{"id":4706,"date":"2019-03-24T04:53:33","date_gmt":"2019-03-24T09:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/?p=4706"},"modified":"2019-03-24T04:53:33","modified_gmt":"2019-03-24T09:53:33","slug":"does-allah-seek-repentance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/does-allah-seek-repentance\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Allah Seek Repentance?"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Bassam Zawadi<\/span><\/em><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

Some Muslims are facing difficulties with passages such as Surah 2:37, 54, 160 and others, which state that Allah repented. Most, if not all, translations would translate the Arabic word for repent as meaning “relenting towards” or “pardoned”. The reason for this is because that is the correct meaning. In English it does not make sense to say that someone “repented towards” somebody else in a way that implies that he has pardoned that person. However, in the Arabic language, the word “repent” could be used in this way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thus, those verses in Arabic which speak about Allah “repenting” are actually speaking about Allah pardoning or forgiving.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Imam Qurtubi has it in his commentary:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0648\u064e\u0642\u064e\u0627\u0644\u064e \u0622\u062e\u064e\u0631\u064f\u0648\u0646\u064e \u062a\u064e\u0648\u0652\u0628\u064e\u0629 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0647 \u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u0652\u0639\u064e\u0628\u0652\u062f \u0642\u064e\u0628\u064f\u0648\u0644 \u062a\u064e\u0648\u0652\u0628\u064e\u062a\u0647 \u0648\u064e\u0630\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0643\u064e \u064a\u064e\u062d\u0652\u062a\u064e\u0645\u0650\u0644 \u0623\u064e\u0646\u0652 \u064a\u064e\u0631\u0652\u062c\u0650\u0639 \u0625\u0650\u0644\u064e\u0649 \u0642\u064e\u0648\u0652\u0644\u0647 \u0633\u064f\u0628\u0652\u062d\u064e\u0627\u0646\u0647 \u0648\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0627\u0644\u064e\u0649 \u0642\u064f\u0628\u0650\u0644\u064e\u062a\u0652 \u062a\u064e\u0648\u0652\u0628\u064e\u062a\u0643<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And others have said that Allah’s repenting to His slave means that He has accepted His slave’s repentance and this is possible due to the fact that Allah Almighty said: “I have accepted your repentance”\u00a0(to Adam)\u00a0(Abu ‘Abdullah\u00a0Al-Qurtubi,\u00a0Tasfir al Jami’ li-ahkam al-Qur’an,\u00a0<\/em>Commentary on Surah 2:160,Source<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Imam Tabari says:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0648\u064e\u0647\u064e\u0644\u0652 \u064a\u064e\u0643\u064f\u0648\u0646 \u062a\u064e\u0627\u0626\u0650\u0628 \u0625\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0627 \u0648\u064e\u0647\u064f\u0648\u064e \u0645\u064e\u062a\u064f\u0648\u0628 \u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0647\u0650 \u0623\u064e\u0648\u0652 \u0645\u064e\u062a\u064f\u0648\u0628 \u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0647\u0650 \u0625\u0644\u0651\u064e\u0627 \u0648\u064e\u0647\u064f\u0648\u064e \u062a\u064e\u0627\u0626\u0650\u0628<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can there be one who is seeking repentance unless there is one repenting towards him? Or can there be one whom one is repenting towards without that one seeking repentance?\u00a0(Ibn Jarir al-Tabari,\u00a0Jami’ al-bayan fi ta’wil al-Qur’an<\/em>, Commentary on Surah\u00a02:160<\/strong>,\u00a0Source<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tafsir Jalalayn states:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Except those that repent, turning back from such [deeds], and make amends, in their actions, and show clearly, what they were concealing ? them I shall turn [relenting],\u00a0accepting their repentance;<\/u><\/strong>I am the Relenting, the Merciful, to believers.\u00a0(Jalal ud-Din Siyuti,\u00a0Tafsir al-Jalalayn<\/em>, Commentary on Surah 2:160,\u00a0Source<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ibn Abbass said:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then Adam received from his Lord) Adam learnt from his Lord, and it is said that he was taught and inspired with (words) so that they became a way for him and his progeny to repentance, (and He relented towards him),\u00a0He forgave him<\/u><\/strong>. (Indeed! He is the Relenting), the One Who overlooks misdeeds, (the Merciful) towards any that dies repentant.\u00a0(Ibn Abbaas,\u00a0Tanw\u00eer al-Miqb\u00e2s min Tafs\u00eer Ibn ‘Abb\u00e2s,\u00a0<\/em>Commentary on Surah 2:37,\u00a0Source<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Imam Zamakhshari says:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

{ \u0641\u064e\u062a\u064e\u0627\u0628\u064e \u0639\u064e\u0644\u064e\u064a\u0652\u0647\u0650 } \u0641\u0631\u062c\u0639 \u0639\u0644\u064a\u0647 \u0628\u0627\u0644\u0631\u062d\u0645\u0629 \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0642\u0628\u0648\u0644<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“He repented towards him”, meaning He went back to Him with mercy and acceptance.\u00a0(Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Umar al-Zamakhshari,\u00a0Al-Kashshaaf,\u00a0<\/em>Commentary on 2:37,\u00a0<\/strong>Source<\/strong><\/a>)<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Imam Razi describes it well in his commentary by appealing to other methods of speech in the Arabic language, which are similar in nature and have the same grammatical rulings. For instance, he gives the example of a slave who was disobedient to his master. The master in return didn’t treat the slave well. However, the slave began to treat his slave master well. In return, the slave’s master began to treat the slave well again. Thus, in this case one would say in the Arabic language:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u0641\u0644\u0627\u0646 \u0639\u0627\u062f \u0625\u0644\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u0623\u0645\u064a\u0631 \u0648\u0627\u0644\u0623\u0645\u064a\u0631 \u0639\u0627\u062f \u0639\u0644\u064a\u0647 \u0628\u0625\u062d\u0633\u0627\u0646\u0647 \u0648\u0645\u0639\u0631\u0648\u0641\u0647<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The boy went back to his master and the master went back to him by treating him well and acknowledging him.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

So Razi argues that the same thing applies in\u00a0these verses\u00a0The slave repented to Allah (in that he stopped committing evil and started doing righteous deeds again) and Allah repented towards him (in that Allah accepted his repentance). See\u00a0Fakhar ad-Din ar-Razi’s\u00a0Tafsir Al Kabir<\/em>, Commentary on Surah 2:37,\u00a0Source<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The whole confusion lies in the fact that one is imposing English grammar (where it doesn’t make sense for one to say that he repents towards someone in the sense of forgiving him) upon the Arabic (where it does make sense).<\/p>\n

\n

Source: https:\/\/www.call-to-monotheism.com\/does_allah_seek_repentance_<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Bassam Zawadi   Some Muslims are facing difficulties with passages such as Surah 2:37, 54, 160 and others, which state that Allah repented. Most, if not all, translations would translate the Arabic word for repent as meaning “relenting towards” or “pardoned”. The reason for this is because that is the correct meaning. In English … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4706","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-most-common-doubts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"gform-image-choice-sm":false,"gform-image-choice-md":false,"gform-image-choice-lg":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Site Admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/author\/admin2\/"},"uagb_comment_info":115,"uagb_excerpt":"By Bassam Zawadi   Some Muslims are facing difficulties with passages such as Surah 2:37, 54, 160 and others, which state that Allah repented. Most, if not all, translations would translate the Arabic word for repent as meaning “relenting towards” or “pardoned”. The reason for this is because that is the correct meaning. In English…","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcT0IL-1dU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7540,"url":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/fr\/la-patience-du-prophete-sur-lui-la-paix-face-aux-sevices\/","url_meta":{"origin":4706,"position":0},"title":"La patience du proph\u00e8te (sur lui la paix) face aux s\u00e9vices","author":"Site Admin","date":"06\/17\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"J\u2019ai commis un p\u00e9ch\u00e9 majeur et j\u2019ai demand\u00e9 \u00e0 Allah de me pardonner. Mon repentir sera t-il accept\u00e9 ? J\u2019ai le sentiment que mon repentir ne sera pas accept\u00e9, et qu\u2019Allah est en col\u00e8re contre moi. Y a-t-il des signes de l\u2019acceptation du repentir ? 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