Transliteration:( Innal laaha laa yaghfiru ai yushraka bihee wa yaghfiru maa doona zaalika limai yashaaa'; wa mai yushrik billaahi faqadif taraaa isman 'azeemaa )
179. Here, the word polytheist is used to denote a non-believer. Hence, everyone who rejects the Holy Prophet ﷺ is a polytheist - meaning a non-believer, whether he accepts the Oneness of Allah Almighty or adds partners to Him.
Says Allah Almighty: "And give not in marriage to idolators until they believe" (S2:V221). He who dies in a state of non-belief, there is no redemption for him at all. For this reason, it is prohibited to call a dead non-believer one who has had divine mercy.
The QURAN often uses the word polytheism to denote non-belief.
180. The objection to this is to show that the redemption of a non-believer is impossible. Besides non-belief, the biggest sin is within the limit of forgiveness, whether big or small, whether pertaining to human rights or the rights of Allah Almighty.Â
However, there is a difference in the nature of forgiveness. The forgiveness of transgression of the rights of Allah Almighty will be different while the forgiveness of the transgression of the rights of man will be different.Â
The rights of man transgressed will be made to forgive by man, while the other transgressions will be partly forgiven through intercession and partly through serving a temporary term punishment in Hell
181. In this context, too, the word polytheism denotes non-belief. Every non-believer will be forging a great sin. It is stated in TAFSEER ROOHUL BAYAAN that both these verses are revealed concerning Hazrat Wahshi (Radiallahu Anhu) (one who martyred Hazrat Hamza (Radiallahu Anhu) who sent a request to the Holy Prophet that he wanted to accept Islam but the verse: "And those worship, not any other god along with Allah...." (S25:V68) is preventing me from it.Â
I am a polytheist and a murderer of a believer. In response to it, this verse and some other verses were revealed.
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The tafsir of Surah Nisa verse 48 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Nisa ayat 47 which provides the complete commentary from verse 47 through 48.
(4:48) Surely Allah does not forgive that a partner be ascribed to Him,[79] although He forgives any other sins for whomever He wills.[80] He who associates anyone with Allah in His divinity has indeed forged a mighty lie and committed an awesome sin.
79. Although the People of the Book claimed to follow the Prophets and the Divine Books they had, in fact, fallen a prey to polytheism.
80. The purpose of this verse is not to tell man that he may commit any sin as long as he does not associate others with God in His divinity. The object is rather to impress upon those who had begun to regard polytheism as a trivial matter that it constitutes the most serious offence in God’s sight, an offence so serious that while other sins may be pardoned this will not. Jewish religious scholars were meticulous about questions of subsidiary importance, and devoted all their time to pondering over legal subtleties which their jurists had painstakingly elaborated by far-fetched deductions. Yet they treated polytheism so lightly that they neither abstained from it themselves nor tried to prevent their people from falling a prey to polytheistic ideas and practices nor found anything objectionable in establishing cordial relations with the polytheists nor in supporting them.
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