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Surah At-Tawbah, Ayah 80 (9:80)

ٱلتَّوْبَة

ٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لَا تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً فَلَن يَغْفِرَ …

Quran 9:80 is ayah 80 of Surah At-Tawbah (“The Repentance”), a Medinan surah of 129 ayahs. It is in Juz 10, on page 200 of the Madani Mushaf.

9:80
ٱسْتَغْفِرْلَهُمْأَوْلَاتَسْتَغْفِرْلَهُمْإِنتَسْتَغْفِرْلَهُمْسَبْعِينَمَرَّةًفَلَنيَغْفِرَٱللَّهُلَهُمْ ۚذَٰلِكَبِأَنَّهُمْكَفَرُوا۟بِٱللَّهِوَرَسُولِهِۦ ۗوَٱللَّهُلَايَهْدِىٱلْقَوْمَٱلْفَٰسِقِينَ٨٠
is'taghfir lahum aw lā tastaghfir lahum in tastaghfir lahum sabʿīna marratan falan yaghfira l-lahu lahum dhālika bi-annahum kafarū bil-lahi warasūlihi wal-lahu lā yahdī l-qawma l-fāsiqīna

Ask forgiveness for them, [O Muḥammad], or do not ask forgiveness for them. If you should ask forgiveness for them seventy times - never will Allāh forgive them. That is because they disbelieved in Allāh and His Messenger, and Allāh does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.(80)

Word by word

  1. ٱسْتَغْفِرْis'taghfirAsk forgiveness
  2. لَهُمْlahumfor them
  3. أَوْawor
  4. لَاlā(do) not
  5. تَسْتَغْفِرْtastaghfirask forgiveness
  6. لَهُمْlahumfor them
  7. إِنinIf
  8. تَسْتَغْفِرْtastaghfiryou ask forgiveness
  9. لَهُمْlahumfor them
  10. سَبْعِينَsabʿīnaseventy
  11. مَرَّةًmarratantimes
  12. فَلَنfalannever
  13. يَغْفِرَyaghfirawill Allah forgive
  14. ٱللَّهُl-lahuwill Allah forgive
  15. لَهُمْ ۚlahum[for] them
  16. ذَٰلِكَdhālikaThat
  17. بِأَنَّهُمْbi-annahum(is) because they
  18. كَفَرُوا۟kafarūdisbelieved
  19. بِٱللَّهِbil-lahiin Allah
  20. وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۗwarasūlihiand His Messenger
  21. وَٱللَّهُwal-lahuand Allah
  22. لَاlā(does) not
  23. يَهْدِىyahdīguide
  24. ٱلْقَوْمَl-qawmathe people
  25. ٱلْفَٰسِقِينَl-fāsiqīnathe defiantly disobedient

Tafsir (commentary) of 9:80

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Prohibition of asking for Forgiveness for Hypocrites

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,

«مَا اسْمُك»

("What is you name) He said, "Al-Hubab bin `Abdullah." The Prophet said,

«بَلْ أَنْتَ عَبْدُاللهِ بْنُ عَبْدِاللهِ إِنَّ الْحُبَابَ اسْمَ شَيْطَان»

(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,

«إِنَّ اللهَ قَالَ:
إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً
وَلَأسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ وَسَبْعِينَ وَسَبْعِين»

(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.

Read the full Surah At-Tawbah