سُوْرَةُ الْبَيِّنَةِ

Surah Al-Bayyina (98) — Ayah 5

The Evidence · Medinan · Juz 30 · Page 598

وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓا۟ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ حُنَفَآءَ وَيُقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ ٱلْقَيِّمَةِ ﴿5﴾
And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allâh, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him), and perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât) and give Zakât, and that is the right religion.
وَمَآ wamā And not
أُمِرُوٓا۟ umirū they were commanded
إِلَّا illā except
لِيَعْبُدُوا۟ liyaʿbudū to worship
ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
مُخْلِصِينَ mukh'liṣīna (being) sincere
لَهُ lahu to Him
ٱلدِّينَ l-dīna (in) the religion
حُنَفَآءَ ḥunafāa upright
وَيُقِيمُوا۟ wayuqīmū and to establish
ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ l-ṣalata the prayer
وَيُؤْتُوا۟ wayu'tū and to give
ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ ۚ l-zakata the zakah
وَذَٰلِكَ wadhālika And that
دِينُ dīnu (is the) religion
ٱلْقَيِّمَةِ l-qayimati the correct

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

(Ayah 5) {وَ مَاۤ اُمِرُوْۤا اِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللّٰهَ …: ’’ الْقَيِّمَةِ ‘‘ ’’قَامَ يَقُوْمُ‘‘} is an adjective form on the pattern of {’’فَيْعِلَةٌ‘‘}, in which the "taa" is for emphasis, extremely firm, straight in which there is no crookedness: {’’أَيْ ذٰلِكَ دِيْنُ الْمِلَّةِ الْقَيِّمَةِ‘‘} "That is, this is the religion of the firm community." {’’ حُنَفَآءَ ‘‘ ’’حَنِيْفٌ‘‘} is the plural of {’’حَنَفَ يَحْنِفُ حَنْفًا‘‘} (from the Daraba verb paradigm) (with "haa"), from {’’فَعِيْلٌ‘‘} meaning the active participle, its literal meaning is "to incline to one side." Its most common usage is "to leave all paths and come to the straight path," whereas {’’جَنَفَ‘‘} (with "jeem") means "to leave the straight path and go astray here and there." In this verse, the summary of the religion has been stated that whether it is the previous communities or this community, the command is the same for all: to worship one Allah, which should be free from all kinds of shirk and ostentation and purely for Allah, and to turn away from all groups following falsehood and turn solely to Allah, just as Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did, and to establish prayer and pay zakat, this is the religion of the firm community. When this community also has the same first command and the religion of the previous communities and this community is the same firm religion, then why is there denial in accepting it?

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

5. 1. That is, in their books they were commanded that...
5. 2. The meaning of حنیف is to incline, to be devoted to one side, حنفآء is the plural. That is, turning away from shirk towards tawheed, and severing from all religions, inclining and devoting oneself only to the religion of Islam. Just as Hazrat Ibrahim علیہ السلام did.
5. 3. ا ; قیّمۃ is the attribute of a deleted described noun. دین الملۃ القیّمۃ ائ : المستقیمۃ or الأمّۃ المستقیمۃ المعتدلۃ, this is the religion of that nation or community which is straight and moderate. Most of the Imams have deduced from this verse that actions are included in faith (Ibn Kathir).

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

5. And they were commanded only to worship Allah, dedicating their faith solely to Him, to establish prayer, and to give zakah—and that is the correct religion [7].

[7]
The Three Important Pillars of the Upright Religion:

The upright religion means such a firm and established religion that has remained the same from Prophet Adam ؑ to the Last Prophet. The important components of this religion are three things. First, that Allah alone is to be understood as the Creator and Owner. No kind of shirk should be committed with Him. His command and law should be considered above all, and no attention should be paid to anyone else's command or law in comparison to His. Worship should be devoted to Him alone, and with full devotion. Second, that prayer should always be performed regularly and in the correct manner. Third, that zakat should be given from one's wealth. It should be clear that only those who have faith in the Hereafter can properly and regularly perform prayer and give zakat. Others cannot do so. Hypocrites also used to perform prayer and give zakat, but for show and ostentation, and considering it a burden on themselves. These three things are the three important initial pillars of Islam. Fasting and Hajj were also obligatory on previous communities, but due to brevity, they are often not mentioned in most places. For example, in the beginning of Surah Baqarah, in the description of the pious, only these three important pillars are mentioned, not fasting and Hajj. And these three things grant someone the rights of citizenship in an Islamic state. As stated in Surah Tawbah, verse 11: "Then if these polytheists repent from shirk, establish prayer, and give zakat, then they are your religious brothers." Also, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in the last days of his life: "I have been commanded to fight the people until they bear witness to ﴿لا الٰه الا اللّٰه محمد رسول الله﴾, establish prayer, and give zakat. If they accept these conditions, then their lives will be safe from me, except if they are deprived of this protection due to any right of Islam. As for their inner matters, that is up to Allah." [مسلم۔ کتاب الایمان۔ باب الامربقتال الناس]