Surah Nahl ayat 119 Tafsir Quran 16:119

﴿ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا السُّوءَ بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابُوا مِن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ﴾
[ النحل: 119]

16:119 Then, indeed your Lord, to those who have done wrong out of ignorance and then repent after that and correct themselves - indeed, your Lord, thereafter, is Forgiving and Merciful.

Then indeed your Lord — to those who did evil associating others with God out of ignorance and then repented returned to God’s way after that and made amends in their actions — indeed your Lord after that that is after that ignorance or that repentance is Forgiving of them Merciful to them.

Nevertheless, Allah, your Creator, always extends mercy and forgiveness to those who wrong themselves in ignorance and repent thereafter imprinting their deed with wisdom and piety; Allah, your Creator, is indeed Ghafurun and Rahimun

Some Good Things were Forbidden for the Jews After mentioning that He has forbidden us to eat dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and any animal which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah, and after making allowances for cases of necessity - which is part of making things easy for this Ummah, because Allah desires ease for us, not hardship - Allah then mentions what He forbade for the Jews in their laws before they were abrogated, and the restrictions, limitations and difficulties involved therein.
He tells us: وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُواْ حَرَّمْنَا مَا قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ ( And for those who are Jews, We have forbidden such things as We have mentioned to you before. ) meaning in Surat Al-An`am, where Allah says: وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُواْ حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِى ظُفُرٍ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ وَالْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَآ إِلاَّ مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَآ ( And unto those who are Jews, We forbade every (animal ) with undivided hoof, and We forbade them the fat of the ox and the sheep except what adheres to their backs) Until, لَصَـدِقُونَ ( We are indeed truthful ) 6:146 Hence Allah says here: وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ ( And We did not wrong them, ) meaning, in the restrictions that We imposed upon them. وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ( but they wronged themselves.
) meaning, they deserved that.
This is like the Ayah: فَبِظُلْمٍ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُواْ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ طَيِّبَـتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ وَبِصَدِّهِمْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَثِيراً ( Because of the wrong committed of those who were Jews, We prohibited certain good foods which had been lawful for them - and (also ) for their hindering many from Allah's way.) ( 4:160 ) Then Allah tells us, honoring and remin- ding believers who have sinned of His blessings, that who- ever among them repents, He will accept his repentance, as He says: ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ عَمِلُواْ السُّوءَ بِجَهَـلَةٍ ( Then, your Lord for those who did evil out of ignorance ) Some of the Salaf said that this means that everyone who disobeys Allah is ignorant. ثُمَّ تَابُواْ مِن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُواْ ( and afterward repent and do righteous deeds ) meaning, they give up the sins they used to commit and turn to doing acts of obedience to Allah. إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا ( verily, after that, your Lord is... ) means, after that mistake لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ( ...Pardoning, Most Merciful. )

Some Good Things were Forbidden for the Jews After mentioning that He has forbidden us to eat dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and any animal which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah, and after making allowances for cases of necessity - which is part of making things easy for this Ummah, because Allah desires ease for us, not hardship - Allah then mentions what He forbade for the Jews in their laws before they were abrogated, and the restrictions, limitations and difficulties involved therein.
He tells us: وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُواْ حَرَّمْنَا مَا قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ مِن قَبْلُ ( And for those who are Jews, We have forbidden such things as We have mentioned to you before. ) meaning in Surat Al-An`am, where Allah says: وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُواْ حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِى ظُفُرٍ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ وَالْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَآ إِلاَّ مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَآ ( And unto those who are Jews, We forbade every (animal ) with undivided hoof, and We forbade them the fat of the ox and the sheep except what adheres to their backs) Until, لَصَـدِقُونَ ( We are indeed truthful ) 6:146 Hence Allah says here: وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ ( And We did not wrong them, ) meaning, in the restrictions that We imposed upon them. وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ( but they wronged themselves.
) meaning, they deserved that.
This is like the Ayah: فَبِظُلْمٍ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُواْ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ طَيِّبَـتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ وَبِصَدِّهِمْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَثِيراً ( Because of the wrong committed of those who were Jews, We prohibited certain good foods which had been lawful for them - and (also ) for their hindering many from Allah's way.) ( 4:160 ) Then Allah tells us, honoring and remin- ding believers who have sinned of His blessings, that who- ever among them repents, He will accept his repentance, as He says: ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ عَمِلُواْ السُّوءَ بِجَهَـلَةٍ ( Then, your Lord for those who did evil out of ignorance ) Some of the Salaf said that this means that everyone who disobeys Allah is ignorant. ثُمَّ تَابُواْ مِن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ وَأَصْلَحُواْ ( and afterward repent and do righteous deeds ) meaning, they give up the sins they used to commit and turn to doing acts of obedience to Allah. إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا ( verily, after that, your Lord is... ) means, after that mistake لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ( ...Pardoning, Most Merciful. )

( Then lo! thy Lord ) O Muhammad ( for those who do evil in ignorance ) intentionally even if they are ignorant of committing it ( and afterward repent ) after committing such an evil ( and amend ) their work between themselves and their Lord - ( lo! (for them ) thy Lord is afterward) after repentance ( indeed Forgiving, Merciful ) towards them.

Then, verily! Your Lord for those who do evil (commit sins and are disobedient to Allah) in ignorance and afterward repent and do righteous deeds, verily, your Lord thereafter, (to such) is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Page 281 English transliteration