وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَهُمُ الْبَغْيُ هُمْ يَنْتَصِرُونَ ﴿۳۹﴾ وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿۴۰﴾ وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ﴿۴۱﴾ إِنَّمَا السَّبِيلُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَظْلِمُونَ النَّاسَ وَيَبْغُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿۴۲﴾ وَلَمَنْ صَبَرَ وَغَفَرَ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَمِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ ﴿۴۳﴾ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَتَرَى الظَّالِمِينَ لَمَّا رَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ يَقُولُونَ هَلْ إِلَى مَرَدٍّ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ﴿۴۴﴾

﴾39﴿ Wallazeena izaa asaabahumul baghyu hum yantasiroon
﴾40﴿ Wa jazaaa'u saiyi'atin saiyi'atum misluha faman 'afaa wa aslaha fa ajruhoo 'alal laah; innahoo laa yuhibbuz zaalimeen
﴾41﴿ Wa lamanin tasara ba'da zulmihee fa ulaaa'ika maa 'alaihim min sabeel
﴾42﴿ Innamas sabeelu 'alal lazeena yazlimoonan naasa wa yabghoona fil ardi bighairil haqq; ulaaa'ika lahum 'azaabun aleem
﴾43﴿ Wa laman sabara wa ghafara inna zaalika lamin 'azmil umoor
﴾44﴿ Wa mai yudli lillaahu famaa lahoo minw waliyyin min ba'dih; wa taraz zaalimeena lammaa ra awul 'azaaba yaqooloona hal ilaa maraddin min sabeel

﴾39﴿ And those who, when oppression reaches them, take revenge
﴾40﴿ And the recompense for an evil deed is an evil like it. But whoever forgives and does good, then his reward is with Allah. Indeed, Allah does not love the wrongdoers
﴾41﴿ And indeed, whoever takes revenge after being wronged, there is no blame upon them
﴾42﴿ The blame is only upon those who oppress people and rebel in the land without right. For them, there is a painful punishment
﴾43﴿ And indeed, whoever is patient and forgives—surely this is among the matters of determination<7br> ﴾44﴿ And whoever Allah causes to go astray, there is no guide for him after His misguidance. And you will see the wrongdoers, when they behold the punishment, saying, Is there any way to return

[39] In this verse, the ninth quality is mentioned.
Question: There seems to be a contradiction between the fourth quality (“when they are angered, they forgive”) and this quality, which involves defending themselves and taking revenge.
Answer 1: The offenders are of two types:
The first are those who regret their wrongdoing — for such people, forgiveness is recommended.
The second are those who persist in their injustice and do not stop oppressing — in their case, taking revenge or defending oneself is appropriate and permissible.
Answer 2: The first quality refers to anger during da‘wah (inviting to Islam) — i.e., when a person insults the caller or crosses the line during a religious discussion, the caller becomes angry but still forgives for the sake of da‘wah.
The second quality refers to worldly matters, where the believer is allowed to defend themselves or seek justice when harmed.
[40] In this verse, the method of seeking justice (intiṣār) is mentioned, along with the condition for taking compensation — which is that it must be equal and proportionate to the harm done.
Then, the verse once again encourages a higher moral path, by praising the greater quality — which is forgiveness (‘afw).
[41,42] In this verse, there is a removal of a misconception (wahm) — because when an oppressed person (maẓlūm) takes rightful compensation from the oppressor (ẓālim), some ignorant people blame the oppressed instead.
This verse is a refutation of such blame, affirming that taking compensation is just and allowed.
The compensation mentioned here is general — whether it pertains to bodily harm, wealth, or honor and dignity.
[43] "‘Azm al-umūr" refers to those actions that are considered firm and resolute matters in the Sharī‘ah — meaning, they are strongly encouraged and preferred in their original, strict form (‘azīmah), even though acting upon a concession (rukhṣah) is also permissible.
So, while both are allowed, the path of ‘azīmah reflects higher resolve, patience, and virtue in the sight of Allah.
[44] In this verse, there is a warning of punishment in the Hereafter for those who are deprived of the previously mentioned noble qualities.
It serves as a reminder that failing to uphold those virtues leads to consequences in the next life.