Tafseer of The Women · An-Nisaa · 4:48
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with Allah has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin.
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 word: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ ("Verily, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that to whom He wills").
Abū Jaʿfar said: He, exalted is His praise, means thereby: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ آمِنُوا بِمَا نَـزَّلْنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا مَعَكُمْ ("O you who have been given the Book, believe in what We have sent down confirming what you have with you") — and verily, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him; for Allah does not forgive the shirk against Him and the disbelief (kufr), but He forgives what is less than that shirk to whom He wills among the people of sins and transgressions.
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And since that is the meaning of the words, His word "that partners be associated with Him" (an yushraka bihi) stands in the accusative because "yaghfir" (He forgives) governs it; and if you wish, by the omission of the preposition that would have placed it in the genitive had it been visibly present. That is that its meaning is directed toward: verily, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, according to the explanation of the condition (jazāʾ), as though it were said: verily, Allah does not forgive any sin together with shirk, or arising from shirk.
And according to this explanation it is possible that "an" stands in the genitive, according to the statement of some of the people of Arabic linguistics.
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And it has been mentioned that this verse was sent down concerning groups of people who fell into doubt regarding the affair of the polytheists when there was sent down: قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ لا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ [Surah Az-Zumar: 53] ("Say: O My servants who have acted extravagantly against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; verily, Allah forgives all sins; verily, He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful").
Mention of the report concerning that:
9730 - Al-Muthannā related to me, he said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, he said: Mujabbar related to me, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar: that he said: When there was sent down يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ ("O My servants who have acted extravagantly against themselves"), the entire verse, a man stood up and said: And the shirk, O Prophet of Allah? The Prophet ﷺ disapproved of that and said: "Verily, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that to whom He wills, and whoever associates partners with Allah has fabricated a tremendous sin."
9731 - It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, he said: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, concerning His word: "Verily, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that to whom He wills", he said: Mujabbar informed me, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar that he said: When this verse was sent down, يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ ("O My servants who have acted extravagantly against themselves"), the entire verse, a man stood up and said: And the shirk, O Prophet of Allah? The Prophet disapproved of that and said: "Verily, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that to whom He wills."
9732 - Muḥammad ibn Khalaf al-ʿAsqalānī related to me, he said: Ādam related to us, he said: Al-Haytham ibn Jammāz related to us, he said: Bakr ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Muzanī related to us, on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar, who said: We, the company of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, did not doubt [the damnation of] the murderer of a soul, the devourer of the property of the orphan, the false witness, and the one who severs the ties of kinship, until this verse was sent down: "Verily, Allah does not forgive that partners be associated with Him, but He forgives what is less than that to whom He wills", and then we refrained from the [condemnatory] testimony.
And this verse has made clear that everyone who commits a great sin (kabīra) lies within the will of Allah: if He wills, He pardons him for it, and if He wills, He punishes him for it, so long as the great sin is not shirk against Allah.
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The explanation of His word: وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا (48) ("And whoever associates partners with Allah has fabricated a tremendous sin").
Abū Jaʿfar said: He, exalted is His praise, means thereby: "and whoever associates partners with Allah" in His worship, by [worshipping] another of His creatures — "has fabricated a tremendous sin", that is to say: has invented a tremendous sin. And Allah, exalted is His mention, has only made him a "fabricator" (muftarī) because he has spoken falsehood and deception through his denial of the oneness of Allah and his affirmation that Allah has a partner among His creatures, or a consort or a child. So whoever says that is a fabricator. And likewise every liar is a fabricator in his lie, an inventor of it.
