Surah Al Anfal Tafseer

And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's) forgiveness.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn Abbas said,

"Pagans used to go around the House in Tawaf and proclaim, `We rush to Your obedience, O Allah, there is no partner with You,' and the Prophet would tell them,

قَدٍ قَد

Enough, enough.

But they would go on, `We rush to Your obedience, O Allah, there is no partner with You except a partner who is with You, You own Him but he does not own!

They also used to say, `O Allah, Your forgiveness, Your forgiveness.'

Allah revealed this verse;

وَمَا كَانَ اللّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ

(And Allah would not punish them while you are among them...)."'

Ibn Abbas commented,

"They had two safety shelters:

the Prophet, and

their seeking forgiveness (from Allah).

The Prophet went away, and only seeking forgiveness remained."

At-Tirmidhi recorded that Abu Musa said that the Messenger of Allah said,

أَنْزَلَ اللهُ عَلَيَّ أَمَانَيْنِ لاُِمَّتِي

"Allah sent down to me two safe shelters for the benefit of my Ummah.

وَمَا كَانَ اللّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ

And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's) forgiveness.

فَإِذَا مَضَيْتُ تَرَكْتُ فِيهِمُ الاْإسْتِغْفَارَ إِلَى يَومِ الْقِيَامَة

When I die, I will leave the seeking of forgiveness with them, until the Day of Resurrection.

What testifies to this Hadith, is the Hadith that Ahmad recorded in his Musnad and Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, that Abu Sa`id narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ قَالَ وَعِزَّتِكَ يَا رَبِّ لَا أَبْرَحُ أَغْوِي عِبَادَكَ مَا دَامَتْ أَرْوَاحُهُمْ فِي أَجْسَادِهِمْ

فَقَالَ الرَّبُّ وَعِزَّتِي وَجَلَلِي لَا أَزَالُ أَغْفِرُ لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَغْفَرُونِي

Shaytan said, `By Your might, O Lord! I will go on luring Your servants as long as their souls are still in their bodies.'

The Lord said, `By My might and majesty! I will keep forgiving them, as long as they keep invoking Me for forgiveness.'

Al-Hakim said, "Its chain is Sahih and they did not record it.