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At-Tawbah (The Repentance)

Verse 80of 129

ٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لَا تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةًۭ فَلَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَٰسِقِينَ﴿٨٠

Translation (Sahih International)

Ask forgiveness for them, [O Muhammad], or do not ask forgiveness for them. If you should ask forgiveness for them seventy times - never will Allah forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, and Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.

Word-by-word meaning

ٱسْتَغْفِرْis'taghfirAsk forgiveness
لَهُمْlahumfor them
أَوْawor
لَا(do) not
تَسْتَغْفِرْtastaghfirask forgiveness
لَهُمْlahumfor them
إِنinIf
تَسْتَغْفِرْtastaghfiryou ask forgiveness
لَهُمْlahumfor them
سَبْعِينَsabʿīnaseventy
مَرَّةًۭmarratantimes
فَلَنfalannever
يَغْفِرَyaghfirawill Allah forgive
ٱللَّهُl-lahuwill Allah forgive
لَهُمْ ۚlahum[for] them
ذَٰلِكَdhālikaThat
بِأَنَّهُمْbi-annahum(is) because they
كَفَرُوا۟kafarūdisbelieved
بِٱللَّهِbil-lahiin Allah
وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۗwarasūlihiand His Messenger
وَٱللَّهُwal-lahuand Allah
لَا(does) not
يَهْدِىyahdīguide
ٱلْقَوْمَl-qawmathe people
ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَl-fāsiqīnathe defiantly disobedient

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The Prohibition of asking for Forgiveness for HypocritesAllah says to His Prophet that hypocrites are not worthy of seeking forgiveness for them and that if he asks Allah to forgive them seventy times, Allah will not forgive them. The number seventy here was mentioned to close the door on this subject, for Arabs use this number when they exaggerate, not that they actually mean seventy or more than seventy.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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