The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 218
PT. 5 اِنَّ اللهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا not دُونَ ذلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا CH. 4 AN-NISA' 49. Surely, "Allah will forgive that any partner be associated with Him; but He will forgive whatever is short of that to whomsoever He pleases. And whoso associates partners with Allah has indeed devised a very great sin. 523 اَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ يُزَكُونَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ بَل Dost thou not know of those. 50 who hold themselves to be اللهُ يُزَكِّي مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَلَا يُظْلَمُوْنَ فَتِيلًا pure? Nay, it is Allah Who a4:117. 523. Important Words: (associates partners) is derived from They say i. e. he shared or participated with him in it; he was or became his co-partner in it. means, he attributed to God or associated with Him a partner or co- partner, whether in His person or attributes or dominion, etc. means: (1) participation or CO- partnership; (2) the attribution of a co-partner to, or associating a partner with, God, i. e. belief in the plurality of Gods (Lane & Aqrab). in its wider sense is not confined to worshipping idols or looking upon certain beings or things as partners with God or possessing His attributes or sharing in His dominion, etc. It extends to loving a thing or a being as one should love God, or trusting in a thing or a being as one should trust in God, and so on. This latter kind of is known as i. e. the hidden being not easily discernible. 658 Commentary: The reference in the verse is not only to idol-worship, but also to such idolatrous practices as are in vogue among common people, even among present-day Muslims, such as the adoration of saints and offering prayers and oblations to them. All such abominable practices are shirk in the sight of God. But (hidden shirk), i. e. loving or trusting in a thing or being as one should love and trust in God, may be forgiven, if done in ignorance and through lack of proper care, provided one is a sincere believer in God and His Prophet and strives to do good works. The expression, Allah will not forgive, does not mean that an idolatrous person can never repent or that his repentance cannot be accepted even in the present life. The expression relates to the time after death, i. e. one who dies in a state of shirk will not be forgiven.