Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: << . . . . . . . ومن يكرههن فإن الله من بعد إكراههن غفور رحيم >>

Then Allah the Exalted said: This was revealed regarding 'Abd Allah ibn Abi, who used to force his female slaves to earn money through fornication. "It is possible that this was revealed regarding 'Abd Allah ibn Abi or regarding someone else, but the author did not mention a chain of narration for it. Some of the exegetes mentioned that it was revealed regarding 'Abd Allah ibn Abi. However, we should know that the criterion is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause."
But we also find the second benefit, to which some scholars pointed, that the criterion is the generality of the wording regarding the state in which it was revealed or the purpose for which it was sent. What is the generality? It is the generality of all states. The generality of the wording is with respect to its restriction to the person, but regarding the state for which this text was sent. Do you understand the difference? The criterion is the generality of the wording, not in all states, but the generality of the wording with respect to its restriction to the person. So one does not argue with the person for whom it was sent, but it includes him and others regarding the state in which it was sent. An example of this is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): If we took this in its generality regarding persons and states, a person would not fast during travel absolutely, and it is not righteousness to fast. But we do not take it in its generality regarding states, but in its generality regarding persons in such a state as that for which it was sent. The hadith was sent when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a crowd and saw a man who had been shaded during his travel, so he said, "What is this?" They said, "He is fasting." He said: So if the state of the fasting person during his travel reaches that of this man, we tell him that it is not righteousness. And other than that, we do not say that it is not righteousness, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast during travel and did not do anything that was not righteousness. He also used to allow his companions to fast during travel if they did not reach the state of this man. So the criterion is the generality of the wording, and do not force your girls [to sin] in the case of 'Abd Allah ibn Abi and others.
And His saying: "And whoever compels them" is a conditional phrase... and the condition is for generality, or not? The names of the condition are among the forms of generality, just as the relative pronouns are among the forms of generality. So the names of the condition mean that any person who compels his girl, then Allah, after their compulsion, is Forgiving and Merciful. And His saying is an indication that the realization of the compulsion is necessary. "After their compulsion" means after the verification of the compulsion, and that there is no inclination in her heart toward what she was compelled to do. Then Allah, after this compulsion, is Forgiving to whom? To the one who is compelled, not to the one who compels. The one who compels is a sinner and is not worthy of forgiveness. For this reason, we say that the conditional phrase here, "then Allah, after their compulsion," does not return to what the action of the condition returns to, because the action of the condition returns to the one who compels. Or the one who compels? The one who compels is the one who forces. But the answer to the condition was not for the one who compels, but for the one who is compelled. This is due to the connection between the one who compels and the one who is compelled, for there is no one who compels except with a one who is compelled. Therefore, it is valid that the answer to the condition does not return to what the action of the condition returns to, but it returns to something adjacent to it and connected to it, which is the one who is compelled. Are you with us? We mentioned the answer to the condition; what is it in this verse? This general rule is that the answer to the condition returns to what the action of the condition returns to. But that is not necessary; rather, it may return to something adjacent to it and connected to it, as in this verse. For this reason, we say, "then Allah, after their compulsion, is Forgiving to them, not Forgiving to them [the ones who compel], but to them [the ones who are compelled], Merciful to them." And in His saying "Forgiving" is an indication that there is no punishment for this sin. And in His saying "Merciful" is an indication that Allah will make a way out for them, because mercy entails the attainment of the desired and the removal of the feared. Therefore, we say that in this verse is an indication of a way out for the one who is compelled to do a forbidden act, and that Allah will make a way out for him. This is supported by the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): If someone says, "We often hear that some people are compelled to do a forbidden act and do not get a way out quickly," we say that this does not contradict the verse, for it may be that part of the way out is that Allah makes the matter easy for him in his heart, and the physical escape from this... after that, by one of the causes, beyond what we know.