Tafseer of The Family of Imraan · Aal-i-Imraan · 3:135
And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The discourse on the explanation of His statement, exalted is His praise: الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (134) (Those who spend in prosperity and in adversity, and those who restrain their anger, and those who pardon the people; and Allah loves those who do good.)
Abū Jaʿfar said: He, exalted is His praise, means by His statement: "those who spend in prosperity and in adversity": the Paradise (janna), whose breadth encompasses the heavens and the earth, is prepared for the God-fearing, and they are those who spend their possessions in the way of Allah — whether by expending it upon someone in need, or by strengthening one who is too weak to rise up for his jihād in the way of Allah.
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As for His statement "in prosperity" (fī al-sarrāʾ), by it He means: in a state of joy, with abundance of wealth and ease of livelihood.
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"al-sarrāʾ" (prosperity) is a verbal noun, derived from their statement "this matter gladdened me (sarranī) with a gladdening (masarra) and joy (surūr)".
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"al-ḍarrāʾ" (adversity) is a verbal noun, derived from their statement "so-and-so was brought into distress (ḍurra), such that he is harmed (yuḍarr)", when injury (ḍurr) befalls him, and that is when hardship and toil in his livelihood befall him.
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7838 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement: "those who spend in prosperity and in adversity", he says: in difficulty and in ease.
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Thus He, exalted is His praise, announced that the Paradise whose attributes He has described is destined for whoever fears Him and spends his wealth in a state of ease and abundance, and in a state of hardship and privation, in His way.
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And His statement: "and those who restrain their anger" (wa-l-kāẓimīna al-ghayẓ), means: and those who swallow down their anger when their souls are full of it.
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It is said of this: "so-and-so restrained his anger (kaẓama)", when he swallows it down, and thus withholds himself from carrying out what he is able to carry out — by exercising power over the one who angered him and avenging himself upon the one who wronged him.
The origin of this comes from "the filling of the waterskin" (kaẓm al-qirba). It is said of this: "I filled the waterskin (kaẓamtu al-qirba)", when I filled it with water. And "so-and-so is kaẓīm and makẓūm" when he is full of grief and sorrow. And from this comes the statement of Allah, mighty and exalted: وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ [Sūrat Yūsuf: 84] (and his eyes turned white from grief, for he was filled with sorrow), which means: full of grief. And from this the watercourses are called "al-kaẓāʾim", because of their being filled with water. And from this comes the statement: "I seized him by his kaẓam", which means: by the passages of his breath.
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And "al-ghayẓ" (anger) is a verbal noun from the statement of the speaker: "so-and-so angered me (ghāẓanī), such that he angers me (yaghīẓunī) with an anger (ghayẓan)", and that is when he makes him irate and enraged.
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As for His statement: "and those who pardon the people", by it He means: and those who remit to the people the punishment for their sins against them, while they are able to avenge themselves upon them, and thus leave that [punishment] aside for them.
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As for His statement: "and Allah loves those who do good", by it He means: indeed, Allah loves whoever performs these matters of which He has described that for whoever performs them He has prepared the Paradise whose breadth encompasses the heavens and the earth. And those who perform them, they are "those who do good" (al-muḥsinūn), and their doing good is their performing of these. As:
7839 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq: "those who spend in prosperity and in adversity", the verse: "and those who pardon the people; and Allah loves those who do good", that is to say: and that is the doing of good, and I love whoever performs that.
7840 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement: "those who spend in prosperity and in adversity, and those who restrain their anger, and those who pardon the people; and Allah loves those who do good": they are people who spent in difficulty and ease, in privation and in well-being. So whoever is able to overcome evil with good, let him do so — and there is no power except through Allah. Indeed, by Allah, excellent it is, O son of Ādam, the gulp that you swallow down out of patience while you are angry and while you are wronged.
7841 — Mūsā ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to me, saying: Muḥammad ibn Bishr related to us, saying: Muḥriz Abū Rajāʾ related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, saying: On the Day of Resurrection it will be said: "Let stand up whoever has a reward due from Allah." Then no one stands up except a person who has pardoned. Then he recited this verse: "and those who pardon the people; and Allah loves those who do good".
7842 — al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Dāwūd ibn Qays informed us, on the authority of Zayd ibn Aslam, on the authority of a man from the people of Syria called ʿAbd al-Jalīl, on the authority of an uncle of his, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, concerning His statement: "and those who restrain their anger": that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever restrains his anger while he is able to carry it out, Allah will fill him with safety and faith (īmān)."
7843 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement: "and those who restrain their anger" up to "and Allah loves those who do good": "those who restrain their anger" is like His statement: وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ [Sūrat al-Shūrā: 37] (and when they become angry, they forgive), they become angry over a matter which, if they were to commit it, they would be committing something forbidden, but they forgive and remit, thereby seeking the face of Allah. And "those who pardon the people" is like His statement: وَلا يَأْتَلِ أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنْكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ up to أَلا تُحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ [Sūrat al-Nūr: 22] (and let not those of virtue and abundance among you swear ... do you not love that Allah should forgive you?), He says: do not swear that you will give them nothing of the livelihood, but forgive and remit.
