Transliteration:( istaghfir lahum aw laa tastaghfir lahum in tastaghfir lahum sab'eena marratan falany yaghfiral laahu lahum; zaalika bi annahum kafaroo billaahi wa Rasoolih; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmal faasiqeen )
“Whether you ask [220] for forgiveness for them or not, it is the same. If you ask for forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will never [221] forgive them. This is because they have rejected [222] Allah and His Messenger. And Allah guides not the disobedient people [223].”
Until that time, it was not prohibited to pray for forgiveness for the hypocrites. Later, the prohibition came with the verse: “And pray you never over their dead” (S9:V84). Here, the number of times is not limited to seventy, but much more is intended.
The reason for this non-forgiveness is because they have rejected Allah Almighty and His Beloved Messenger. Even if the Beloved Prophet ﷺ prays for them out of His infinite universal mercy, Allah Almighty will not forgive them. Allah Almighty does not wish for the enemies of His Beloved Rasool to enter paradise. This reflects the lofty status of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, whose love for the Beloved is spontaneous, but the demand of love is that the enemies of His Beloved should not be forgiven.
From this emerges two issues:
An infidel will not benefit from anyone's prayer of forgiveness because their forgiveness is not possible.
To reject any of the Noble Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is equivalent to rejecting the Messenger of Allah. Rejection of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is equivalent to rejecting Allah Almighty. The hypocrites mocked at the Noble Companions, and Allah Almighty declared that "They have rejected Allah and His Messenger."
Afterwards, the hypocrites apologized to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and asked him to pray for their forgiveness. It was at this point that this entire verse was revealed. The Ulema (learned scholars) of Islam state that the repentance of anyone who insults the dignity and honor of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is not accepted in the court of law. This verse may hint at this issue as a proof.
80. Whether you (O Muhammad ) ask forgiveness for them (hypocrites) or ask not forgiveness for them — (and even) if you ask seventy times for their forgiveness — Allah will not forgive them because they have disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger. And Allah guides not those people who are rebellious.
Allah says to His Prophet that hypocrites are not worthy of seeking forgiveness for them and that if he asks Allah to forgive them seventy times, Allah will not forgive them. The number seventy here was mentioned to close the door on this subject, for Arabs use this number when they exaggerate, not that they actually mean seventy or more than seventy. Ash-Sha`bi said that when `Abdullah bin Ubayy was dying, his son went to the Prophet and said to him, “My father has died, I wish you could attend him and pray the funeral prayer for him.” The Prophet said,
(“What is you name) He said, “Al-Hubab bin `Abdullah.” The Prophet said,
(Rather, you are `Abdullah bin `Abdullah, for Al-Hubab is a devil’s name.) The Prophet went along with him, attended his father’s funeral, gave him his shirt as a shroud and prayed the funeral prayer for him. He was asked, “Would you pray on him, when he is a hypocrite” He said,
(Allah said,(…(and even) if you ask seventy times for their forgiveness…) Verily, I will ask Allah to forgive them seventy times and seventy more and seventy more.)” Similar narrations were collected from `Urwah bin Az-Zubayr, Mujahid, Qatadah bin Di`amah and Ibn Jarir.
(9:80) (O Prophet), it is all the same whether or not you ask for their forgiveness. Even if you were to ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah shall not forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger; and Allah does not bestow His Guidance on such evil-doing folk.
There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.
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