Repentance: Commentary on Surah Al Nisa
Contributed by Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i commonly known as Allameh Tabataba’i, was one of the most prominent thinkers of philosophy and contemporary Shia Islam. He is famous for Tafsir al-Mizan, a twenty-seven-volume work of Quranic exegesis, which he worked on from 1954 until 1972.
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Repentance means returning, by one’s free will and choice, from evil and sin to obedience and servitude. As such, it can take place only where man has free choice, i.e., in the life of this world. But there there is no freedom to choose between good and bad, between felicity and infelicity, there is no room for repentance. The preceding discourse throws light on this aspect.
A field where repentance is ineffective and inadmissible, is violation of other people’s rights; because
repentance is beneficial concerning Allah’s rights only. If a sin has violated other people’s rights, more
repentance will do no good at all; the victims’ pleasure must be obtained if the sinner wants to erase that
sin. Allah has given some rights to people in their properties, honour and lives. According to the divine
law, it is an injustice and transgression to violate these rights. He cannot grant remission if someone
transgresses any of these rights. Otherwise, it would be tantamount to depriving the victims of their due
rights without any mistake on their part. Far be it from Him to do injustice when He has forbidden us to
do it; He has said:
“Surely Allah does not do any injustice to people” (10:44).
Nevertheless, Islam – being repentance from polytheism – erases every preceding evil, every past sin,
which concerns the branches of religion. The Prophet (S) has said: “The Islam cuts away all (that had
happened) before it”. This is the connotation of those verses which declare that all sins will be forgiven.
For example, Allah says
“Say: ‘O my servants who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the
mercy of Allah; surely, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful’” (39:53)
“
And return to your Lord time after time and submit to Him…” (39:54).
Another example is the repentance of a person who originates an evil custom or leads people astray.
According to numerous traditions, his chastisement will be equal to that of all those who followed him in
that evil custom or went astray. Obviously, reality of ‘return’ cannot take place in such cases, because
he had established something whose effect would persist as long as that thing continues. Unlike those
sins which are confined between the servant and his Lord, it is almost impossible for an originator of an
evil custom to undo what he has done.
Seventh: No doubt, repentance. erases the sins where it is effective and admissible, as Allah says:
“To whomsoever then the admonition has come from his Lord, then he desists, for him shall be
what has already passed, and his affair rests with Allah” (2:275).
As has already been explained in the second volume2 . Also look at the following verse:
“Except him who repents and believes and does a good deed; so these are they of whom Allah
changes the evil deeds to good ones; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (25:70).
“And whoever repents and does good, he surely turns to Allah a (goodly) turning” (25:71).
Its apparent meaning, especially in view of the second verse, shows that repentance, by itself or in
conjunction with belief and good deeds, causes evil deeds to change to good ones.
All this is true. But the fact remains that keeping away from evil deeds is far better than committing a sin
and then erasing it through repentance. Allah has made it clear in His book that sins, of whatever type
they may be, ultimately have some links with Satanic insinuation and temptation. On the other hand, He
has portrayed His pure-hearted servants, those who are free from sins and evils, in a way that cannot
be equalled by all praises revealed for the others:
“He said: My Lord! because Thou hast made life evil to me, I will certainly make (evil) fair-
seeming to them on earth, and I will certainly cause them all to deviate” (15:39).
“Except Thy servants from among them, the devoted ones” (15:40)
“He said: This is a right way with Me” (15:41)
“Surely. as regards My servants, you have no authority over them except those who follow you of
the deviators” (15:42).
Also, Allah says quoting Iblis in the same story: “… and Thou shalt not find most of them thankful” (7:17).
So, these sinless people have a especial prestigious position in the circle of servitude that is not shared
by other good repenting servants.
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