سُوْرَةُ اٰلِ عِمْرٰنَ
Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 179
مَّا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَذَرَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَنتُمْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّىٰ يَمِيزَ ٱلْخَبِيثَ مِنَ ٱلطَّيِّبِ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُطْلِعَكُمْ عَلَى ٱلْغَيْبِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَجْتَبِى مِن رُّسُلِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ ۖ فَـَٔامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ ۚ وَإِن تُؤْمِنُوا۟ وَتَتَّقُوا۟ فَلَكُمْ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿179﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Allâh will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good. Nor will Allâh disclose to you the secrets of the Ghaib (unseen), but Allâh chooses of His Messengers whom He wills. So believe in Allâh and His Messengers. And if you believe and fear Allâh, then for you there is a great reward.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
مَّا
mā
Not
كَانَ
kāna
is
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
لِيَذَرَ
liyadhara
to leave
ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
l-mu'minīna
the believers
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
on
مَآ
mā
what
أَنتُمْ
antum
you (are)
عَلَيْهِ
ʿalayhi
in [it]
حَتَّىٰ
ḥattā
until
يَمِيزَ
yamīza
He separates
ٱلْخَبِيثَ
l-khabītha
the evil
مِنَ
mina
from
ٱلطَّيِّبِ ۗ
l-ṭayibi
the good
وَمَا
wamā
And not
كَانَ
kāna
is
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
لِيُطْلِعَكُمْ
liyuṭ'liʿakum
to inform you
عَلَى
ʿalā
about
ٱلْغَيْبِ
l-ghaybi
the unseen
وَلَـٰكِنَّ
walākinna
[and] but
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
يَجْتَبِى
yajtabī
chooses
مِن
min
from
رُّسُلِهِۦ
rusulihi
His Messengers
مَن
man
whom
يَشَآءُ ۖ
yashāu
He wills
فَـَٔامِنُوا۟
faāminū
so believe
بِٱللَّهِ
bil-lahi
in Allah
وَرُسُلِهِۦ ۚ
warusulihi
and His Messengers
وَإِن
wa-in
and if
تُؤْمِنُوا۟
tu'minū
you believe
وَتَتَّقُوا۟
watattaqū
and fear (Allah)
فَلَكُمْ
falakum
then for you
أَجْرٌ
ajrun
(is a) reward
عَظِيمٌۭ
ʿaẓīmun
great
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
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.
179. 1. For this reason, Allah surely puts people through the furnace of trial so that His friends become clear and His enemies are disgraced. The patient believer is separated from the hypocrite, just as in Uhud Allah tested the people of faith, through which their faith, patience, steadfastness, and obedience were manifested, and the veil of hypocrisy that the hypocrites had put over themselves was uncovered.
179. 2. That is, if Allah does not make the conditions of people apparent and their inner and outer selves distinct through such trials, then you do not possess any knowledge of the unseen by which these things could be revealed to him and you could know who is a hypocrite and who is a pure believer.
179. 3. Yes, however, Allah grants knowledge of the unseen to whomever He wills among His messengers, through which sometimes the secrets of the hypocrites, their conditions, and their conspiracies are exposed to them. That is, this is also revealed only at certain times and to certain prophets. Otherwise, generally, even a prophet (unless Allah wills) remains unaware of the inner hypocrisy and deceit of the hypocrites (as Allah Almighty said in Surah At-Tawbah, verse 101, that among the Bedouins and the people of Madinah are hypocrites whom you, O Prophet, do not know) Its second meaning could also be that We grant knowledge of the unseen only to Our messengers because it is a necessity of their office. Through this divine revelation and matters of the unseen, they call people to Allah and prove themselves to be Allah’s messengers. This subject is mentioned elsewhere in this way (عٰلِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلٰي غَيْبِهٖٓ اَحَدًا 26ۙ اِلَّا مَنِ ارْتَضٰى مِنْ رَّسُوْلٍ) 72:26, 27 "Knower of the unseen (is Allah the Almighty) and He does not disclose His unseen to anyone except to a messenger whom He has chosen." Obviously, these matters of the unseen are only those related to the fulfillment of the office and duties of prophethood, not the knowledge of 'ma kana wa ma yakun' (all that has happened and all that will happen until the Day of Judgment), as some people of falsehood claim such knowledge of the unseen for the prophets (peace be upon them) and even for their so-called "infallible Imams."
179. 2. That is, if Allah does not make the conditions of people apparent and their inner and outer selves distinct through such trials, then you do not possess any knowledge of the unseen by which these things could be revealed to him and you could know who is a hypocrite and who is a pure believer.
179. 3. Yes, however, Allah grants knowledge of the unseen to whomever He wills among His messengers, through which sometimes the secrets of the hypocrites, their conditions, and their conspiracies are exposed to them. That is, this is also revealed only at certain times and to certain prophets. Otherwise, generally, even a prophet (unless Allah wills) remains unaware of the inner hypocrisy and deceit of the hypocrites (as Allah Almighty said in Surah At-Tawbah, verse 101, that among the Bedouins and the people of Madinah are hypocrites whom you, O Prophet, do not know) Its second meaning could also be that We grant knowledge of the unseen only to Our messengers because it is a necessity of their office. Through this divine revelation and matters of the unseen, they call people to Allah and prove themselves to be Allah’s messengers. This subject is mentioned elsewhere in this way (عٰلِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلٰي غَيْبِهٖٓ اَحَدًا 26ۙ اِلَّا مَنِ ارْتَضٰى مِنْ رَّسُوْلٍ) 72:26, 27 "Knower of the unseen (is Allah the Almighty) and He does not disclose His unseen to anyone except to a messenger whom He has chosen." Obviously, these matters of the unseen are only those related to the fulfillment of the office and duties of prophethood, not the knowledge of 'ma kana wa ma yakun' (all that has happened and all that will happen until the Day of Judgment), as some people of falsehood claim such knowledge of the unseen for the prophets (peace be upon them) and even for their so-called "infallible Imams."
