Basic
Monotheism
Surah: An-Nisa (48)
Allah Does Not Forgive Associating Partners with Him But Forgives What Is Less — The Only Red Line
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغۡفِرُ أَن يُشۡرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغۡفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ
— النساء الآية 48
Verse: "Indeed Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whoever He wills. Whoever associates partners with Allah has gone far astray." (4:48) — Two great glad tidings and one grave matter: First glad tiding: "He forgives what is less than that" — every sin below shirk is within the circle of divine forgiveness. Second glad tiding: "for whoever He wills" — indicates the vastness of mercy not its restriction. The grave matter: shirk alone is the exception — "does not forgive associating." "Gone far astray" — the one who commits shirk did not make an ordinary mistake but walked a path that leads nowhere because it goes in the completely opposite direction. Lesson: this verse is a source of hope for every sinner who has not committed shirk — the only red line is shirk.
Source: Ibn Kathir (2/299); Al-Sadi; Al-Qurtubi (5/252)
Test Yourself
Does "He forgives what is less than that for whoever He wills" mean a Muslim is guaranteed forgiveness for every sin?
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