وَٱلَّذَانِ يَأْتِيَـٰنِهَا مِنكُمْ فَـَٔاذُوهُمَا ۖ فَإِن تَابَا وَأَصْلَحَا فَأَعْرِضُوا۟ عَنْهُمَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا 16
Translations
And the two who commit it [i.e., unlawful sexual intercourse] among you - punish [i.e., dishonor] them both. But if they repent and correct themselves, leave them alone. Indeed, Allāh is ever Accepting of Repentance and Merciful.
Transliteration
Wa-alladhani ya'tiyanihā minkum fa'ādhūhuma, fa-in tābā wa-aslahā fa-a'ridū 'anhuma. Inna Allāha kāna tawwāban rahīmā.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the sin of homosexual conduct between two individuals from the Muslim community, commanding that they be harmed or punished until they repent and reform themselves. However, if they repent sincerely and amend their ways, Muslims are commanded to cease harming them and turn away from the matter, as Allah is the Most Forgiving and Merciful. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir interpret this in the context of pre-Islamic Arabian society and emphasize the pathway to forgiveness through repentance, reflecting Islam's emphasis on tawbah (repentance) as a means of redemption.
Revelation Context
Surah An-Nisa is a Medinan surah revealed during the Prophet Muhammad's time in Medina, addressing community regulations and legal matters. This ayah appears in a section discussing various moral transgressions and their consequences, establishing Islamic legal principles regarding sexual misconduct. The broader context emphasizes accountability and the opportunity for repentance within the Islamic legal and moral framework.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest sins are to associate partners with Allah and to disobey parents and to commit murder and to bear false witness.' (Sahih Bukhari) - This establishes hierarchy of sins. Additionally, numerous hadiths emphasize that repentance erases previous sins: 'Repentance wipes out all that comes before it.' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi)
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Islam acknowledges human moral failings while simultaneously emphasizing the transformative power of sincere repentance—no sin is beyond Allah's forgiveness for those who genuinely turn back to Him. The verse encourages a balanced approach of accountability for wrongdoing coupled with dignity and reintegration for those who reform themselves.
Related Ayahs
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ ٱللَّهِ لِيَجْزِىَ قَوْمًۢا بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], to those who have believed that they [should] forgive those who expect not the days of Allāh [i.e., of His retribution] so that He may recompense a people for what they used to earn.
وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَـٰتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوا۟ ۚ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ
And for all are degrees [i.e., positions resulting] from what they have done. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do.
لِّيُعَذِّبَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتِ وَٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَٱلْمُشْرِكَـٰتِ وَيَتُوبَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًۢا
[It was] so that Allāh may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the men and women who associate others with Him and that Allāh may accept repentance from the believing men and believing women. And ever is Allāh Forgiving and Merciful.
وَقَالُوا۟ لَن تَمَسَّنَا ٱلنَّارُ إِلَّآ أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَةً ۚ قُلْ أَتَّخَذْتُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ عَهْدًا فَلَن يُخْلِفَ ٱللَّهُ عَهْدَهُۥٓ ۖ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And they say, "Never will the Fire touch us, except for [a few] numbered days." Say, "Have you taken a covenant with Allāh? For Allāh will never break His covenant. Or do you say about Allāh that which you do not know?"