Belief and obedience to the Command of Allah and forgiveness for falling short

When there was revealed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, "To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Whether you disclose what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it; then He will forgive whom He wills and punish whom He wills, and Allah has power over all things," he said: that became severe for the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

So they came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, then knelt down on their knees and said: O Messenger of Allah, we have been charged with deeds that we are able to bear: prayer, fasting, jihad, and charity. But this verse has been revealed to you, and we are not able to bear it! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Do you want to say as the People of the Two Books before you said, "We hear and we disobey"? Rather, say: We hear and we obey; Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return." They said: We hear and we obey; Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return.

When the people recited it and their tongues became compliant with it, Allah then revealed after it: "The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and so have the believers. All have believed in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers: We make no distinction between any of His messengers. And they said: We hear and we obey; Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return."

When they did that, Allah ﷻ abrogated it, and Allah ﷻ revealed: "Allah does not burden any soul except with what it can bear. For it is what it has earned, and against it is what it has acquired. Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake." He said: "Yes." "Our Lord, do not place upon us a burden as You placed it upon those before us." He said: "Yes." "Our Lord, do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear." He said: "Yes." "Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so grant us victory over the disbelieving people." He said: "Yes."

لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ﴿ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَإِنْ تُبْدُوا مَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُمْ بِهِ اللَّهُ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴾، قَالَ: فَاشْتَدَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ،

فَأَتَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ، ثُمَّ بَرَكُوا عَلَى الرُّكَبِ فَقَالُوا: أَىْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، كُلِّفْنَا مِنَ الأَعْمَالِ مَا نُطِيقُ: الصَّلاَةُ وَالصِّيَامُ وَالْجِهَادُ وَالصَّدَقَةُ، وَقَدْ أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيْكَ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ وَلاَ نُطِيقُهَا! قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «أَتُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَقُولُوا كَمَا قَالَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابَيْنِ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ ﴿ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا ﴾؟ بَلْ قُولُوا: سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ»، قَالُوا: سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ،

فَلَمَّا اقْتَرَأَهَا الْقَوْمُ ذَلَّتْ بِهَا أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِي إِثْرِهَا ﴿ آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ، كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ ﴾.

فَلَمَّا فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ نَسَخَهَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷻ ﴿ لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ، رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ﴾، قَالَ: نَعَمْ، ﴿ رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا ﴾، قَالَ: نَعَمْ، ﴿ رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ ﴾، قَالَ: نَعَمْ، ﴿ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا أَنْتَ مَوْلاَنَا فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ ﴾، قَالَ: نَعَمْ.

When this verse:" Whether you disclose that which is in your mind or conceal it, Allah will call you to account according to it" (ii 284), there entered in their minds something (of that fear) such as had never entered their hearts (before). The Apostle ﷺ observed: Say: We have heard and obeyed and submitted ourselves. He (the reporter) said: Allah instilled faith in their hearts and He revealed this verse:" Allah burdens not a soul beyond its capacity. It gets every good that it earns and it suffers every ill that it earns. Our Lord, call us not to account if we forget or make a mistake. He the (Lord) said: I indeed did it. Our Lord! do not lay on us a burden as Thou didst lay on those before us. He (our Lord) said: I indeed did it. And pardon us, have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector" (ii. 286). He said: I indeed did it.

لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ { وَإِنْ تُبْدُوا مَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُمْ بِهِ اللَّهُ} قَالَ دَخَلَ قُلُوبَهُمْ مِنْهَا شَىْءٌ لَمْ يَدْخُلْ قُلُوبَهُمْ مِنْ شَىْءٍ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ قُولُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا وَسَلَّمْنَا قَالَ فَأَلْقَى اللَّهُ الإِيمَانَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى { لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا} قَالَ قَدْ فَعَلْتُ { رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا} قَالَ قَدْ فَعَلْتُ { وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا أَنْتَ مَوْلاَنَا} قَالَ قَدْ فَعَلْتُ