Surah Al-Baqara: Verse 52 - ثم عفونا عنكم من بعد... - English
Tafsir of Verse 52, Surah Al-Baqara
ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
English Translation
Then We forgave you after that so perhaps you would be grateful.English Transliteration
Thumma AAafawna AAankum min baAAdi thalika laAAallakum tashkuroonaTafsir of Verse 52
then We pardoned you after that, that haply you should be thankful.
Even then We did forgive you; there was a chance for you to be grateful.
The Israelites were forgiven only when they had offered Taubah توبہ (repentance), as recounted in Verse 54. In saying that they were pardoned so that they might learn gratefulness, the present verse employs the Arabic word لَعَلَ La` lla which indicates expectation. In the present context it does not mean that Allah had or could have any doubt or misgiving about this or any other matter; what the word implies here is just that when a man receives a pardon, the onlookers may expect him to feel grateful.
