Overview (Verses 30 - 31)

Conditions for Forgiveness
 
Whoever does this with malicious intent and by way of willful wrongdoing, We shall make to suffer the Fire. That is very easy for God. (Verse 30) If you avoid the most serious of what you are forbidden, We will erase your bad deeds, and shall cause you to enter an abode of glory. (Verse 31)
 
This first of these two verses warns those who unjustly and illegally devour each other’s money that they will suffer the punishment of the hereafter after having destroyed themselves in this life. This applies to them all, since responsibility in such matters is a collective one. Any community which allows such injustice to spread is doomed in this life as well as in the life to come: “Whoever does this with malicious intent and by way of willful wrongdoing, We shall make to suffer the Fire. That is very easy for God.” (Verse 30)
 
As Islam makes its legislation known to people, it appoints everyone a watchful guard to ensure its implementation. It also makes the whole community watchful over one another, since the whole community shares in the responsibility to implement these legal provisions and the destruction which attends upon its failure to do so. Such destruction is bound to engulf the whole community. The punishment in the hereafter for allowing injustice to spread will apply to everyone in the community. That is certainly easy for God since nothing stands in His way. His law never fails when the conditions for its operation exist.
 
God, however, promises the believers to bestow His mercy on them and to forgive them their sins if they avoid cardinal sins. He, thus, takes into account their weaknesses and reassures them of their destiny once they refrain from the gravest of sins: “If you avoid the most serious of what you are forbidden, We will erase your bad deeds, and shall cause you to enter an abode of glory.” (Verse 31)
 
This religion of ours is indeed very tolerant and its method easy to implement. These qualities go hand in hand with its appeal to man’s sense of nobility, purity, cleanliness and willingness to obey God. Its commandments, as well as its legal provisions and punishments, work for the same aim of refining people’s characters and the establishment of a pure and healthy society. It does not ignore human weakness and does not charge man with what is beyond his ability. It is not unaware of the complexity of factors working on man’s mind and does not ignore human nature and motivation. It strikes the right balance between duty and ability, motives and restraints, ideals and necessities, orders and prohibitions, forgiveness of sin and fearful punishment for it.
 
This religion of Islam is satisfied that a person turns to God with sincerity and does his best to obey Him and win His pleasure. He will then find God’s mercy and compassion, which overlook weakness, forgive slips, accept repentance and receive warmly those who turn back after having gone astray.
 
What signifies that a certain person does his best to seek God’s pleasure is that he avoids the cardinal sins God has forbidden. Such sins, all of them well known, cannot be committed unwittingly or through lack of knowledge. Their commitment by anyone signifies that they have not made the required effort to resist temptation. Nevertheless, when a person who has committed such cardinal sins turns to God in genuine and sincere repentance, God, Who is committed to showing mercy to His servants, accepts his repentance. It is He who describes the God- fearing as those who “when they commit a gross indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and pray for the forgiveness of their sins — for who but God forgives sins? — and do not knowingly persist in doing the wrong they may have done.” (3: 135)
 
What we have here, however, is an assurance that God straightaway forgives the offences and effaces the errors of those of His servants who avoid cardinal sin. God here gives this promise and happy news to the believers.
 
Now, what constitutes these cardinal sins? Several aĥādīth speak of certain types of cardinal sin. We do not, however, have a full list of them all in any one ĥadīth. Each mentions some, which suggests that these aĥādīth addressed certain situations, mentioning the cardinal sins relevant to each situation. It is not difficult for a Muslim to identify these cardinal sins, although they may differ in number and gravity according to situations and generations.
 
It is useful to mention here a story demonstrating how Islam refined the sensitivity of `Umar ibn al-Khaţţāb, a man well known for his great piety and an ever-present consciousness of the need to avoid all sin. Islam gave `Umar a well- balanced insight that helped him show the moderation required of a leader when he shouldered the responsibility of running the affairs of the Muslim state. The story, reported by al-Ĥasan, mentions that some Egyptians spoke with `Abdullāh ibn `Amr, a Companion of the Prophet and the son of the governor of Egypt at the time of `Umar. In essence, they said: “We have observed that there are certain things mentioned in God’s Book that are not enforced, although He has ordered these to be implemented. We thought that we should speak to the Caliph about them.” Hence they, accompanied by `Abdullāh ibn `Amr, went to Madīnah. `Umar met with Abdullāh ibn `Amr and enquired as to the purpose of his journey. When `Abdullāh answered him, `Umar asked whether he had obtained the permission of his father. The reporter of the story does not actually say what `Abdullāh’s answer was but that nonetheless `Abdullāh explained why he had come and that this pertained to the Eygptians’ queries. `Umar, therefore, asked him to call them all to a meeting with him.
 
When they met, `Umar spoke to the first man and put to him the following question: “I ask you by God and by what you owe to Islam, have you read the whole of the Qur’ān?” He answered in the affirmative. `Umar asked whether he had implemented God’s Book fully in his own life. He replied that he had not. The reporter comments that had the man answered in the affirmative, `Umar would have challenged him on this. `Umar continued his questioning and asked whether the man had implemented Islam fully with regard to what he saw or what he spoke or what he did. He asked everyone of the group the same questions. ‘When he had finished, he said: “Are you asking `Umar to force people to implement God’s Book? Our Lord knows that we will be committing errors.” He than read this verse: “If you avoid the most serious of what you are forbidden, We will erase your bad deeds.” (Verse 31) He then asked those Egyptians whether the people in Madinah were aware of the purpose of their visit. When they answered in the negative, he said that had they known, he would have used their visit for admonition.
 
We observe from this story how `Umar, who was exemplary in his piety and fear of God, showed his refined sense and realism: “Our Lord knows that we will be committing errors.” Indeed, we cannot be otherwise. What matters, however, is the willingness and determination to do one’s duty, and to try one’s level best to do it well. Thus, serious effort is balanced with moderation.

Overview (Verses 30 - 31)

Conditions for Forgiveness
 
Whoever does this with malicious intent and by way of willful wrongdoing, We shall make to suffer the Fire. That is very easy for God. (Verse 30) If you avoid the most serious of what you are forbidden, We will erase your bad deeds, and shall cause you to enter an abode of glory. (Verse 31)
 
This first of these two verses warns those who unjustly and illegally devour each other’s money that they will suffer the punishment of the hereafter after having destroyed themselves in this life. This applies to them all, since responsibility in such matters is a collective one. Any community which allows such injustice to spread is doomed in this life as well as in the life to come: “Whoever does this with malicious intent and by way of willful wrongdoing, We shall make to suffer the Fire. That is very easy for God.” (Verse 30)
 
As Islam makes its legislation known to people, it appoints everyone a watchful guard to ensure its implementation. It also makes the whole community watchful over one another, since the whole community shares in the responsibility to implement these legal provisions and the destruction which attends upon its failure to do so. Such destruction is bound to engulf the whole community. The punishment in the hereafter for allowing injustice to spread will apply to everyone in the community. That is certainly easy for God since nothing stands in His way. His law never fails when the conditions for its operation exist.
 
God, however, promises the believers to bestow His mercy on them and to forgive them their sins if they avoid cardinal sins. He, thus, takes into account their weaknesses and reassures them of their destiny once they refrain from the gravest of sins: “If you avoid the most serious of what you are forbidden, We will erase your bad deeds, and shall cause you to enter an abode of glory.” (Verse 31)
 
This religion of ours is indeed very tolerant and its method easy to implement. These qualities go hand in hand with its appeal to man’s sense of nobility, purity, cleanliness and willingness to obey God. Its commandments, as well as its legal provisions and punishments, work for the same aim of refining people’s characters and the establishment of a pure and healthy society. It does not ignore human weakness and does not charge man with what is beyond his ability. It is not unaware of the complexity of factors working on man’s mind and does not ignore human nature and motivation. It strikes the right balance between duty and ability, motives and restraints, ideals and necessities, orders and prohibitions, forgiveness of sin and fearful punishment for it.
 
This religion of Islam is satisfied that a person turns to God with sincerity and does his best to obey Him and win His pleasure. He will then find God’s mercy and compassion, which overlook weakness, forgive slips, accept repentance and receive warmly those who turn back after having gone astray.
 
What signifies that a certain person does his best to seek God’s pleasure is that he avoids the cardinal sins God has forbidden. Such sins, all of them well known, cannot be committed unwittingly or through lack of knowledge. Their commitment by anyone signifies that they have not made the required effort to resist temptation. Nevertheless, when a person who has committed such cardinal sins turns to God in genuine and sincere repentance, God, Who is committed to showing mercy to His servants, accepts his repentance. It is He who describes the God- fearing as those who “when they commit a gross indecency or wrong themselves, remember God and pray for the forgiveness of their sins — for who but God forgives sins? — and do not knowingly persist in doing the wrong they may have done.” (3: 135)
 
What we have here, however, is an assurance that God straightaway forgives the offences and effaces the errors of those of His servants who avoid cardinal sin. God here gives this promise and happy news to the believers.
 
Now, what constitutes these cardinal sins? Several aĥādīth speak of certain types of cardinal sin. We do not, however, have a full list of them all in any one ĥadīth. Each mentions some, which suggests that these aĥādīth addressed certain situations, mentioning the cardinal sins relevant to each situation. It is not difficult for a Muslim to identify these cardinal sins, although they may differ in number and gravity according to situations and generations.
 
It is useful to mention here a story demonstrating how Islam refined the sensitivity of `Umar ibn al-Khaţţāb, a man well known for his great piety and an ever-present consciousness of the need to avoid all sin. Islam gave `Umar a well- balanced insight that helped him show the moderation required of a leader when he shouldered the responsibility of running the affairs of the Muslim state. The story, reported by al-Ĥasan, mentions that some Egyptians spoke with `Abdullāh ibn `Amr, a Companion of the Prophet and the son of the governor of Egypt at the time of `Umar. In essence, they said: “We have observed that there are certain things mentioned in God’s Book that are not enforced, although He has ordered these to be implemented. We thought that we should speak to the Caliph about them.” Hence they, accompanied by `Abdullāh ibn `Amr, went to Madīnah. `Umar met with Abdullāh ibn `Amr and enquired as to the purpose of his journey. When `Abdullāh answered him, `Umar asked whether he had obtained the permission of his father. The reporter of the story does not actually say what `Abdullāh’s answer was but that nonetheless `Abdullāh explained why he had come and that this pertained to the Eygptians’ queries. `Umar, therefore, asked him to call them all to a meeting with him.
 
When they met, `Umar spoke to the first man and put to him the following question: “I ask you by God and by what you owe to Islam, have you read the whole of the Qur’ān?” He answered in the affirmative. `Umar asked whether he had implemented God’s Book fully in his own life. He replied that he had not. The reporter comments that had the man answered in the affirmative, `Umar would have challenged him on this. `Umar continued his questioning and asked whether the man had implemented Islam fully with regard to what he saw or what he spoke or what he did. He asked everyone of the group the same questions. ‘When he had finished, he said: “Are you asking `Umar to force people to implement God’s Book? Our Lord knows that we will be committing errors.” He than read this verse: “If you avoid the most serious of what you are forbidden, We will erase your bad deeds.” (Verse 31) He then asked those Egyptians whether the people in Madinah were aware of the purpose of their visit. When they answered in the negative, he said that had they known, he would have used their visit for admonition.
 
We observe from this story how `Umar, who was exemplary in his piety and fear of God, showed his refined sense and realism: “Our Lord knows that we will be committing errors.” Indeed, we cannot be otherwise. What matters, however, is the willingness and determination to do one’s duty, and to try one’s level best to do it well. Thus, serious effort is balanced with moderation.