who are addressed by this verse: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (az-Zumar, 39/53) The Muslims or unbelievers?
Submitted by on Thu, 22/04/2010 - 15:57
Dear Brother / Sister,
The verse addresses both sinful believers and all of the unbelievers including polytheists. A polytheist or atheist may repent and believe in Allah. However, if a polytheist or atheist dies before he repents, he will stay in Hell forever.
The people who have deviated from the way of Allah and committed some wrong and bad deeds are addressed by the verse and they are informed that their mistakes, faults and sins will be forgiven if they repent and follow the way of the religion of oneness:
Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (az-Zumar, 39/53).
According to what is reported from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), some people who were polytheists and committed various sins came to Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and said to him: "The way (religion) that you tell people and that you invite to is something good. Is there anything that will cause to forgive the bad deeds we have committed? Will you inform us about it? Thereupon, the verse mentioned above was sent down. (Abdulfattah al-Qadi, Asbabu'n-Nuzul, Egypt, 194). (Nureddin TURGAY)
Questions on Islam
- Is the repentance of a person who falls into unbelief knowingly or unknowingly several times accepted – unless he is about to die?
- Is there a sin that cannot be forgiven? What are the sins that Allah will never forgive? What sins can lead a person to Hell?
- What would you advise me to do to make Islamic life and prayers permanent in my life?
- Do sins lead man to unbelief step by step?
- What are the states of being damned/cursed by Allah, His Prophet or His angels?
- What do you recommend us to do in order to continue Islamic life and daily prayers?
- What are the harms done by sins to man?
- What is ya’s (despair) and ujub (self-conceit, vanity)? It is good for man to regret the mistakes he made and sins he committed in the past but this can lead man to despair. How can we be saved from it?
- What deeds and favors cause a person to be forgiven? Are there examples mentioned in hadiths?
- "If Allah gives a boon to a person, he should increase "Alhamdulillah". If the worry of a person increases, he should say, "Astaghfirullah". Why is it stated in the hadith above that we should say "Astaghfirullah" when “worry increases”?
