عَفَا ٱللَّهُ عَنكَ لِمَ أَذِنتَ لَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكَ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟
ʿAfa'llāhu ʿanka lima adhinta lahum ḥattā yatabayyana laka'lladhīna ṣadaqū wa taʿlama'l-kādhibīn · Lā yastaʾdhinuka'lladhīna yuʾminūna bi'llāhi wa'l-yawmi'l-ākhiri an yujāhidū bi-amwālihim wa anfusihim; wa'llāhu ʿalīmun bi'l-muttaqīn · Innamā yastaʾdhinuka'lladhīna lā yuʾminūna bi'llāhi wa'l-yawmi'l-ākhiri wa'rtābat qulūbuhum fa-hum fī raybihim yataraddadūn
"May God pardon you; why did you give them leave before those who spoke truly had become clear to you and you knew the liars? · Those who believe in God and the last day do not ask your leave to be excused from striving with their wealth and their lives. · Only those ask your leave who do not believe in God and the last day, and whose hearts have fallen into doubt; and in their doubt they waver."
This form of address has been debated in the classical commentaries. I convey the disagreement and impose no preference:
| View | What the sentence states |
|---|---|
| A | A declaration of pardon — its coming at the head of the address softens the sharpness of the question that follows |
| B | A formula of prayer — an opening of address in Arabic like "may God be pleased with you" |
| C | An ʿitāb (a gentle reproof) — on account of the question that comes after it |
No preference is adopted in this commentary. And the question of the prophets' impeccability is a debate in theology; there are differences of scope between the schools. The note entered in al-Fatḥ at 48/2 is kept here too: that debate is not entered into.
What can be verified from the wording of the verse is this, and I give it as an observation about the structure: the sentence comes before the question. The order, that is, is this: first the pardon, then the question. The reverse was also possible; it is not what we have.
The root ر-ي-ب: misgiving, a doubt that leaves one uneasy. The root was treated in al-Baqara at 2/2 (lā rayba fīh).
I record this as an observation about the language: the word pictures indecision as a movement — going forward and coming back. And it lies in the same field as the description "having two doors" recorded in al-Munāfiqūn; I rely on that treatment.