The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 846
CH. 39 AZ-ZUMAR PT. 24 لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللهَ their own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah, surely Allah يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ forgives all sins. Verily, He is الرحيم Most Forgiving, Merciful. 3475 وَانِيبُوا إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ وَأَسْلِمُوالَهُ مِنْ قَبْلِ ,And turn ye to your Lord. 55 and submit yourselves to Him, أنْ يَأْتِيَكُمُ الْعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنْصَرُونَ وَاتَّبِعُوا اَحْسَنَ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ best before there comes unto you the punishment; for then you shall not be helped. 3476 56. And follow the Teaching that has been revealed رَّبِّكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَكُمُ الْعَذَابُ بَغْتَةً to you from your Lord, before 3475. Commentary: "12:88; 15:57. The present is one of the most beautiful verses of the Quran. It holds out a message of hope and good cheer to those who have wronged their souls. It encourages optimism and kills despair and despondency. It denounces and condemns pessimism because pessimism lies at the root of most sins and failures in life. Again and again the Quran gives a promise of Divine mercy and forgiveness. "Despair not of the mercy of Allah," it says, "for none despair of Allah's mercy save the disbelieving people" (12:88). Again it says: "And who can despair of the mercy of his Lord save those who go astray" (15:57). There could be no greater message of solace and comfort for the grieved and the heavy-laden than this. The God of Islam is "Most Forgiving, full of mercy" (18:59). "He has taken it upon Himself to show mercy" (6:55). "His mercy encompasses all things" (7:157). Such is the God of Islam. He can and does forgive the sins of His servants and does not need the vicarious sacrifice of anyone for this purpose. He only requires a change of heart on the part of the sinner. According to Islam, the sinner is never beyond redemption. The Holy Prophet has beautifully explained this 2760 من قال. verse in one of his sayings, viz i. e. "He who says that هلك الناس فهو أهلكهم the people have gone to ruin, it is he who, in fact, leads them to ruin" (Muslim). 3476. Commentary: Whereas the preceding verse holds out to sinners the message of hope and good cheer, the verse under comment warns them that they will themselves have to work out their destiny by submitting to Divine laws. God's mercy comes only to those who obey His laws.