6:54 Al-An'aam (The Cattle)

ولما نهى الله رسولَه، عن طرد المؤمنين القانتين، أمَره بمقابلتهم بالإكرام والإعظام، والتبجيل والاحترام، فقال: { وَإِذَا جَاءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ } أي: وإذا جاءك المؤمنون، فحَيِّهم ورحِّب بهم ولَقِّهم منك تحية وسلاما، وبشرهم بما ينشط عزائمهم وهممهم، من رحمة الله، وسَعة جوده وإحسانه، وحثهم على كل سبب وطريق، يوصل لذلك. ورَهِّبْهم من الإقامة على الذنوب، وأْمُرْهم بالتوبة من المعاصي، لينالوا مغفرة ربهم وجوده، ولهذا قال: { كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنْكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ } أي: فلا بد مع ترك الذنوب والإقلاع، والندم عليها، من إصلاح العمل، وأداء ما أوجب الله، وإصلاح ما فسد من الأعمال الظاهرة والباطنة. فإذا وجد ذلك كله { فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ } أي: صب عليهم من مغفرته ورحمته، بحسب ما قاموا به، مما أمرهم به.

فأنزل الله عز وجل "وإذا جاءك الذين يؤمنون بآياتنا" الآية وقوله "وإذا جاءك الذين يؤمنون بآياتنا فقل سلام عليكم" أي فأكرمهم برد السلام عليهم وبشرهم برحمة الله الواسعة الشاملة لهم ولهذا قال "كتب ربكم على نفسه الرحمة" أي أوجبها على نفسه الكريمة تفضلا منه وإحسانا وامتنانا "أنه من عمل منكم سوءا بجهالة" قال بعض السلف كل من عصى الله فهو جاهل وقال معتمر بن سليمان عن الحكم عن أبان عن عكرمة في قوله "من عمل منكم سوءا بجهالة" قال الدنيا كلها جهالة رواه ابن أبي حاتم "ثم تاب من بعده وأصلح" أي رجع عما كان عليه من المعاصي وأقلع وعزم على أن لا يعود وأصلح العمل في المستقبل "فأنه غفور رحيم" قال الإمام أحمد: حدثنا عبدالرزاق حدثنا معمر عن همام بن منبه قال هذا ما حدثنا به أبو هريرة قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "لما قضى الله على الخلق كتب في كتاب فهو عنده فوق العرش إن رحمتي غلبت غضبي" أخرجاه في الصحيحين وهكذا رواه الأعمش عن أبي صالح عن أبي هريرة ورواه موسى عن عقبة عن الأعرج عن أبي هريرة وكذا رواه الليث وغيره عن محمد بن عجلان عن أبيه عن أبي هريرة عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بذلك وقد روى ابن مردوية من طريق الحكم بن أبان عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "إذا فرغ الله من القضاء بين الخلق أخرج كتابا من تحت العرش إن رحمتي سبقت غضبي وأنا أرحم الراحمين فيقبض قبضة أو قبضتين فيخرج من النار خلقا لم يعملوا خيرا مكتوب بين أعينهم عتقاء الله" وقال عبدالرزاق: أخبرنا معمر عن عاصم بن سليمان عن أبي عثمان النهدي عن سليمان في قوله كتب ربكم على نفسه الرحمة قال: إنا نجد في التوراة عطفتين إن الله خلق السموات والأرض وخلق مائة رحمة أو جعل مائة رحمة قبل أن يخلق الخلق ثم خلق الخلق فوضع بينهم رحمة واحدة وأمسك عنده تسعا وتسعين رحمة قال فيها يتراحمون وبها يتعاطفون وبها يتباذلون وبها يتزاورون وبها تحن الناقة وبها تبح البقرة وبها تثغو الشاة وبها تتتابع الطير وبها تتتابع الحيتان في البحر فإذا كان يوم القيامة جمع الله تلك الرحمة إلى ما عنده ورحمته أفضل وأوسع وقد روي هذا مرفوعا من وجه آخر وسيأتي كثير من الأحاديث الموافقة لهذه عند قوله "ورحمتي وسعت كل شيء" ومما يناسب هذه الآية من الأحاديث أيضا قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم لمعاذ بن جبل "أتدري ما حق الله على العباد؟ أن يعبدوه ولا يشركوا به شيئا" ثم قال "أتدري ما حق العباد على الله إذا هم فعلوا ذلك ؟ أن لا يعذبهم" وقد رواه الإمام أحمد من طريق كميل بن زياد عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه.

The Messenger Neither has the Key to Allah's Treasures, Nor Knows the Unseen

Allah said to His Messenger ,

قُل لاَّ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِى خَزَآئِنُ اللَّهِ

(Say: "I don't tell you that with me are the treasures of Allah.") meaning, I do not own Allah's treasures or have any power over them,

وَلا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ

(nor (that) I know the Unseen,) and I do not say that I know the Unseen, because its knowledge is with Allah and I only know what He conveys of it to me.

وَلا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِنِّى مَلَكٌ

(nor I tell you that I am an angel.) meaning, I do not claim that I am an angel. I am only a human to whom Allah sends revelation, and He honored me with this duty and favored me with it.

إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلاَّ مَا يُوحَى إِلَىَّ

(I but follow what is revealed to me.) and I never disobey the revelation in the least.

قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى الاٌّعْمَى وَالْبَصِيرُ

(Say: "Are the blind and the one who sees equal") meaning, `Is the one who is guided, following the truth, equal to the one misled'

أَفَلاَ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ

(Will you not then consider) In another Ayah, Allah said;

أَفَمَن يَعْلَمُ أَنَّمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَبِّكَ الْحَقُّ كَمَنْ هُوَ أَعْمَى إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُواْ الأَلْبَـبِ

(Shall he then who knows that what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, be like him who is blind But it is only the men of understanding that pay heed.) 13:19 Allah's statement,

وَأَنذِرْ بِهِ الَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ أَن يُحْشَرُواْ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ مِّن دُونِهِ وَلِىٌّ وَلاَ شَفِيعٌ

(And warn therewith those who fear that they will be gathered before their Lord, when there will be neither a protector nor an intercessor for them besides Him,) means, warn with this Qur'an, O Muhammad ,

الَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ خَشْيةِ رَبِّهِمْ مُّشْفِقُونَ

(Those who live in awe for fear of their Lord) 23:57, who,

يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُموَيَخَافُونَ سُوءَ الحِسَابِ

(Fear their Lord, and dread the terrible reckoning.) 13:21,

الَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ أَن يُحْشَرُواْ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ

(those who fear that they will be gathered before their Lord,) on the Day of Resurrection,

لَيْسَ لَهُمْ مِّن دُونِهِ وَلِىٌّ وَلاَ شَفِيعٌ

(when there will be neither a protector nor an intercessor for them besides Him, ) for on that Day, they will have no relative or intercessor who can prevent His torment if He decides to punish them with it,

لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

(so that they may have Taqwa.) Therefore, warn of the Day when there will be no judge except Allah,

لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

(so that they may have Taqwa.) and thus work good deeds in this life, so that their good deeds may save them on the Day of Resurrection from Allah's torment, and so that He will grant them multiple rewards.

Prohibiting the Messenger from Turning the Weak Away and the Order to Honor Them

Allah said,

وَلاَ تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ

(And turn not away those who invoke their Lord, morning and evening seeking His Face.) meaning, do not turn away those who have these qualities, instead make them your companions and associates. In another Ayah, Allah said;

وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ وَلاَ تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَلاَ تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا

(And keep yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost.)18:28 Allah's statement,

يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ

(invoke their Lord...) refers to those who worship Him and supplicate to Him,

بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِىِّ

(morning and evening.) referring to the obligatory prayers, according to Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib, Mujahid, Al-Hasan and Qatadah. In another Ayah, Allah said;

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُـمْ ادْعُونِى أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ

(And your Lord said, "Invoke Me, I will respond (to your invocation).") 40:60, I will accept your supplication. Allah said next,

يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ

(seeking His Face.) meaning, they seek Allah's Most Generous Face, by sincerity for Him in the acts of worship and obedience they perform. Allah said;

مَا عَلَيْكَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَىْءٍ وَمَا مِنْ حِسَابِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِّن شَىْءٍ

(You are accountable for them in nothing, and they are accountable for you in nothing,) This is similar to the answer Nuh gave to his people when they said,

أَنُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَاتَّبَعَكَ الاٌّرْذَلُونَ

(Shall we believe in you, when the meekest (of the people) follow you") 26:111. Nuh answered them,

قَالَ وَمَا عِلْمِى بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ - إِنْ حِسَابُهُمْ إِلاَّ عَلَى رَبِّى لَوْ تَشْعُرُونَ

(And what knowledge have I of what they used to do Their account is only with my Lord, if you could (but) know.) 26:112-113, meaning, their reckoning is for Allah not me, just as my reckoning is not up to them. Allah said here,

فَتَطْرُدَهُمْ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ

(that you may turn them away, and thus become of the wrongdoers.) meaning, you will be unjust if you turn them away. Allah's statement,

وَكَذلِكَ فَتَنَّا بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ

(Thus We have tried some of them with others) means, We tested, tried and checked them with each other,

لِّيَقُولواْ أَهَـؤُلاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَآ

(That they might say: "Is it these (poor believers) that Allah has favored from amongst us") This is because at first, most of those who followed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were the weak among the people, men, women, slaves, and only a few chiefs or noted men followed him. Nuh, was also addressed by his people

وَمَا نَرَاكَ اتَّبَعَكَ إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَرَاذِلُنَا بَادِىَ الرَّأْى

(Nor do we see any follow you but the meekest among us and they (too) followed you without thinking.) 11:27 KHeraclius, emperor of Rome, asked Abu Sufyan, "Do the noblemen or the weak among people follow him (Muhammad )" Abu Sufyan replied, "Rather the weak among them." Heraclius commented, "Such is the case with followers of the Messengers." The idolators of Quraysh used to mock the weak among them who believed in the Prophet and they even tortured some of them. They used to say, "Are these the ones whom Allah favored above us," meaning, Allah would not guide these people, instead of us, to all that is good, if indeed what they embraced is good. Allah mentioned similar statements in the Qur'an from the disbelievers,

لَوْ كَانَ خَيْراً مَّا سَبَقُونَآ إِلَيْهِ

(Had it been a good thing, they (weak and poor) would not have preceded us to it!) 46:11, and,

وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـتُنَا بِيِّنَـتٍ قَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ أَىُّ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ خَيْرٌ مَّقَاماً وَأَحْسَنُ نَدِيّاً

(And when Our clear verses are recited to them, those who disbelieve say to those who believe: "Which of the two groups is best in position and station.") 19:73 Allah said in reply,

وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِّن قَرْنٍ هُمْ أَحْسَنُ أَثَاثاً وَرِءْياً

(And how many a generation (past nations) have We destroyed before them, who were better in wealth, goods and outward appearance) 19:74. Here, Allah answered the disbelievers when they said,

أَهَـؤُلاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّن بَيْنِنَآ أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِالشَّـكِرِينَ

("Is it these (poor believers) that Allah has favored from amongst us" Does not Allah know best those who are grateful) Meaning is not Allah more knowledgeable of those who thank and appreciate Him in statement, action and heart Thus Allah directs these believers to the ways of peace, transfers them from darkness to light by His leave, and guides them to the straight path. In another Ayah, Allah said;

وَالَّذِينَ جَـهَدُواْ فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

(As for those who strive hard for Us (Our cause), We will surely guide them to Our paths (i.e. Allah's religion). And verily, Allah is with the doers of good") 29:69. An authentic Hadith states,

«إِنَّ اللهَ لَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَلَا إِلَى أَلْوَانِكُمْ، وَلَكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَأَعْمَالِكُم»

(Allah does not look at your shapes or colors, but He looks at your heart and actions.) Allah's statement,

وَإِذَا جَآءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِـَايَـتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَـمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ

(When those who believe in Our Ayat come to you, say: "Salamun `Alaykum" (peace be on you);) means, honor them by returning the Salam and give them the good news of Allah's exclusive, encompassing mercy for them. So Allah said;

كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ

(your Lord has written Mercy for Himself,) meaning, He has obliged His Most Honored Self to grant mercy, as a favor, out of His compassion and beneficence,

أَنَّهُ مَن عَمِلَ مِنكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ

(So that, if any of you does evil in ignorance...) as every person who disobeys Allah does it in ignorance,

ثُمَّ تَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ

(and thereafter repents and does righteous good deeds,) by repenting from the sins that he committed, intending not to repeat the sin in the future, but to perform righteous deeds,

فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(then surely, He is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.) Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«لَمَّا قَضَى اللهُ الْخَلْقَ كَتَبَ فِي كِتَابٍ فَهُوَ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ: إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي غَلَبَتْ غَضَبِي»

(When Allah finished with the creation, He wrote in a Book that He has with Him above the Throne, `My mercy prevails over My anger'.) This Hadith was also recorded in the The Two Sahihs.

And when those who believe in Our signs come to you say to them ‘Peace be upon you. Your Lord has prescribed He has decreed for Himself mercy to the effect that truly innahu ‘truly’ may also be read as annahu ‘that’ as a substitution for al-rahma ‘mercy’ whoever of you does evil in ignorance of it when he did it and repents thereafter after his evil deed repents of it and makes amends in his actions — truly He God is Forgiving Merciful’ towards him a variant reading for innahu ‘truly He’ has annahu ‘then He’ in other words forgiveness shall be for him.

About verse 54: وَإِذَا جَاءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ (And when to you come those who believe ... ), there are two interpretations given by leading authorities in Tafs.ir:

1. Most of them have declared it to be related to previous verses and event. In support, they refer to the narration about the event when the chiefs of Quraysh demanded through Abu Talib that his nephew should first remove the poor people around him, with whom they could not sit, and then they would come and listen to him, and think about it. Thereupon, it was Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ who advised that it did not matter much, for Muslims were sincere friends and if requested they would move out of the sitting so that the chiefs of Quraysh could listen to the Word of Allah and become Muslims.

But, in the previous verses, came the command against this advice that this should never be done. Doing this would be cruel and unjust. The revelation of this verse made Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ realize the gravity of his error. He feared he had become a sinner by advising against what was the will of Allah. He came to tender his apology for it.

Thereupon, the present verses were revealed to comfort him. In gist, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked here to assure them that there will be no retribution for their past mistakes. In fact, not simply that there will be no retribution for the mistake, but that they will also be blessed in many ways by the most merciful Allah. He has also been asked to tell them about His Law that if a Muslim does something evil in ignorance, then gets alerted, repents and corrects his ways for the future, Allah Almighty will forgive him his past sins - and will also not deprive him of His blessings in this world and in the world to come. According to this explanation, these verses were revealed as related to this particular event described in previous verses.

2. Some commentators have taken these verses to be carrying an independent set of rules for guidance. These relate to people who have committed a sin, then felt ashamed of what they did, and repented, and corrected their ways.

A little deliberation will show that there is no contradiction between the two sayings - because it is universally agreed that an in-junction of the Holy Qur'an which has been revealed in the background of a particular event, subject to the condition of its words and subject being general, shall not remain restricted to that event, instead of which, it shall have the status of a general injunction. Therefore, even it were to be granted that the said verses did come to be revealed about the event mentioned, still then, this injunction shall have the status of a general rule of conduct which will cover every sinner who gets alarmed even after having committed the sin, then feels ashamed, repents, corrects and turns watchful for the future.

Now let us turn to a fuller explanation of these verses. It is said in the first verse (54): وَإِذَا جَاءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ كَتَبَ رَ‌بُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ الرَّ‌حْمَةَ ; It means: When those people come to him who believe in His Ayat ( the word, 'Ayat', at this place, could mean the Ayat or Verses of the Qur'an, and the Ayat or general signs of the perfect power of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu as well), the Holy Prophet ﷺ has been instructed to address them by saying: سَلَامُ عَلَیکُم (Peace be upon you). Here, 'Salamun Alaikum' could have two meanings. It could either mean: Convey to them the Salam or greetings of Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu - which is the highest honour they could receive. Given this interpretation, that becomes the best antidote for the heart-break of poor Muslims, about whom the chiefs of the Quraysh had said that they should be removed from the gathering before they come. Or it could also mean: You give them the good news of their being safe and protected - that is, if they have fallen short or even made a mistake in what they have done, that will stand forgiven, and that they shall stay protected against all sorts of calamities.

In the next sentence of the verse: كَتَبَ رَ‌بُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ الرَّ‌حْمَةَ , the promise of additional favour and reward has been made by saying : You tell these Muslims that Allah has taken it upon Himself that mercy shall be shown to them. Therefore, let them not be frightened or nervous. First of all, by using the word, Rabb, the assertion in the verse has been provided with a proof - that Allah is your Nurturer, Nour'isher, Sustainer. It is obvious no nurturer would let what is being nurtured go to waste. Then, the mercy which was promised by that Rabb has been further clarified through a weighty, yet endearing, statement that their Rabb has prescribed this mercy on Himself'. It is obvious when even an average good person would not go back on his promise, how could this be ever imagined when referred to the Lord of the Worlds Himself, specially so when this promise has been preserved as a written document.

Based on a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ has been reported in the Sahih of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, and in the Musnad of Ahmad, that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: When Allah Ta` ala created the whole creation and determined the destiny of everyone, then, in a Book with Him on the ` Arsh, He wrote: اِنَّ رَحمَتِی غَلَبَت غَضَبِی (My Mercy is dominant over My Wrath).

And Sayyidna Salman ؓ says: We have seen written in the Torah, when Allah created the heavens and the earth and the entire creation in them, He divided His mercy in a hundred parts. One part from this He distributed all over the creation - and wherever any effect of this mercy is found among human beings, animals and other elements of creation, that owes itself to this same part. The mutual love and concern found among parents and children, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, among relatives, neighbours and friends, are all the outcome of this share from the mercy of Allah. The rest of the ninety nine parts of mercy have been kept by Allah Ta` ala for Himself. There are other narrations in which this has been described as a Hadith from the Holy Prophet ﷺ . This goes to show the quality and extent of Allah's mercy for His creation.

It goes without saying that no ` Ibadah (worship) or ` Ita` ah (obedience) can be good enough so as to be considered as presentable before Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu - neither by an angel nor by a human being. We should not see our ` Ibadah and Ita` ah and good deeds in isolation. If we were to look at them as related to the highest of the high, we would humbly realize that what we have been able to do was not any better than what is simply bad. Still one has to be thankful for being able to do what was possible specially when no human being is free of real evils and sins- unless protected by Allah. Under this situation, justice would have demanded that no one remains safe from a general punishment. But, what is actually happening is that every human being is being showered with the blessings of Allah all the time. This, then, is the direct outcome of that mercy which the great Lord-Nourisher of the universe has put it down in writing as His responsibility.

Every Sin is Forgiven by Taubah [ Repentance ]

This perfect mercy of Allah appears mentioned in the form of a rule in the third sentence of verse 54: أَنَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ‌ رَّ‌حِيمٌ It means: One of you who happens to have done something bad by having acted ignorantly, then repents after that and corrects his conduct, then Allah Almighty is most forgiving, He will forgive him his sins; and He is very merciful, so forgiveness alone will not be considered enough, for he will be blessed with rewards also.

From the word, " جهَالَةٍ " (Jahalah; literally: ignorance, used in the sense of acting ignorantly) one may think that this promise of forgiveness is valid only when a sin is committed in a state of ignorance, not knowing what is being done - and the commitment of a sin knowingly would be considered excluded from the purview of this injunction. But, this is not true - because Jahalah (ignorance) here means acting ignorantly which refers to the act of ignorance, that is, one ends up doing something as would have been done by one who is ignorant and unaware of the outcome of his or her act. It is not necessary that the doer of the act be ignorant in reality. This is confirmed by the use of the word Jahalah itself - as the word, Jahalah has been used here in-stead of using the word, Jahl, most likely to point out to this refinement in meaning. The reason is that Jahl (also meaning ignorance) is an antonym of ` Ilm (Knowledge) while Jahalah stands in contrast to forbearance and dignity. In other words, the word, Jahalah is employed, in usage, to ignorance which is demonstrated practically, indeed. A little thought will reveal that a sin, whenever it is committed by someone, comes about to be because of this practical ignorance. Therefore, some pious elders have said that a person who acts against any command given by Allah and His Messenger is Jahil (ignorant). It refers to this very practical ignorance. For this, it is not necessary to be uninformed and lacking in knowledge - because countless definitive statements of the Holy Qur'an and Sahih Ahadith (Nass) prove that every sin can be forgiven by making Taubah (repentance), whether committed by heedlessness or ignorance, or knowingly and deliberately through self-wickedness or a blinded following of (the drum-beats of) one's own desire.

At this point, it is also worth noticing that the promise of mercy and forgiveness made to sinners in this verse is conditioned with two things: (a) Taubah (repentance), and (b) the Islah of ` Amal (the correction of misdeed). Taubah means being ashamed of the sin. Says the Hadith: التوبۃ النَّدَم اِنَّمَا (Taubah or repentance is another name of Nadamah, that is, being ashamed of or having remorse).

As for the second condition, that is, the correction of deed, it means that one should see to it that what happened before will not be repeated in the future. So, this process of trying to better one's doings includes the making of a firm determination not to go near that sin ever again by fully auditing and checking one's behaviour at all times, and also included here is that all rights belonging to someone which have been violated or compromised because of that sin, should be compensated to the best of one's capability. They may be the Rights of Allah (Huququllah) or the Rights of the Servants of Allah (Huquq al-‘Ibad). Example of the rights of Allah are: Usurping someone's property unlawfully, to attack someone's honour, and to cause pain to someone by using bad language or causing such pain in some other manner.

Therefore, for Taubah (repentance) to be total and complete, the way it is necessary to first feel ashamed of the of the past sin, then seek forgiveness from Allah Ta` ala, then resolve to keep one's conduct correct and straight in the future and never go near that sin again – similarly, it is also necessary that the prayers (Salah) and fasts (Sawm) which were missed due to heedlessness should be replaced by doing Qada for them. Then, any Zakah which has not been paid earlier should be paid now. If there is a shortcoming in taking care of what was obligatory in Qurbani (Sacrifice) or Sadaqatul Fitr. ( post-Ramadhan charity for the poor and needy), that should be paid off. If one has not done his or her Hajj, despite its being Fard, an absolute obligation, one should do it now; and if it is not possible to do so personally, one should arrange to have it done on his or her behalf (Hajj Badal). And if, one does not have the time to arrange for an authorized proxy for Hajj, and does not have the convenience to personally make up for whatever was missed and the Qada' of which had become due - during his lifetime - then, he or she should make a Wasiyyah (will) so that their inheritors or heirs could take care of paying the Fidyah (ransom) of the obligations her bee against him or her, or make arrangements for Hajj on half. In short, for ` the correction of deed,' the correction of the future conduct only is not enough - it is also necessary to make amends by paying off for obligations left unperformed in the past.

Similar is the case of the Rights of the Servants of Allah (Huquq al-'lbad). If someone's property has been taken unlawfully, it should be returned to him, or have him forgive it. And if someone has been caused pain physically or verbally, forgiveness must be sought from the aggrieved person. And if, it is not possible or within one's control to have him forgive it - for example, he dies; or goes away to a place the address of which is not known - then, the way out is that one should make it a point to keep praying for his forgiveness before Allah Ta` ala consistently. If so, it can be hoped that the holder of the right will be pleased and the person who was unable to have the forgiveness of the deceased during his lifetime will become absolved of what was due on him.

And when those who have faith in Our signs come to thee, say, “Peace be upon you. Your Lord has written mercy against Himself, that whosoever of you does an ugly deed in ignorance, and thereafter repents and makes wholesome, He is forgiving, ever-merciful.” “The faithful are one thing, the recognizers something else. The faithful first look at the artifacts and the signs, then they reach Us from the signs. The recognizers first reach Us, then they return from Us to the signs. “O MuḤammad! Unto those who have faith in Us by the intermediary of the signs, convey Our greeting of peace by the intermediary of yourself! Unto those who recognize Us without interme- diary and find Us without the artifacts, We will convey Our greetings of peace without intermedi- ary.” That is in His words, “Peace-a word from an ever-merciful Lord” [36:58]. The Pir of the Tariqah said, “O God, he who recognizes You through the artifacts depends on the secondary causes, he who recognizes You through the attributes is imprisoned by reports, and he who recognizes You by allusion seeks companionship. He who is snatched away by You is protected from himself.” Although He has turned you over to the angel who writes your slips against you, He Himself has undertaken to write mercy for you. His writing for you is beginningless, and that writing against you is temporal. The temporal does not nullify the beginningless. WāsiṬī said, “By His mercy they arrived at worshiping Him. It is not that by worshiping Him they arrived at His mercy. By His mercy they attained what is with Him, not by their acts, for the Prophet said, 'Not even I, unless God envelops me with His mercy.'” Whosoever of you does an ugly deed in ignorance, and thereafter repents and makes whole- some, He is forgiving, ever-merciful. It has been narrated in a report, “You called upon Me, and I said 'Here I am!' You asked from Me, and I bestowed upon you. You stood up against Me, and I gave you respite. You left Me, and I took care of you. You disobeyed Me, and I curtained you. If you return to Me, I will accept you. If you turn away from Me, I will wait for you.” He is saying, “My servants, My creatures! You called out to Me, I answered you with 'Here I am!' You asked for blessings from Me, I bestowed gifts upon you.