Lesson 3 of 6 · What tawbah asks for, and what it does not
The verse, and the verse straight after it
The first of these is usually posted on its own, and the one that follows it is usually left off. It should be both or neither. Read them as a pair, and notice which one comes first.
Qur’an and Sunnah
The verse usually posted on its own, and notice that it comes first, before anybody is told to turn back.
۞قُلۡ يَٰعِبَادِيَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسۡرَفُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ لَا تَقۡنَطُواْ مِن رَّحۡمَةِ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًاۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Say, ‘[God says], My servants who have harmed yourselves by your own excess, do not despair of God’s mercy. God forgives all sins: He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful
Qur’an 39:53
Turn to your Lord and submit to Him. This is the one that follows it and is usually left off. It should be both or neither, and the order is the point: the door is held open before anybody is told to walk back through it.
وَأَنِيبُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمۡ وَأَسۡلِمُواْ لَهُۥ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَكُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ
Turn to your Lord. Submit to Him before the punishment overtakes you and you can no longer be helped
Qur’an 39:54
Translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur'an, Oxford University Press, 2004.