سُوْرَةُ الزُّمَرِ
Surah Az-Zumar (39) — Ayah 53
۞ قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ﴿53﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Say: "O ‘Ibâdî (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allâh: verily, Allâh forgives all sins. Truly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ قُلْ
qul
Say
يَـٰعِبَادِىَ
yāʿibādiya
O My slaves
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
Those who
أَسْرَفُوا۟
asrafū
have transgressed
عَلَىٰٓ
ʿalā
against
أَنفُسِهِمْ
anfusihim
themselves
لَا
lā
(do) not
تَقْنَطُوا۟
taqnaṭū
despair
مِن
min
of
رَّحْمَةِ
raḥmati
(the) Mercy
ٱللَّهِ ۚ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
يَغْفِرُ
yaghfiru
forgives
ٱلذُّنُوبَ
l-dhunūba
the sins
جَمِيعًا ۚ
jamīʿan
all
إِنَّهُۥ
innahu
Indeed He
هُوَ
huwa
He
ٱلْغَفُورُ
l-ghafūru
(is) the Oft-Forgiving
ٱلرَّحِيمُ
l-raḥīmu
the Most Merciful
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.
Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls [71], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Surely, He is the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful."
[71]
Sins Committed Before Accepting Islam Are Forgiven:
From the tone of this verse, it appears that it was revealed in response to a question and brings a message of hope for those who, during the Age of Ignorance, were immersed in grave sins such as murder, adultery, theft, robbery, and similar severe transgressions, and who had despaired that these faults could ever be forgiven. As is clear from the following hadiths:
1. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that some polytheists had committed much bloodshed and frequently engaged in adultery. They came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "What you say and the religion to which you invite is good. Would it not be good if you could tell us whether our acceptance of Islam would atone for our sins?" At that time, this verse (of Surah Al-Furqan): ﴿وَالَّذِيْنَ لَا يَدْعُوْنَ مَعَ اللّٰهِ اِلٰــهًا اٰخَرَ﴾ and this verse: ﴿قُلْ يٰعِبَادِيَ الَّذِيْنَ﴾ to the end were revealed. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
2. The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah the Exalted says: O My servants! You commit sins by day and by night, and I forgive all sins. So seek forgiveness from Me; I will forgive you. [مسلم۔ کتاب البر والصلۃ۔ باب تحریم الظلم]
An Example of Distorting the Meaning (Tahreef Ma'nawi):
Some people have made a very strange interpretation of this verse. That is, Allah the Exalted is telling His Prophet to say to the people: "O My servants!"—meaning the servants are not Allah's, but rather the servants of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. This interpretation is, in fact, not an interpretation but the worst kind of distortion, because this interpretation is contrary to the entire teaching of the Quran. Moreover, it does not elevate the status of the Messenger of Allah, but rather places a severe accusation upon him. He was sent so that he might turn all people away from the servitude of other deities and make them pure servants of Allah alone—not that he should begin to make them his own servants. The Prophet ﷺ himself was a servant of Allah, and it is only by acknowledging this servitude that a person can enter Islam, and we all affirm this servitude many times in our prayers. Upon seeing this interpretation, one is spontaneously reminded of these verses by Dr. Iqbal (may Allah have mercy on him):
Zaman bar Sufi o Mulla salaam-e
Ke paigham-e Khuda goftand ma ra
Wale ta'weel-e shan dar hayrat andaakht
Khuda o Jibreel o Mustafa ra
Translation:
My greetings to the Sufi and the Mulla, who conveyed to us the message of Allah. But their interpretation has left Allah, Jibreel, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ all bewildered (as to what we said and what meaning these people have derived from it).
[71]
Sins Committed Before Accepting Islam Are Forgiven:
From the tone of this verse, it appears that it was revealed in response to a question and brings a message of hope for those who, during the Age of Ignorance, were immersed in grave sins such as murder, adultery, theft, robbery, and similar severe transgressions, and who had despaired that these faults could ever be forgiven. As is clear from the following hadiths:
1. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that some polytheists had committed much bloodshed and frequently engaged in adultery. They came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "What you say and the religion to which you invite is good. Would it not be good if you could tell us whether our acceptance of Islam would atone for our sins?" At that time, this verse (of Surah Al-Furqan): ﴿وَالَّذِيْنَ لَا يَدْعُوْنَ مَعَ اللّٰهِ اِلٰــهًا اٰخَرَ﴾ and this verse: ﴿قُلْ يٰعِبَادِيَ الَّذِيْنَ﴾ to the end were revealed. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
2. The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah the Exalted says: O My servants! You commit sins by day and by night, and I forgive all sins. So seek forgiveness from Me; I will forgive you. [مسلم۔ کتاب البر والصلۃ۔ باب تحریم الظلم]
An Example of Distorting the Meaning (Tahreef Ma'nawi):
Some people have made a very strange interpretation of this verse. That is, Allah the Exalted is telling His Prophet to say to the people: "O My servants!"—meaning the servants are not Allah's, but rather the servants of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. This interpretation is, in fact, not an interpretation but the worst kind of distortion, because this interpretation is contrary to the entire teaching of the Quran. Moreover, it does not elevate the status of the Messenger of Allah, but rather places a severe accusation upon him. He was sent so that he might turn all people away from the servitude of other deities and make them pure servants of Allah alone—not that he should begin to make them his own servants. The Prophet ﷺ himself was a servant of Allah, and it is only by acknowledging this servitude that a person can enter Islam, and we all affirm this servitude many times in our prayers. Upon seeing this interpretation, one is spontaneously reminded of these verses by Dr. Iqbal (may Allah have mercy on him):
Zaman bar Sufi o Mulla salaam-e
Ke paigham-e Khuda goftand ma ra
Wale ta'weel-e shan dar hayrat andaakht
Khuda o Jibreel o Mustafa ra
Translation:
My greetings to the Sufi and the Mulla, who conveyed to us the message of Allah. But their interpretation has left Allah, Jibreel, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ all bewildered (as to what we said and what meaning these people have derived from it).
