(25–28) “It is He who accepts repentance from His servants, pardons evil deeds, and knows what you do. Those who believe and perform righteous deeds respond to Him, and He grants them yet more of His bounty; but the disbelievers will have a severe punishment. If Allah were to lavish provision upon His servants, they would surely transgress throughout the land. Instead, He sends it down in whatever measure He wills. Indeed, He is All-Aware and All-Seeing of His servants. It is He who sends down the relieving rain after they have despaired and spreads His mercy. He is the Guardian, the Praiseworthy.”
This is an exposition of Allah Most High’s perfect generosity, boundless munificence, and consummate kindness. He accepts the repentance of His servants when they abandon their sins, regret having committed them, and resolve never to return to them, provided that in doing so they seek the countenance of their Lord. Allah accepts their repentance even after their sins have become grounds for ruin and for punishments affecting both worldly life and religion.
“He pardons evil deeds”: He erases them, removes the blemishes they leave behind and the punishments they entail, and restores the repentant person to an honored standing with Him, as though he had never committed any wrong. Allah loves him and grants him success in doing what draws him near to Him.
Repentance is one of the greatest deeds. It may be complete when undertaken with perfect sincerity and truthfulness; it may be deficient when either is lacking; or it may be invalid when its purpose is to attain some worldly objective. Since the heart is the locus of all this, and none knows it but Allah, He concludes the verse by saying, “and He knows what you do.” Allah Most High has called all His servants to turn back to Him and repent of their shortcomings. According to their response to Him, they fall into two groups. The first are those who respond, whom He describes in the words: “Those who believe and perform righteous deeds respond to Him.”
That is, they respond to their Lord when He calls them, submit to Him, and answer His call, because their faith and righteous deeds impel them to do so. When they respond to Him, Allah rewards them, for He is the All-Forgiving, the Appreciative.
From His bounty, He further grants them success and vigor in performing righteous deeds, and multiplies their reward beyond the recompense warranted by their deeds, granting them tremendous triumph.
As for those who do not respond to Allah—the obstinate people who disbelieve in Him and His messengers—“they will have a severe punishment” in this world and the Hereafter. Allah then states that, out of kindness to His servants, He does not grant them such worldly abundance that it would harm their religion. He says, “If Allah were to lavish provision upon His servants, they would surely transgress throughout the land.”
That is, they would become heedless ⦗759⦘ of obedience to Allah and devote themselves to indulging in worldly desires. This would cause them to throw themselves headlong into whatever their souls crave, even if it involved disobedience and wrongdoing.
“Instead, He sends it down in whatever measure He wills,” in accordance with what His kindness and wisdom require. “Indeed, He is All-Aware and All-Seeing of His servants.” It is related in some reports that Allah Most High says: “Among My servants are those whose faith can remain sound only with wealth; were I to impoverish them, poverty would corrupt them. Among My servants are those whose faith can remain sound only with poverty; were I to enrich them, wealth would corrupt them. Among My servants are those whose faith can remain sound only with health; were I to make them ill, illness would corrupt them. Among My servants are those whose faith can remain sound only with illness; were I to restore them to health, good health would corrupt them. I govern the affairs of My servants according to My knowledge of what lies within their hearts. Indeed, I am All-Aware, All-Seeing.”
“It is He who sends down the relieving rain”—that is, the abundant rain by which He brings relief to the lands and their inhabitants—“after they have despaired.” Rain had ceased for so long that they thought it would never come, lost hope, and took measures on account of the drought. Allah then sends down the rain and thereby “spreads His mercy” by bringing forth food for human beings and their livestock. They receive it with immense relief, rejoice in it, and are filled with gladness.
“He is the Guardian,” who takes charge of His servants through every form of governance and attends to the welfare of their religion and worldly lives; “the Praiseworthy” in His guardianship and governance, praised for the perfection He possesses and for the many kinds of favor He bestows upon His creation.