The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 89
PT. 3 those 91. "Surely, disbelieve after they ĀL-E-‘IMRĀN CH. 3 إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ وا بَعْدَ إِيْمَانِهِمْ ثُمَّ who have believed and then increase in disbelief, their repentance shall not be accepted, and these are 377 they who have gone astray. 37 E ازْدَادُوا كُفْرًا لَّنْ تُقْبَلَ تَوْبَتُهُمْ * وَأُولَيكَ هُمُ الفَآتُونَ إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ As for those who have. 92 disbelieved, and die while they كُفَّارٌ فَلَنْ تُقْبَلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِمْ مِنْ are disbelievers, there shall not الْأَرْضِ ذَهَبًا وَ لَوِ افْتَدَى بِهِ أُولَيكَ be accepted from anyone of them even an earthful of gold, لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ وَ مَالَهُمْ مِنْ نُّصِرِينَ though he offer it in ransom II is these for whom shall be a grievous punishment, and they shall have no helpers. 378 a4:138; 63:4. 2:162; 4:19; 47:35. is past is not sufficient to secure Divine forgiveness. Sinners must not only express genuine regret for past faults but also promise to abandon evil ways in the future. Nay, they should do more. They should try to reform others as well, for the word rendered as "amend" not only signifies amending one's own ways but also reforming others (see 2:161). If a person is really sincere in his repentance and realizes the true value of virtue, he cannot stop at being good himself but would also try to make others good, if only to protect his own environment. 377. Commentary: The verse does not mean that the repentance of apostates shall in no be accepted because this inference runs counter to 3:90, case 529 according to which repentance is acceptable at every stage. So the reference in the words, their repentance shall not be accepted, is to those persons who only make a profession of repentance but are not sincere in it, and, instead of reinforcing their profession by bringing about a real and practical change in their lives, actually increase in disbelief. The words, these are they who have gone astray, placed at the end of the verse corroborate this inference, for they show that in spite of a lip-profession of repentance, they still continue to follow a course of error. Such repentance cannot be genuine and hence cannot be accepted. 378. Commentary: This verse further explains the true