Allah Repenting and Changing His Mind

Sam Shamoun

Since MENJ and his source, Ibn Hazm, have a problem with the true God of the Bible "changing" his mind (*) then MENJ will surely have a problem with his deity changing his mind. After all, the Quran plainly speaks about Allah repenting and changing his course of action:

Then Adam received commandments from his Lord, and his Lord repented (fataba) towards him; for He is Oft-Repenting (huwa al-tawwabu), Most Merciful. S. 2:37

Our Lord! And make us submissive unto you and of our seed a nation submissive unto you, and show us our ways of worship, and repent (watub) toward us. Lo! You are the Repenting (anta al-tawwabu), the merciful. S. 2:128

Except those who repent (taboo) and make amends and openly declare: To them I repent (atoobu); for I am Oft-Repenting (wa ana al-tawwabu), Most Merciful. S. 2:160

Do they not know that Allah accepts repentance (al-tawbata) from his servants and takes the alms, and that Allah is the Oft-returning (huwa al-tawwabu), the Merciful? S. 9:104

And to the three who were left behind, until the earth became strait to them notwithstanding its spaciousness and their souls were also straightened to them; and they knew it for certain that there was no refuge from Allah but in Him; then He repented (taba) to them that they might repent (liyatooboo); surely Allah is the Oft-repenting (huwa al-tawwabu), the Merciful. S. 9:118

The above references clearly present Allah as a deity who turns towards his creatures by repenting or changing his mind or the course of action he intended to take against them.

MENJ may wish to deny that Allah literally repents from doing certain things by changing his mind, and just in case he does we will simply quote what the Quran says Moses commanded the Israelites to do after fashioning the calf:

And remember We appointed forty nights for Moses, and in his absence ye took the calf (for worship), and ye did grievous wrong. Even then We did forgive you; there was a chance for you to be grateful. And remember We gave Moses the Scripture and the Criterion (Between right and wrong): There was a chance for you to be guided aright. And remember Moses said to his people: "O my people! Ye have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf: So turn (in repentance) (fataboo) to your Maker, and slay yourselves (the wrong-doers); that will be better for you in the sight of your Maker." Then He turned (fataba) towards you (in forgiveness): For He is Oft-Returning (huwa al-tawwabu), Most Merciful. S. 2:51-54 Y. Ali

Moses tells the people to turn or repent of their sins, which would result in Allah turning to them and repenting of the destruction that he was to bring on them. Note what the Muslim exegetes said regarding this verse:

And when Moses said to his people, those who worshipped the calf, 'My people, you have done wrong against yourselves by your taking the [golden] calf, for a god; now turn to your Creator, away from that worship [of the calf] and slay one another, that is, let the innocent of you slay the guilty; That, slaughter, will be better for you in your Creator's sight', who made it easier for you to accomplish this and sent down a dark cloud over you, so that none of you was able to see the other and show him mercy, such that almost seventy thousand of you were killed; and He will turn to you [relenting], before your [turning in] repentance; truly He is the Relenting, the Merciful. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn; source; bold and underline emphasis ours)

Yet the Quran says elsewhere that Allah promised to pour out his wrath upon the calf worshipers:

Those who took the calf (for worship) will indeed be overwhelmed with wrath from their Lord, and with shame in this life: thus do We recompense those who invent (falsehoods). S. 7:152 Y. Ali

Allah clearly didn’t do this since he forgave them:

But those who do wrong but repent thereafter and (truly) believe, - verily thy Lord is thereafter Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. S. 7:153 Y. Ali

Hence, just as we are to assume that in Q. 2:54 the Israelites were called to actually change their thoughts and actions, we are to also assume that Allah literally changed his attitude towards them by refraining from carrying out the destruction he intended to bring.

What makes this rather ironic is that this Quranic story is referring to the same event mentioned in Exodus 32 and 33, the very passages which Ibn Hazm attacked! It even mentions Moses’ command to the Israelites to kill each other:

And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his people: "O my people! Verily, you have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf. So turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves (the innocent kill the wrongdoers among you), that will be better for you with your Lord." Then He accepted your repentance. Truly, He is the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. S. 2:54 Hilali-Khan

This is a direct allusion to the Levites slaying 3000 of their brethren! Therefore, if Ibn Hazm’s criticisms of the Exodus texts are valid then they equally apply to the Quran as well.

Allah also repented from destroying the people of Jonah, which again is an echo of the biblical story:

If only there had been a community (of all those that were destroyed of old) that believed and profited by its belief as did the folk of Jonah! When they believed WE DREW OFF FROM THEM THE TORMENT OF DISGRACE in the life of the world and gave them comfort for a while. S. 10:98 Pickthall

So also was Jonah among those sent (by Us). When he ran away (like a slave from captivity) to the ship (fully) laden, He (agreed to) cast lots, and he was condemned: Then the big Fish did swallow him, and he had done acts worthy of blame. Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified God, He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection. But We cast him forth on the naked shore in a state of sickness, And We caused to grow, over him, a spreading plant of the gourd kind. And We sent him (on a mission) to a hundred thousand (men) or more. And they believed; so We permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while. S. 37:139-148 Y. Ali

Here is how the Islamic exegetes interpreted these specific passages:

(If only there had been a community (of all those that were destroyed of old) that believed) if only the people of a township believed when the punishment befell them (and profited by its belief) He says: their faith did not benefit them upon the descent of punishment (as did the folk of Jonah) except the folk of Jonah who benefited from their belief. (When they believed We drew off) WE DIVERTED (from them the torment of disgrace) the severe punishment (in the life of the world and gave them comfort for a while) We left them without punishment until they died. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs, Q. 10:98; source; bold, capital and italic emphasis ours)

If only there had been one town - meaning its inhabitants - that believed, before chastisement befell it, and profited by its belief - except for the people of Jonah: when they believed, after seeing a portent of the chastisement, for they did not wait [to believe] until it came to pass, We removed from upon them the chastisement of degradation in the life of this world and We gave them comfort for a while, until the conclusion of their terms [of life]. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Q. 10:98; source; bold and italic emphasis ours)

And they believed, after they saw [with their own eyes] the chastisement WHICH THEY HAD BEEN PROMISED. So We gave them comfort, We kept them alive to enjoy their wealth, for a while, until their terms [of life] would be concluded [while they took comfort] therein. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Q. 37:148; source; bold, capital and italic emphasis ours)

… Then he mentioned the multitude of followers that Musa had, peace be upon him, then that he saw his nation of people filling from the west to the east. The point is that between Musa and Yunus, there was no nation, in its entirety, that believed except the people of Yunus, the people of Naynawa (Nineveh). And they only believed because they feared that the torment from which their Messenger warned them, might strike them. They actually witnessed its signs. So they cried to Allah and asked for help. They engaged in humility in invoking Him. They brought their children and cattle and asked Allah to lift the torment from which their Prophet had warned them. As a result, Allah sent His mercy AND REMOVED THE SCOURGE from them and gave them respite. Allah said…

<Except the people of Yunus; when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in the life of the world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while.> In interpreting this Ayah, Qatadah said: "No town has denied the truth and then believed when they saw the scourge, and then their belief benefited them, with the exception of the people of Yunus. When they lost their Prophet and they thought that the scourge was close upon them, Allah sent through their hearts the desire to repent. So they wore woolen fabrics and they separated each animal from its offspring. They then cried out to Allah for forty nights. When Allah saw the truth in their hearts and that they were sincere in their repentance and regrets, He REMOVED the scourge from them." Qatadah said: "It was mentioned that the people of Yunus were in Naynawa, the land of Mosul." This was also reported from Ibn Mas`ud, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr and others from the Salaf. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 10:98; source; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Even though Allah swore to punish Nineveh, he nevertheless repented from destroying them when he saw their repentance!

As if this weren’t enough to prove that Allah literally changes his mind according to the Quran, we will now see how the very words used in connection with Allah repenting, i.e. taba and tawwab, are used to denote actual repentance or change of mind and/or actions:

They will question thee concerning the monthly course. Say: 'It is hurt; so go apart from women during the monthly course, and do not approach them till they are clean. When they have cleansed themselves, then come unto them as God has commanded you.' Truly, God loves those who repent (al-tawwabeena), and He loves those who cleanse themselves. S. 2:222 Arberry

And when two of you commit indecency, punish them both; but if they repent (taba) and make amends, then suffer them to be; God turns, and is All-compassionate. S. 4:16 Arberry

And to Thamood their brother Salih; he said, 'O my people, serve God! You have no god other than He. It is He who produced you from the earth and has given you to live therein; so ask forgiveness of Him, then repent (tooboo) to Him; surely my Lord is nigh, and answers prayer. S. 11:61 Arberry

Save him who repenteth (taba) and believeth and doth righteous work; as for such, Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. And whosoever repenteth (taba) and doeth good, he verily repenteth (yatoobu) toward Allah with true repentance (mataban). S. 25:70-71 Pickthall

Believers, turn (tooboo) to God in sincere repentance (tawbatan); it may be that your Lord will acquit you of your evil deeds, and will admit you into gardens underneath which rivers flow. Upon the day when God will not degrade the Prophet and those who believe with him, their light running before them, and on their right hands; and they say, ‘Our Lord, perfect for us our light, and forgive us; surely Thou art powerful over everything.’ S. 66:8 Arberry

The foregoing proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that when taba and tawwab are used of the Islamic deity we are to interpret this as Allah literally changing his mind and course of action.

The Quran provides further evidence that Allah changes his mind and repents, since it ascribes certain emotions to him:

And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits. S. 2:190 Shakir

And spend in the way of Allah and cast not yourselves to perdition with your own hands, and do good (to others); surely Allah loves the doers of good. S. 2:195 Shakir

And when he turneth away (from thee) his effort in the land is to make mischief therein and to destroy the crops and the cattle; and Allah loveth not mischief. S. 2:205 Pickthall

Allah does not bless usury, and He causes charitable deeds to prosper, and Allah does not love any ungrateful sinner. S. 2:276 Shakir

Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Say: Obey Allah and the messenger. But if they turn away, lo! Allah loveth not the disbelievers (in His guidance). S. 3:31-32 Pickthall

Yea, whoever fulfills his promise and guards (against evil) -- then surely Allah loves those who guard (against evil). S. 3:76 Shakir

Those who spend (of that which Allah hath given them) in ease and in adversity, those who control their wrath and are forgiving toward mankind; Allah loveth the good; S. 3:134 Pickthall

The above references suggest that Allah’s emotions will change due to the actions a specific individual takes. For instance, if a person does right Allah will love him/her, but if that same person abandons what is right in Allah’s sight then Allah will no longer love that individual. Likewise, Allah will not love anyone who does what is evil, but if that individual repents then Allah will start loving him/her.

But in order for Allah to start or stop loving someone he must have a change of mind and emotions, i.e. he has to change his attitude towards anyone who repents from evil or turns away from doing what pleases him.

There is more to the story. According to Islamic sources, Allah even changes his instructions and sometimes on the very same day! The following is an example of what we mean:

O Prophet (Muhammad SAW)! Urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast persons amongst you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be a hundred steadfast persons they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve, because they (the disbelievers) are people who do not understand. Now Allah has lightened your (task), for He knows that there is weakness in you. So if there are of you a hundred steadfast persons, they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a thousand of you, they shall overcome two thousand with the Leave of Allah. And Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). S. 8:65-66 Hilali-Khan

In a matter of two verses Allah changes his command regarding the number of disbelievers that Muslims will be able to successfully engage in combat. In the first verse Allah says that twenty Muslims will be able to overcome two hundred and that a hundred will overpower a thousand. Yet in the reference right after Allah changes the ratio since now he says that it will take one hundred Muslims to overpower two hundred and a thousand to defeat two thousand, which means that it will take approximately five times as many Muslims to defeat the same number of disbelievers!

One of the earliest Islamic biographers Ibn Ishaq, in his Sirat Rasulullah, implies that this change in ratio occurred on the same day:

Then He said: ‘O prophet, God is sufficient for thee and the believers who follow thee. O prophet, exhort the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast ones among you they will overcome a thousand unbelievers for there are hundred of you they will overcome a thousand unbelievers for they are senseless people,’ i.e. they do not fight with a good intention nor for truth nor have they knowledge of what is good and what is evil. Abdullah b. Abu Najih from ‘Ata’ b. Abu Ribah from ‘Abdullah b. ‘Abbas told me that WHEN THIS VERSE CAME DOWN it came as a shock to the Muslims who took it hard that twenty should have to fight two hundred, and a hundred fight a thousand. So God relieved them AND CANCELED THE VERSE WITH ANOTHER SAYING: ‘Now has God relieved you and He knows that there is weakness amongst you, so if there are a hundred steadfast they shall overcome two hundred, and if there are a thousand of you they shall overcome two thousand by God’s permission, for God is with the steadfast.’ (‘Abdullah) said, ‘When they numbered half of the enemy it was wrong for them to run from them; but if they were less than half they were not bound to fight and it was permissible for them to withdraw.’ (The Life of Muhammad, A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, with introduction and notes by Alfred Guillaume [Karachi Oxford University Press, Karachi, Tenth Impression 1995], p. 326; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Renowned Sunni exegete Ibn Kathir adds:

Allah said next, commanding the believers and conveying good news to them…

<If there are twenty steadfast persons among you, they will overcome two hundred, and if there be a hundred steadfast persons, they will overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve.>

The Ayah says, one Muslim should endure ten disbelievers. Allah abrogated this part later on, but the good news remained. `Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said that Jarir bin Hazim narrated to them that, Az-Zubayr bin Al-Khirrit narrated to him, from `Ikrimah, from Ibn `Abbas, "When this verse was revealed…

<If there are twenty steadfast persons among you, they will overcome two hundred…> it became difficult for the Muslims, when Allah commanded that one Muslim is required to endure ten idolators. Soon after, this matter was made easy…

<Now Allah has lightened your (task)>, until…

<they shall overcome two hundred…>

Allah lowered the number [of adversaries that Muslims are required to endure], and thus, made the required patience less, compatible to the decrease in numbers." Al-Bukhari recorded a similar narration from Ibn Al-Mubarak. Muhammad bin Ishaq recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "When this Ayah was revealed, it was difficult for the Muslims, for they thought it was burdensome since twenty should fight two hundred, and a hundred against a thousand. Allah made this ruling easy for them and abrogated this Ayah with another Ayah…

<Now Allah has lightened your (task), for He knows that there is weakness in you…>

Thereafter, if Muslims were half as many as their enemy, they were not allowed to run away from them. If the Muslims were fewer than that, they were not obligated to fight the disbelievers and thus allowed to avoid hostilities." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir; source; bold and underline emphasis ours)

And when We exchange a verse in place of a [different] verse, by abrogating it and revealing another, for the welfare of [God's] servants - and God knows best what He reveals - they say, that is, the disbelievers [say] to the Prophet (s): 'You are just a fabricator', a liar, making it up yourself. Nay, most of them do not know, the true nature of the Qur'an and the benefit [to God's servants] of abrogation. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn; source; bold and underline emphasis ours)

The Idolators' Accusation that the Prophet was a Liar since some Ayat were abrogated, and the Refutation of their Claim

Allah tells us of the weak minds of the idolators, and their lack of faith and conviction. He explains that it is impossible for them to have faith when He has decreed that they are doomed. When they saw that some rulings had been changed by being abrogated, they said to the Messenger of Allah…

<You are but a forger> meaning one who tells lies. But Allah is the Lord Who does whatever He wills, and rules as He wants. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir; source; underline emphasis ours)