Quran Universe
2:52

ثُمَّ عَفَوۡنَا عَنكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ ذَٰلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

Thumma AAafawna AAankum min baAAdi thalika laAAallakum tashkuroona

Then We forgave you after that so perhaps you would be grateful.

Word by word
  1. ثُمَّThen
  2. عَفَوۡنَاWe forgave
  3. عَنكُمyou
  4. مِّنۢfrom
  5. بَعۡدِafter
  6. ذَٰلِكَthat
  7. لَعَلَّكُمۡso that you may
  8. تَشۡكُرُونَ(be) grateful
Al-Baqarah · 2:52Madinah

Even after the calf, Allah forgave them.

Forgiveness meant to produce gratitude

After the worst
the calfa grave wrong
then
We forgave you
so that
you might be grateful
What forgiveness is for
a clean slate to repeatback to normal
a reason to be gratefulchanges how I live

Ibn Kathir says Allah reminds them: remember My favor when I forgave you for worshipping the calf. The purpose of the forgiveness is named in the verse itself: that you might be grateful.

Someone forgave you for something big: a spouse, a parent, a friend you let down. You felt the relief. The way to honor that forgiveness is to live differently because of it. Allah's forgiveness asks the same.

Once I am forgiven, the matter is closed.

Being forgiven is a gift meant to make me grateful and change me.

Try this

Think of one sin you believe Allah forgave you. Thank Him for it in your own words.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 2:51)

And (remember) when We appointed for Musa (Moses) forty nights, and (in his absence) you took the calf (for worship), and you were Zalimun (polytheists and wrongdoers)(51)Then after that We forgave you so that you might be grateful (52)And (remember) when We gave Musa the Scripture (the Tawrah)) and the criterion (of right and wrong) so that you may be guided aright (53)

The Children of Israel worshipped the Calf

Allah then said, "Remember My favor on you when I forgave you for worshipping the calf." This happened after Musa went to the meeting place with his Lord at the end of that period which was forty days. These forty days were mentioned in Surat Al-A'raf, when Allah said,

وَوَاعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰ ثَلَاثِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَتْمَمْنَاهَا بِعَشْرٍ

(And We appointed for Musa thirty nights and added (to the period) ten (more))(7:142).

It was said that these days were during the month of Dhul-Qa'dah plus the first ten days in Dhul-Hijjah, after the Children of Israel were delivered from Fir'awn and they safely crossed the sea. Allah's statement,

وَإِذْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ 

(And (remember) when We gave Musa the Scripture) means, the Tawrah,

وَالْفُرْقَانَ 

(And the criterion) that is that which differentiates between truth and falsehood, guidance and deviation.

لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

(So that you may be guided aright), after escaping the sea, as another Ayah in Surat Al-A'raf clearly stated,

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا أَهْلَكْنَا الْقُرُونَ الْأُولَىٰ بَصَائِرَ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

(And indeed We gave Musa ـ after We had destroyed the generations of old ـ the Scripture (the Tawrah) as an enlightenment for mankind, and a guidance and a mercy, that they might remember (or receive admonition))(28:43).