Detailed Exegesis

Tāba: When the verb tāba is attributed to God, it is used with the preposition ʿalā, while when attributed to a servant, it is used with ilā. In the first case, when referring to God, tāba carries meanings of compassion, kindness, mercy, grace, attention, and flexibility, aligning with expressions like ashfaqa ʿalayhi (showed compassion towards him) and ʿaṭafa ʿalayhi (showed kindness towards him). In the second case, when it refers to a servant, it means return and reversion, which naturally aligns with the use of ilā,(186) as in rajaʿa ilā (returned to).