they preferred the life of this world over the Hereafter.

It was also said: Their knowledge extended no further than their assumption that the angels are Allah’s daughters and that they would intercede for them. They relied on this and turned away from the Quran.

“Indeed, your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way, and He knows best who is rightly guided.” That is, He knows both groups and will recompense them accordingly.

“And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, that He may recompense those who do evil for what they have done, and recompense those who do good with the best reward (31)—those who avoid major sins and indecencies, except for lesser lapses. Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness. He knows you best: when He brought you forth from the earth and when you were fetuses in your mothers’ wombs. So do not declare yourselves pure; He knows best who is mindful of Him (32).”

“And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.” This is a parenthetical statement placed between the preceding verse and His saying, “that He may recompense those who do evil for what they have done.” The particle in “that He may recompense” relates to the meaning of the preceding verse: since He knows them best, He recompenses each according to what he deserves—those who do evil and ascribe partners to Him, for the shirk they committed; “and He recompenses those who do good with the best reward”: those who affirmed the oneness of their Lord, with the best reward, namely Paradise. Only one who possesses extensive dominion is able to recompense the doer of good and the evildoer; hence He said, “And to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.”

He then described them, saying: “Those who avoid major sins and indecencies, except for lesser lapses.” The scholars differed concerning the meaning of this verse. One group held that this is a valid exception, and that lesser lapses are among the major sins and indecencies. Thus, the meaning of the verse is: except when a person commits an indecency once and then repents, falling into it once and then desisting. This was the view of Abu Hurayrah, Mujahid, and al-Hasan (1), and it is narrated from Ibn Abbas through Ata’ (2).

Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As said: Lesser lapses are whatever falls short of shirk (3).

Al-Suddi said that Abu Salih said: I was asked about the saying of Allah Most High, “except for lesser lapses,” and I replied: It is when a man commits a sin but does not return to it. I mentioned this to Ibn Abbas, and he said: A noble angel has aided you in this matter (4).