Tafseer of The Women · An-Nisaa · 4:110
And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
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 explanation of His statement: وَمَنْ يَكْسِبْ إِثْمًا فَإِنَّمَا يَكْسِبُهُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا ("And whoever earns a sin only earns it against himself; and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise") (4:111).
Abū Jaʿfar said: By this He means—exalted is His praise—the following: and whoever earns a sin deliberately on his part and with knowledge of it, brings upon himself only the evil consequences of that sin, its harm, its disgrace, and its shame—upon himself and not upon another of the rest of Allah's creatures. He says: So do not plead, O you who plead, on behalf of these traitors, for you—even though you are their tribesmen, kinsmen, and neighbors—are free of the sin they have committed and of the responsibility for which they will be called to account. And when you defend them or dispute on their behalf, you are like them; so do not defend them and do not dispute.
= As for His statement: "and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise," that means: and Allah is Knowing of what you do, O you who plead on behalf of those who betray themselves, in your pleading for them and in other deeds of yours and the deeds of others than you, and He records that against you and against them, until He will requite you all for it. = "All-Wise," He says: and He is wise in governing and managing you and in managing all His creatures.
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And it has been said: this verse was revealed concerning the Banū Ubayriq. And we have already mentioned previously who said that.
