Tafseer of The Table · Al-Maaida · 5:98
Know that Allah is severe in penalty and that Allah is 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 discourse on the explanation of His statement: اعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (5:98) (Know that Allah is severe in punishment and that Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (98))
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: Know, O people, that your Lord, who knows what is in the heavens and on the earth, and from whom nothing of the hidden nor of the manifest of your deeds remains unnoticed, and who records that against you in order to requite you for it — is severe in His punishment (ʿiqāb) of whoever disobeys Him and opposes Him by disobeying Him; and He is forgiving of the sins of whoever obeys Him and turns to Him in repentance, so He covers him and refrains from disgracing him thereby; merciful toward him in the sense that He does not punish him for the sins that have preceded, after he has turned to Him in repentance and has declared his desistance from them.
