Al-Qur'an Surah At-Tawbah Verse 80

Mufti Taqi Usmani

(It is all equal whether you) ask pardon for them or do not ask pardon for them. Even if you ask pardon for them seventy times, Allah will never pardon them. That is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger. Allah does not lead the sinning people to the right path.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

˹It does not matter˺ whether you ˹O Prophet˺ pray for them to be forgiven or not. Even if you pray for their forgiveness seventy times, Allah will never forgive them. That is because they have lost faith in Allah and His Messenger. And Allah does not guide the rebellious people.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Whether you [O Prophet] seek forgiveness for them or not, even if you seek forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will never forgive them; that is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger. Allah does not guide the rebellious people.

A. J. Arberry

Ask pardon for them, or ask not pardon for them; if thou askest pardon for them seventy times, God will not pardon them; that, because they disbelieved in God and His Messenger; God guides not the people of the ungodly.

Abdul Haleem

It makes no difference [Prophet] whether you ask forgiveness for them or not: God will not forgive them even if you ask seventy times, because they reject God and His Messenger. God does not guide those who rebel against Him.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Ask thou forgiveness for them or ask thou not forgiveness for them: if thou askest forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will forgive them not. This, because they disbelieved in Allah and His apostle, and Allah guideth not an ungodly people.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Whether thou ask for their forgiveness, or not, (their sin is unforgivable); if thou ask seventy times for their forgiveness, Allah will not forgive them; because they have rejected Allah and His Messenger; and Allah guideth not those who are perversely rebellious.

Abul Ala Maududi

(O Prophet), it is all the same whether or not you ask for their forgiveness. Even if you were to ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah shall not forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger; and Allah does not bestow His Guidance on such evil-doing folk.

Ahmed Ali

Whether you plead forgiveness for them or not, God will not forgive them, even though you plead seventy times, for they disbelieved in God and His Apostle; and God does not show transgressors the way.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Whether you (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) ask forgiveness for them* or not ask forgiveness for them; even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will not forgive them; that is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Noble Messenger, and Allah does not guide the sinful. (* for the hypocrites.)

Ali Quli Qarai

Whether you plead forgiveness for them or do not plead forgiveness for them, even if you plead forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah shall never forgive them because they defied Allah and His Apostle; and Allah does not guide the transgressing lot.

Ali Ünal

Whether you (O Messenger) pray for their forgiveness or do not pray for their forgiveness, even if you pray for their forgiveness seventy times, God will not forgive them. That is because they disbelieve in God and His Messenger. God will not guide the transgressing people.

Amatul Rahman Omar

(It makes no difference to them) whether you ask protection (of God from sins) for these (hypocrites) or you do not ask protection for them. Even if you ask protection for them seventy times Allâh will never protect them (against the consequences of their sins). That is because they disbelieved in Allâh and His Messenger, and Allâh guides no perfidious people (in the ways of success).

English Literal

Ask for forgiveness for them or you do not ask for forgiveness for them, if you ask for forgiveness for them seventy time(s), so God will never/not forgive for them, that (is) because they (E) disbelieved by God and His messenger, and God does not guide the nation the debauchers .

Faridul Haque

Whether you (O dear Prophet Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon him) ask forgiveness for them * or not ask forgiveness for them; even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will not forgive them; that is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Noble Messenger, and Allah does not guide the sinful. (* for the hypocrites.)

Hamid S. Aziz

Ask forgiveness for them or ask not forgiveness for them; if they should ask forgiveness for them seventy times, yet would not Allah forgive them; that is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and Allah guides not a people who work abomination.

Hilali & Khan

Whether you (O Muhammad SAW) ask forgiveness for them (hypocrites) or ask not forgiveness for them(and even) if you ask seventy times for their forgivenessAllah will not forgive them, because they have disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad SAW). And Allah guides not those people who are Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Those who taunt the free givers of alms among the believers as well as those who cannot find anything (to give) but with their hard labour -- they scoff at them. Allah will pay them back their mockery; and for them is a painful chastisement.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Ask forgiveness for them or do not ask forgiveness for them; even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will not forgive them; this is because they disbelieve in Allah and His Apostle, and Allah does not guide the transgressing people.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Ask forgiveness for them (O Muhammad), or ask not forgiveness for them; though thou ask forgiveness for them seventy times Allah will not forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in Allah and His messenger, and Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Muhammad), whether you ask God to forgive them or not, He will never do so, even if you were to beg seventy times; they have disbelieved in God and His Messenger and God does not guide the evil-doers.

Qaribullah & Darwish

(It is the same) whether or not you beg forgiveness for them. If you beg forgiveness for them seventy times Allah will not forgive them, for they have disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger. Allah does not guide the evildoers.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Whether you (O Muhammad) ask forgiveness for them (hypocrites) or ask not forgiveness for them -- (and even) if you ask seventy times for their forgiveness -- Allah will not forgive them because they have disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger. And Allah guides not those people who are rebellious.

Wahiduddin Khan

It is the same whether or not you ask forgiveness for them. Even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, God will not forgive them, for they have denied God and His Messenger. God does not guide the evil-doers.

Talal Itani

Whether you ask forgiveness for them, or do not ask forgiveness for them—even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, God will not forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in God and His Messenger. God does not guide the immoral people.

Tafsir jalalayn

Ask forgiveness for them, O Muhammad (s), or do not ask forgiveness for them; this leaves the choice of asking forgiveness, or refraining, up to him; the Prophet (s) said, `I have been given the choice, and I made it', meaning [the choice] to ask forgiveness, as reported by al-Bukhr. If you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, God will not forgive them; it is said that the `seventy' is intended to express [by hyperbole] a great frequency of asking forgiveness. In [the Sahh of] al-Bukhr there is a hadth [which states]; `If I was sure that were I to ask more than seventy times, God would forgive [them], I would have done so'. It is also said, however, that the very number [seventy] is actually meant, on account of this other hadth of his; `I shall ask more than seventy times', whereupon it was made clear to him [the Prophet] that the matter regarding forgiveness had been concluded by the verse, [Q. 63;6] Alike it will be regarding them; whether you ask forgiveness for them or you do not ask forgiveness for them [God will not forgive them]; that is because they disbelieved in God and His Messenger; and God does not guide the wicked folk.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Prohibition of asking for Forgiveness for Hypocrites

Allah says,

اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لَا تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً فَلَن يَغْفِرَ اللّهُ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُواْ بِاللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَاللّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ



Whether you (O Muhammad) ask forgiveness for them (hypocrites) or ask not forgiveness for them -- (and even) if you ask seventy times for their forgiveness -- Allah will not forgive them because they have disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger. And Allah guides not those people who are rebellious.

Allah says to His Prophet that hypocrites are not worthy of seeking forgiveness for them and that if he asks Allah to forgive them seventy times, Allah will not forgive them.

The number seventy here was mentioned to close the door on this subject, for Arabs use this number when they exaggerate, not that they actually mean seventy or more than seventy.

Ash-Sha`bi said that;

when Abdullah bin Ubayy was dying, his son went to the Prophet and said to him, "My father has died, I wish you could attend him and pray the funeral prayer for him."

The Prophet said,

مَا اسْمُك

"What is you name?"

He said, "Al-Hubab bin Abdullah."

The Prophet said,

بَلْ أَنْتَ عَبْدُاللهِ بْنُ عَبْدِاللهِ إِنَّ الْحُبَابَ اسْمَ شَيْطَان

Rather, you are Abdullah bin Abdullah, for Al-Hubab is a devil's name.

The Prophet went along with him, attended his father's funeral, gave him his shirt as a shroud and prayed the funeral prayer for him. He was asked, "Would you pray on him, when he is a hypocrite"

He said,

إِنَّ اللهَ قَالَ

Allah said, (
إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً
(and even) if you ask seventy times for their forgiveness...),

وَلَاسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ وَسَبْعِينَ وَسَبْعِين

Verily, I will ask Allah to forgive them seventy times and seventy more and seventy more.)"

Similar narrations were collected from Urwah bin Az-Zubayr, Mujahid, Qatadah bin Di`amah and Ibn Jarir