إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًۭا صَٰلِحًۭا فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ ٱللَّهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ حَسَنَٰتٍۢ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا
Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.
Introduction
This is āyah 70 of Sūrat Al-Furqaan (The Criterion), the 42nd sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 19. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Meccan
- Order revealed
- 42 of 114
- Surah
- Al-Furqaan (25)
(And those who cry not unto any other god along with Allah�) [25:68-70]. Abu Ishaq al-Tha�alibi informed us> al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Makhladi> al-Mu�ammil ibn al-Hasan ibn �Isa> al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah al-Za�farani> Hajjaj> Ibn Jurayj> Ya�la ibn Muslim> Sa�id ibn Jubayr> Ibn �Abbas who said: �Some idolaters who had committed many murders and fornicated numerous times went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: �What you say and call for is good, if only you could inform us whether there is any expiation for the things we have committed�. As a response, this verse was revealed (And those who cry not unto any other god along with Allah) up to His words (Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful) [25:70]�. This was narrated by Muslim> Ibrahim ibn Dinar> Hajjaj. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Yahya al-Muzakki informed us> his father> Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Thaqafi> Ibrahim al-Hanzali and Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah> Jarir> Mansur and al-A�mash> Abu Wa�il> �Amr ibn Shurahbil> Abu Maysarah> �Abd Allah ibn Mas�ud who said: �I asked the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace: �What is the greatest sin?� He said: �It is to ascribe an equal to Allah when it is Him Who has created you�. I asked: �What comes after that?� he said: �It is to kill your child for fear that he might compete with you over food�. I asked: �What comes after that?� he said: �It is to commit adultery with the wife of your neighbour�. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed these verses to confirm his answers (And those who cry not unto any other god along with Allah, nor take the life which Allah hath forbidden save in (course of) justice, nor commit adultery�)�. This was narrated by Bukhari> Musaddid> Yahya and also by Muslim> �Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah> Jarir. Abu Bakr ibn al-Harith informed us> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ja�far> Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim> Isma�il ibn Ishaq> al-Haruth ibn al-Zubayr> Abu Rashid, the client of al-Lahibiyyin> Sa�id ibn Salim al-Qaddah> Ibn Jurayh> �Ata�> Ibn �Abbas who said: �Wahshiyy went to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: �I came to you seeking sanctuary; so grant me sanctuary in order that I can hear the speech of Allah�.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
Community resources
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