48.2 – so that God may forgive you what is past of your sin and what is (still) to come

This verse mentions the sin (dhanb) of the messenger that needs forgiveness. This is one of a number of verses (also 40.55; 47.19; cf. 3.147; 4.106; 110.3) that seem to question the Islamic doctrine that all prophets are sinless or even protected by Allah (ma‘ṣūm) from committing sins.

Prophets are sinless neither in the Bible nor in the Quran. Adam (Q 7.23), Noah (11.47), Abraham (26.82), Moses (28.16), David (38.24), and Solomon (38.35) all ask forgiveness for their sin and often repent. In 3.147, many prophets pray in unison, “Our Lord! Forgive us for our sins (dhunūb, sing. dhanb) and wasted efforts.” The Arabic term dhanb is also defined as “offense,” “crime,” or “misdeed.”

Notably, the quranic ‘Īsā does not ask for forgiveness in this way, but instead is described as faultless, sinless, or “pure” (zakīy, 19.19). This matches the teaching of the New Testament, where Jesus is the only one who “had no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). In the Gospel according to John, Jesus himself asked his opponents, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” (John 8:46). In answer, the opponents insulted Jesus, but according to the Gospel, no one took up Jesus’ challenge to try to prove him guilty of sin.