Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nur Verse 5

Mufti Taqi Usmani

except those who repent afterwards and mend their ways; then, Allah is All-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

except those who repent afterwards and mend their ways, then surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Ruwwad Translation Center

except those who repent afterwards and mend their ways, for Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

A. J. Arberry

save such as repent thereafter and make amends; surely God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

Abdul Haleem

except for those who repent later and make amends––God is most forgiving and merciful.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Excepting those who thereafter shall repent and make amends. Verily Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Unless they repent thereafter and mend (their conduct); for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Abul Ala Maududi

except those who repent and reform themselves; Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

Ahmed Ali

Except those who repent after this and reform; and God is surely forgiving and kind.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Except those who repent after this and reform themselves; so indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Ali Quli Qarai

excepting those who repent after that and reform, for Allah is indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful.

Ali Ünal

Except those of them who repent thereafter and mend their ways. For surely God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Except those who repent after this and make amends, they will find Allâh Great Protector, Ever Merciful.

English Literal

Except those who repented from after that, and corrected/repaired , so then God (is) forgiving, merciful.

Faridul Haque

Except those who repent after this and reform themselves; so indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Hamid S. Aziz

And those who launch a charge (accusations, imputations) on chaste women, but bring not four witnesses, scourge them with eighty stripes, and never afterwards accept their testimony, for these are, indeed, evil-doers (workers of abomination),

Hilali & Khan

Except those who repent thereafter and do righteous deeds, (for such) verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And those who accuse free women and bring not four witnesses, flog them (with) eighty stripes and never accept their evidence, and these are the transgressors --

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Except those who repent after this and act aright, for surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Save those who afterward repent and make amends. (For such) lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Muhammad Sarwar

except that of those who afterwards repent and reform themselves; God is All-forgiving and All-merciful.

Qaribullah & Darwish

except those among them that afterwards repent and mend their ways. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Except those who repent thereafter and do righteous deeds; (for such) verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Wahiduddin Khan

save those who afterwards repent and make amends, for truly God is forgiving and merciful.

Talal Itani

Except for those who repent afterwards, and reform; for God is Forgiving and Merciful.

Tafsir jalalayn

except those who repent thereafter and make amends, in their deeds, for God is indeed Forgiving, of their [unsubstantiated] accusations, Merciful, to them, in inspiring them to make repentance whereby their immorality is curbed and their testimony becomes [once again] acceptable -- some say, however, that it can never be accepted [thereafter], if the proviso is taken to refer to the last clause.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Except those who repent thereafter and do righteous deeds; (for such) verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

This exception refers to the second and third rulings mentioned above.

The flogging has been carried out regardless of whether he repents or persists, and after that there is no further punishment, as is agreed among the scholars.

If he repents, then his testimony may be accepted, and he is no longer to be regarded as a rebellious.

This was the view of Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib -- the leader of the Tabi`in -- and also a group among the Salaf.

Ash-Sha`bi and Ad-Dahhak said,

"His testimony cannot be accepted even if he does repent, unless he himself admits that he said something false, in which case his testimony may be accepted."

And Allah knows best