۞ نَبِّئْ عِبَادِىٓ أَنِّىٓ أَنَا ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ 49
Translations
[O Muḥammad], inform My servants that it is I who am the Forgiving, the Merciful,
Transliteration
Nabbih 'ibadi annee ana al-Ghafoor ar-Raheem
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the Prophet Muhammad to inform His servants that He is Al-Ghafoor (The All-Forgiving) and Ar-Raheem (The Most Merciful). This ayah emphasizes God's infinite capacity for forgiveness and compassion toward those who repent and turn back to Him, offering hope and solace to believers struggling with sin and guilt. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note this verse comes in the context of Shaytan's arrogance, serving as a divine reassurance that God's mercy supersedes His punishment for the repentant.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Hijr (a Meccan chapter) following the narrative of Iblis's rejection and arrogance. It serves as a direct divine command to the Prophet to counteract despair by announcing God's mercy, providing comfort to the early Muslim community facing persecution and internal struggles with spiritual weakness.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad said: 'My mercy encompasses all things' (Quran 7:156), and in Sahih Muslim, Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said: 'When Allah created the creation, He wrote upon Himself: My mercy prevails over My anger.' This directly reflects the themes of 15:49.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that no sin is too great for God's forgiveness if one turns back to Him with sincere repentance; it provides hope that God's mercy is not contingent on human perfection but on genuine remorse and intention to change. For modern readers, it emphasizes that spiritual struggles and failures should not lead to despair but rather to renewed commitment to seeking God's forgiveness and reforming oneself.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ أَنزَلَهُ ٱلَّذِى يَعْلَمُ ٱلسِّرَّ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Say, [O Muḥammad], "It has been revealed by He who knows [every] secret within the heavens and the earth. Indeed, He is ever Forgiving and Merciful."
أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُۥ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
So will they not repent to Allāh and seek His forgiveness? And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَنُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَحْسَنَ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
And those who believe and do righteous deeds - We will surely remove from them their misdeeds and will surely reward them according to the best of what they used to do.
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ صَبَرُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ تَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِمْ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
And if they had been patient until you [could] come out to them, it would have been better for them. But Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.