سُوْرَةُ اٰلِ عِمْرٰنَ
Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 133
۞ وَسَارِعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿133﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqûn (the pious - See V.2:2).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ وَسَارِعُوٓا۟
wasāriʿū
And hasten
إِلَىٰ
ilā
to
مَغْفِرَةٍۢ
maghfiratin
forgiveness
مِّن
min
from
رَّبِّكُمْ
rabbikum
your Lord
وَجَنَّةٍ
wajannatin
and a Garden
عَرْضُهَا
ʿarḍuhā
its width
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ
l-samāwātu
(is like that of) the heavens
وَٱلْأَرْضُ
wal-arḍu
and the earth
أُعِدَّتْ
uʿiddat
prepared
لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
lil'muttaqīna
for the pious
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
133. And hasten towards forgiveness from your Lord and a Paradise [118.1] as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the God-fearing.
[118۔ 1]
Sayyid al-Istighfar:
To hasten towards Allah’s forgiveness means to perform without delay those deeds which can become a cause for Allah’s forgiveness, and these are all righteous deeds. In addition, seeking forgiveness (istighfar) from Allah itself is a very great means of attaining Allah’s pardon. There are many supplications for istighfar transmitted in the Book and Sunnah, and one supplication of istighfar was called Sayyid al-Istighfar by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: He taught this istighfar to the noble Companions ؓ and used to recite it after the prayers in the morning and evening. The words of this istighfar are:
« اَللّٰهُمَّ اَنْتَ رَبِّيْ لاَاِلَهَ الآَاَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَاَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَاَنَا عَليٰ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ اَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّمَا صَنَعتُ اَبُوْء لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَاَبُوْءُ بِذَنْبِيْ فَاغْفِرْ ليْ فِاِنَّهُ لاَيَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ الآَ اَنْتَ»
“O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no deity except You. You created me and I am Your servant and slave, and as much as I am able, I remain firm upon Your covenant and Your promise. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I do. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me and I confess my sins. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.”
And the purpose of hastening towards Paradise is also that such deeds should be done through which the attainment of Paradise becomes possible. The attribute of Paradise is described as its width being like that of the heavens and the earth. One meaning of “width” is breadth. In this sense, it means that when it is beyond human capacity to estimate the vastness of the heavens and the earth, then how can one estimate the vastness of Paradise, whose breadth is equal to the heavens and the earth? Thus, the intent is to express such limitless vastness of Paradise that it cannot even be imagined by human thought.
The Value and Worth of Paradise:
The second meaning of “width” is value and worth. It is said: “ishtaraytu al-mata‘ bi ‘arḍ,” and in this sense, the word is also used in the Quran. When the transience of the world is intended to be expressed, this word is used for worldly goods and possessions. In this sense, it would mean: hasten towards that Paradise in comparison to which all these heavens and the earth are insignificant, and the value and worth of Paradise surpasses all of them. Incidentally, from such verses it is also known that Paradise and Hell have already been prepared, and this is a refutation of those who do not believe in this.
The Prohibition of Usury:
The mention of the prohibition of usury has already passed in Surah al-Baqarah, verses 278–279. This verse was revealed before that. At that time, the purpose was to acquaint the Muslims with the evils of usury, to instill aversion to it, and to prepare their minds to abandon it completely. The reason for mentioning usury at this point seems to be that in the Battle of Uhud, the initial defeat suffered by the Muslims was largely due to the fact that the detachment of Muslims under the leadership of Abdullah bin Jubayr ؓ, who were assigned to guard the pass, when they saw signs of victory, were overcome by greed for wealth and, instead of completing their task, became engaged in collecting the spoils. Allah Almighty deemed it necessary to block the source of materialism in order to rectify this situation, because the special characteristic of usury is that it creates in the usurer such vile traits as greed, avarice, miserliness, cowardice, selfishness, and materialism, and in those who pay usury, it creates hatred, anger, malice, and envy. Such traits are deadly poison for an Islamic society and are contrary to the spirit of jihad, and in the Hereafter, they become a cause for punishment. For these reasons, usury was ultimately declared completely forbidden.
[118۔ 1]
Sayyid al-Istighfar:
To hasten towards Allah’s forgiveness means to perform without delay those deeds which can become a cause for Allah’s forgiveness, and these are all righteous deeds. In addition, seeking forgiveness (istighfar) from Allah itself is a very great means of attaining Allah’s pardon. There are many supplications for istighfar transmitted in the Book and Sunnah, and one supplication of istighfar was called Sayyid al-Istighfar by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: He taught this istighfar to the noble Companions ؓ and used to recite it after the prayers in the morning and evening. The words of this istighfar are:
« اَللّٰهُمَّ اَنْتَ رَبِّيْ لاَاِلَهَ الآَاَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَاَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَاَنَا عَليٰ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ اَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّمَا صَنَعتُ اَبُوْء لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَاَبُوْءُ بِذَنْبِيْ فَاغْفِرْ ليْ فِاِنَّهُ لاَيَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ الآَ اَنْتَ»
“O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no deity except You. You created me and I am Your servant and slave, and as much as I am able, I remain firm upon Your covenant and Your promise. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I do. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me and I confess my sins. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.”
And the purpose of hastening towards Paradise is also that such deeds should be done through which the attainment of Paradise becomes possible. The attribute of Paradise is described as its width being like that of the heavens and the earth. One meaning of “width” is breadth. In this sense, it means that when it is beyond human capacity to estimate the vastness of the heavens and the earth, then how can one estimate the vastness of Paradise, whose breadth is equal to the heavens and the earth? Thus, the intent is to express such limitless vastness of Paradise that it cannot even be imagined by human thought.
The Value and Worth of Paradise:
The second meaning of “width” is value and worth. It is said: “ishtaraytu al-mata‘ bi ‘arḍ,” and in this sense, the word is also used in the Quran. When the transience of the world is intended to be expressed, this word is used for worldly goods and possessions. In this sense, it would mean: hasten towards that Paradise in comparison to which all these heavens and the earth are insignificant, and the value and worth of Paradise surpasses all of them. Incidentally, from such verses it is also known that Paradise and Hell have already been prepared, and this is a refutation of those who do not believe in this.
The Prohibition of Usury:
The mention of the prohibition of usury has already passed in Surah al-Baqarah, verses 278–279. This verse was revealed before that. At that time, the purpose was to acquaint the Muslims with the evils of usury, to instill aversion to it, and to prepare their minds to abandon it completely. The reason for mentioning usury at this point seems to be that in the Battle of Uhud, the initial defeat suffered by the Muslims was largely due to the fact that the detachment of Muslims under the leadership of Abdullah bin Jubayr ؓ, who were assigned to guard the pass, when they saw signs of victory, were overcome by greed for wealth and, instead of completing their task, became engaged in collecting the spoils. Allah Almighty deemed it necessary to block the source of materialism in order to rectify this situation, because the special characteristic of usury is that it creates in the usurer such vile traits as greed, avarice, miserliness, cowardice, selfishness, and materialism, and in those who pay usury, it creates hatred, anger, malice, and envy. Such traits are deadly poison for an Islamic society and are contrary to the spirit of jihad, and in the Hereafter, they become a cause for punishment. For these reasons, usury was ultimately declared completely forbidden.
