Draft:Qur'an 4:116
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| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | al-Nisa' (Qur'an 4) |
| Verse | 116 |
| Juz' | 5 |
| Content Information | |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| About | Unforgivableness of shirk and possibility of forgiveness for all sins other than shirk |
| Related Verses | Qur'an 4:48, Qur'an 39:53 |
Qur'an 4:116 asserts that while God may forgive any sin,[1] He will never forgive shirk (polytheism).[2] Exegetes, citing this verse, identify shirk as the gravest of sins.[3]
This verse is regarded as one of the most hopeful in the Qur'an.[4] According to Nasir Makarim Shirazi, whereas Qur'an 4:48 addresses the corruption of shirk from a divine perspective, this verse highlights the detriment it causes to humanity.[5] Scholars view the repetition of this theme across these two verses as an indication of its profound importance.[6]
Some exegetes interpret the forgiveness of sins other than shirk to mean that such sins possess the inherent capacity for forgiveness,[7] though their actual forgiveness remains contingent upon Divine Will (Mashiyya).[8]
| “ | إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا
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| “ | Indeed Allah does not forgive that any partner should be ascribed to Him, but He forgives anything besides that to whomever He wishes. And whoever ascribes partners to Allah has indeed gone far astray.
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| — Qur'an 4:116 | ||
'Allama Tabataba'i interprets Qur'an 4:116 as an elucidation or substantiation of the preceding verse; considering the context, he regards enmity toward the Prophet (s) as a manifestation of associating partners with God.[9] The verse concludes by characterizing shirk as straying "far astray," which, according to Mulla Fath Allah Kashani, denotes the ultimate error and the most extreme degree of deviation.[10]
Regarding the cause of revelation, narrations describe an elderly Bedouin who asked the Prophet (s) about his ultimate fate. Although he confessed to his sins, he affirmed that he had never committed shirk nor reverted to disbelief. This verse was revealed in response to his inquiry.[11] Another account posits that the verse was revealed concerning Tu'ayma b. Ubayriq, who had committed apostasy.[12]
Exegeses state that no righteous deed can lead to human salvation if it is accompanied by shirk.[13] It is further clarified that the unforgivable nature of shirk applies specifically to those who die in a state of polytheism; otherwise, any sin is forgivable through sincere repentance.[14]
Notes
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 409.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 5, p. 83.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 4, p. 132; Qarāʾatī, 1388 Sh, Tafsīr nūr, vol. 2, p. 164.
- ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr nūr, 1388 Sh, vol. 2, p. 163.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 4, p. 133.
- ↑ Ṭabrisī, Jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ, 1412 AH, vol. 1, p. 288; Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 2, p. 97.
- ↑ Qurashī Bunābī, Tafsīr aḥsan al-ḥadīth, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, p. 453.
- ↑ Abū l-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān, 1407 AH, vol. 6, p. 113.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 5, p. 83.
- ↑ Kāshānī, Manhaj al-ṣādiqīn, Kitābfurūshī-yi Islāmiyya, vol. 3, p. 115.
- ↑ Maybudī, Kashf al-asrār, 1371 Sh, vol. 2, p. 689.
- ↑ Abū l-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Rawḍ al-jinān, 1408 AH, vol. 6, p. 113.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 3, p. 409.
- ↑ Qurashī Bunābī, Tafsīr aḥsan al-ḥadīth, 1375 Sh, vol. 2, p. 453.
References
- Abū l-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī, Rawḍ al-jinān wa rawḥ al-janān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, Mashhad, Astan Quds Razavi, 1408 AH.
- Bayḍāwī, ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar, Anwār al-tanzīl wa asrār al-taʾwīl, Beirut, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, 1418 AH.
- Fakhr al-Rāzī, Muḥammad b. ʿUmar, Tafsīr al-kabīr, Beirut, Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi, 1420 AH.
- Kāshānī, Fatḥ Allāh b. Shukr Allāh, Manhaj al-ṣādiqīn fī ilzām al-mukhālifīn, Tehran, Kitābfurūshī-yi Islāmiyya, N.d.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir, Tafsīr-i nimūna, Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1371 Sh.
- Maybudī, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad, Kashf al-asrār wa ʿuddat al-abrār, Tehran, Amirkabir, 1371 Sh.
- Qarāʾatī, Muḥsin, Tafsīr nūr, Tehran, Markaz-i Farhangī-yi Darshā-yī az Qurʾān, 1388 Sh.
- Qurashī Bunābī, ʿAlī Akbar, Tafsīr aḥsan al-ḥadīth, Tehran, Bunyād-i Biʿthat, 1375 Sh.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn, Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, Beirut, Muʾassisa al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1390 AH.
- Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. Ḥasan, Tafsīr jawāmiʿ al-jāmiʿ, Correction: Abū l-Qāsim Gurjī, Qom, Hawza-yi ʿIlmiyya-yi Qom, 1412 AH.