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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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Exegesis of the verse: ((Indeed, repentance is only for Allah for those who do evil out of ignorance...)).

Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic said:
The repentance accepted by Allah is only for those who do wrong in ignorance [or carelessness] and then repent soon after. It is those to whom Allah will turn in forgiveness, and Allah is ever Knowing and Wise. إنما التوبة على الله للذين يعملون السوء بجهالة ثم يتوبون من قريب فأولئك يتوب الله عليهم وكان الله عليما حكيما
[An-Nisa 4:17]
Indeed, repentance إنما التوبة
This is a subject preceded by a tool of restriction, which is "inma", and the predicate of the subject is His saying:
is only for Allah على الله
or His saying:
for those who do wrong in ignorance للذين يعملون السوء بجهالة
[An-Nisa 4:17]
It is possible that it is this or that. And His saying:
The repentance accepted by Allah is only for those who do wrong إنما التوبة على الله للذين يعملون السوء
[An-Nisa 4:17]
evil السوء
means the evil deed, such as doing what is forbidden or leaving what is obligatory. However, He qualified it with His saying:
out of ignorance بجهالة
The meaning of "ignorance" here is foolishness, not mere lack of knowledge, because the one who does evil out of ignorance is excused and has no sin upon him, by the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. ربنا لا تؤاخذنا إن نسينا أو أخطأنا
[Al-Baqarah 2:286]
But the meaning of "ignorance" here is foolishness. From this is the saying of the first poet:
Let no one be ignorant toward us, so that we may be ignorant beyond the ignorance of the ignorant.
and then repent soon after ثم يتوبون من قريب
[An-Nisa 4:17]
means that if they did evil out of ignorance, they should repent to Allah while it is still near. "Near" here means before death. If they repent before death, Allah will accept their repentance. However, we will come to the benefits later, where it is mentioned that repentance should be immediate.
and then repent soon after ثم يتوبون من قريب
[An-Nisa 4:17]
they repent يتوبون
They return to Allah, and that is by leaving the evil they committed or doing what they left of the obligatory.
It is those to whom Allah will turn in forgiveness فأولئك يتوب الله عليهم
[An-Nisa 4:17]
This sentence, in relation to what came before it, is an emphasis, because this ruling is understood from His saying:
The repentance accepted by Allah إنما التوبة على الله
[An-Nisa 4:17]
But He emphasized what He committed Himself to by saying:
It is those to whom Allah will turn in forgiveness فأولئك يتوب الله عليهم
[An-Nisa 4:17]
, and He referred to them with "those" (ula'ika), even though, considering the context of speaking about them, they are in a place of nearness. The near is referred to with "these" (ha'ula'ika). But here He said:
Those أولئك
He referred to them with the gesture of distance, indicating the highness of their station through repentance.
and Allah is ever Knowing and Wise. وكان الله عليما حكيما
[An-Nisa 4:17]
meaning He who possesses knowledge and wisdom. So knowledge is perceiving a thing as it is. This definition excludes both types of ignorance: simple ignorance and compound ignorance. Because simple ignorance has no perception at all, and compound ignorance involves perceiving a thing as other than it is. So knowledge is perceiving a thing as it is. As for the knowledge of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, it is complete and comprehensive. Complete means that it was not preceded by ignorance and not followed by forgetfulness. Musa (peace be upon him) said to Pharaoh when he said:
(51) [Pharaoh] said, "Then what is the case of the former generations?" (52) [Moses] said, "The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a record. My Lord neither errs nor forgets." ما بال القرون الأولى قال علمها عند ربي في كتاب لا يضل ربي ولا ينسى
[Taha 20:51-52]
does not err لا يضل
He does not err.
nor forget ولا ينسى
He does not forget. And it is also comprehensive. Allah the Exalted said:
so you may know that Allah is over all things competent and that Allah has encompassed all things in knowledge. لتعلموا أن الله على كل شيء قدير وأن الله قد أحاط بكل شيء علما
[At-Talaq 65:12]
And Allah the Exalted has explained His knowledge in His Book sometimes in general and comprehensive terms, and sometimes in detail. So in His saying:
And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record. وعنده مفاتح الغيب لا يعلمها إلا هو ويعلم ما في البر والبحر وما تسقط من ورقة إلا يعلمها ولا حبة في ظلمات الأرض ولا رطب ولا يابس إلا في كتاب مبين
[Al-An'am 6:59]
this is detail. And His saying:
Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die إن الله عنده علم الساعة وينزل الغيث ويعلم ما في الأرحام وما تدري نفس ماذا تكسب غدا وما تدري نفس بأي أرض تموت
[Luqman 31:34]
and Allah knows that also contains some detail. As for generality, it is abundant in the Qur'an. Knowledge is more comprehensive than power and broader, because it relates to everything, even the impossible, unlike power, which is comprehensive of everything, but what is impossible is nothing in relation to power. As for knowledge, it includes even the impossible. Have you not seen the saying of Allah Blessed and Exalted:
Had there been within the heavens and earth gods besides Allah, they both would have been ruined لو كان فيهما آلهة إلا الله لفسدتا
[Al-Anbya 21:22]
And His saying:
Allah has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. [If there had been], then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have sought to overcome others. ما اتخذ الله من ولد وما كان معه من إله إذا لذهب كل إله بما خلق ولعلى بعضهم على بعض
[Al-Mu'minun 23:91]
The multiplicity of gods is impossible and unattainable, and yet Allah informed that if it were so, its result would be such and such. And His saying:
Wise. حكيما
is derived from "hukm" (judgment) and "hikmah" (wisdom). So He is a Judge and a Perfecter. A Judge if we consider it derived from judgment, and a Perfecter if we consider it derived from wisdom. Has the time for questions come?
Source alathar.net

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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