Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Ma'idah Verse 39

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Whoever repents after his transgression and corrects himself, then Allah shall relent towards him. Surely, Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

But whoever repents after their wrongdoing and mends their ways, Allah will surely turn to them in forgiveness. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Ruwwad Translation Center

But whoever repents after having committed wrong and mends his way, Allah will accept his repentance, for Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

A. J. Arberry

But whoso repents, after his evildoing, and makes amends, God will turn towards him; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

Abdul Haleem

But if anyone repents after his wrongdoing and makes amends, God will accept his repentance: God is most forgiving, most merciful.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Then whosoever repenteth after his wrong-doing and amendeth, verily Allah shall relent toward him. Verily Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

But if the thief repents after his crime, and amends his conduct, Allah turneth to him in forgiveness; for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

Abul Ala Maududi

But he who repents after he has committed wrong, and makes amends, Allah will graciously turn to him. Truly Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.

Ahmed Ali

But those who repent after a crime and reform, shall be forgiven by God, for God is forgiving and kind.

Ahmed Raza Khan

So if one repents after his wrongdoing and reforms himself, Allah will incline towards him with His mercy; indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Ali Quli Qarai

But whoever repents after his wrongdoing, and reforms, then Allah shall accept his repentance. Indeed Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

Ali Ünal

But he who repents after having done wrong, and mends his ways, surely God accepts His repentance. For God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate.

Amatul Rahman Omar

But whoso turns in repentance after his committing an unjust deed and reforms (himself) then surely Allâh will turn to him with mercy. Verily, Allâh is Great Protector, Ever Merciful.

English Literal

So who repented from after his injustice/oppression, and he corrected , so that God forgives on him, that God (is) a forgiving, merciful.

Faridul Haque

So if one repents after his wrongdoing and reforms himself, Allah will incline towards him with His mercy; indeed Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Hamid S. Aziz

Do you not know that Allah, His alone is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; He punishes whom He pleases, and forgives whom He pleases, for Allah has power over all things?

Hilali & Khan

But whosoever repents after his crime and does righteous good deeds (by obeying Allah), then verily, Allah will pardon him (accept his repentance). Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And (as for) the man and the woman addicted to theft, cut off their hands as a punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment from Allah. And Allah is Mighty, Wise.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

But whoever repents after his iniquity and reforms (himself), then surely Allah will turn to him (mercifully); surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

But whoso repenteth after his wrongdoing and amendeth, lo! Allah will relent toward him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Muhammad Sarwar

However, God will accept the repentance of whoever repents and reforms himself after committing injustice; He is All-forgiving and All-merciful.

Qaribullah & Darwish

But whoever repents and mends his ways after committing evil shall be pardoned by Allah. Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

But whosoever repents after his crime and does righteous good deeds, then verily, Allah will pardon him. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Wahiduddin Khan

But God will surely turn in mercy to him who repents after his transgression and reforms. Surely, God is most forgiving and ever merciful.

Talal Itani

But whoever repents after his crime, and reforms, God will accept his repentance. God is Forgiving and Merciful.

Tafsir jalalayn

But whoever repents after his evildoing, refrains from theft, and amends, his actions, God will relent to him. God is indeed Forgiving, Merciful, in expressing what has been stated. However, the rights of the victim to have the penalty of amputation carried out and his property restored are not [automatically] forgone after repentance. In fact, as is clarified in the Sunna, only if he is pardoned before being taken to the Imam is the [punishment of] amputation waived, and al-Shfi` is of this opinion.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

But whosoever repents after his crime and does righteous good deeds, then verily, Allah will pardon him. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Therefore, whoever repents and goes back to Allah after he commits theft, then Allah will forgive him.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abdullah bin `Amr said that;

a woman committed theft during the time of the Messenger of Allah and those from whom she stole brought her and said, "O Allah's Messenger! This woman stole from us."

Her people said, "We ransom her."

The Messenger of Allah said,

اقْطَعُوا يَدَهَا

Cut off her hand.

They said, "We ransom her with five hundred Dinars."

The Prophet said,

اقْطَعُوا يَدَهَا

Cut off her hand.

Her right hand was cut off and the woman asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Is there a chance for me to repent?"

He said,

نَعَمْ أَنْتِ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ خَطِييَتِكِ كَيَوْمَ وَلَدَتْكِ أُمُّك

Yes. This day, you are free from your sin just as the day your mother gave birth to you.

Allah sent down the verse in Surah Al-Ma'idah,

فَمَن تَابَ مِن بَعْدِ ظُلْمِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ يَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ


But whosoever repents after his crime and does righteous good deeds (by obeying Allah), then verily, Allah will pardon him. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

This woman was from the tribe of Makhzum. Her story was narrated in the Two Sahihs from Az-Zuhri from Urwah from Aishah.

The incident caused concern for the Quraysh after she committed the theft during the time of the battle of the Conquest (of Makkah). They said, "Who can talk to Allah's Messenger about her matter."

They then said, "Who dares speak to him about such matters other than Usamah bin Zayd, his loved one."

When the woman was brought to the Messenger of Allah, Usamah bin Zayd talked to him about her and the face of the Messenger changed color (because of anger) and he said,

أَتَشْفَعُ فِي حَدَ مِنْ حُدُودِ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ



Do you intercede in a punishment prescribed by Allah?

Usamah said to him, "Ask Allah to forgive me, O Allah's Messenger!"

During that night, the Messenger of Allah stood up and gave a speech and praised Allah as He deserves to be praised. He then said,

أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الشَّرِيفُ تَرَكُوهُ وَإِذَا سَرَقَ فِيهِمُ الضَّعِيفُ أَقَامُوا عَلَيْهِ الْحَدَّ

Those who were before you were destroyed because when an honorable person among them would steal, they would leave him. But, when a weak man among them stole, they implemented the prescribed punishment against him.

وَإِنِّي وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنَّ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ سَرَقَتْ لَقَطَعْتُ يَدَهَا

By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! If Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad stole, I will have her hand cut off.

The Prophet commanded that the hand of the woman who stole be cut off, and it was cut off.

Aishah said, `Her repentance was sincere afterwards, and she got married and she used to come to me so that I convey her needs to the Messenger of Allah."

This is the wording that Muslim collected, and in another narration by Muslim, Aishah said,

"She was a woman from Makhzum who used to borrow things and deny that she took them. So the Prophet ordered that her hand be cut off."

Allah then said