The Quran

سورة الفَتْح

Surah Al-Fath 48:2

The Victory · Verse 2 of 29

لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَقِيمًا

Abdul Mannan Omar

The result of this is that Allâh will protect you from (the ill consequences of) the fault attributed to you in the past and those to follow, and that He will make His favour perfect upon you and will lead you to the goal of the straight and right path;

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

That Allah may forgive thee thy faults of the past and those to follow; fulfil His favour to thee; and guide thee on the Straight Way;

Ahmed Ali

That God may save you from earlier and subsequent blames, and complete His favours on you, and guide you on the straight path,

12 more translations

Ali Unal

That God may forgive you (O Messenger) your lapses of the past and those to follow, and complete His favor on you, and guide you (to steadfastness) on a straight path (leading to God’s being pleased with You and eternal happiness);

Daryabadi

That Allah may forgive thee that which hath preceded of thy fault and that which may come later, and may accomplish the more His favour on thee, and may keep thee guided on the straight path.

Faridul Haque

So that Allah may forgive, for your sake, the sins of those before you and those after you, and complete His favours upon you, and to show you the Straight Path.

Maulana Muhammad Ali

That Allah may cover for thee thy (alleged) shortcomings in the past and those to come, and complete his favour to thee and guide thee on a right path,

Maulvi Sher Ali

That ALLAH may cover up for thee thy shortcomings, past and future, and that HE may complete HIS favour upon thee on a right path;

Muhammad Asad

so that God might show His forgiveness of all thy faults, past as well as future, and [thus] bestow upon thee the full measure of His blessings, and guide thee on a straight way,

Muhammad Musin Khan

That Allah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future, and complete His Favour on you, and guide you on the Straight Path;

Muhammad Pickthall

That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come, and may perfect His favour unto thee, and may guide thee on a right path,

Muhammad Sarwar

so that God will redeem the sins (which the pagans think you have committed against them) in the past or (you will commit) in the future. He will complete His favors to you, guide you to the right path,

Muhammed ali Shakir

That Allah may forgive your community their past faults and those to follow and complete His favor to you and keep you on a right way,

Rashad Khalifa

Whereby GOD forgives your past sins, as well as future sins, and perfects His blessings upon you, and guides you in a straight path.

Shabbir Ahmed

That God may protect you against whatever could have caused you to lag behind in the past and in the future. He perfects His blessings on you and takes you along a straight path.

Commentary 48:2 Dhanbi-ka ذَنبِكَ means the fault attributed to you (the Holy Prophet (pbuh)). Elsewhere in the Holy Qur’ân (5:30) a similar expression ithmî إثمي is used…

لِّيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِن ذَنبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا

48:2 Dhanbi-ka ذَنبِكَ means the fault attributed to you (the Holy Prophet (pbuh)). Elsewhere in the Holy Qur’ân (5:30) a similar expression ithmî إثمي is used meaning “the sin committed against me.” The Holy Prophet (pbuh) never committed a sin, and his istighfâr إستغقار means the asking of Divine protection for him and his people (see the discussion on David’s supplication for Divine protection in chapter 34). Even before he was raised to the dignity of prophethood he was known as al-Amîn الامين, the most trustworthy, of safe conduct, faithful, sincere, steadfast; and al-Sâdîq الصادق, the most straightforward, perfect, unmingled, truthful, just, true, a man of veracity, a man who observes his promises faithfully and with soundness. Moreover, he received the highest praise of Muhammad.

This verse has been misunderstood based on a lack of knowledge of the Arabic idiom and translated as “your sin,” signifying that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) was guilty of moral lapse. The word Dhanbi-kaذَنبِكَ is in a genitive construction, which is also found elsewhere in the Holy Qur’ân and Arabic literature. For instance shurakâ’ شُركاء does not mean “my partners” but “my so-called partners associated with me by you, and that you set up with me” (cf. 6:22; 6:54; 28:44; 34:27, etc.). In the verse under comment the mutual construction of two nouns (idzâfatإضافت ) carries a similar significance and the word means “the fault attributed to you,” or the shortcomings which were attributed to the Holy Prophet (pbuh) in the past and will be attributed to him by his adversaries in the future. Allâh’s Prophets are born sinless and they remain sinless throughout their life.