سُوْرَةُ الْاَعْرَافِ
Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 131
فَإِذَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْحَسَنَةُ قَالُوا۟ لَنَا هَـٰذِهِۦ ۖ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَطَّيَّرُوا۟ بِمُوسَىٰ وَمَن مَّعَهُۥٓ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّمَا طَـٰٓئِرُهُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿131﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
But whenever good came to them, they said: "Ours is this." And if evil afflicted them, they ascribed it to evil omens connected with Mûsâ (Moses) and those with him. Be informed! Verily, their evil omens are with Allâh but most of them know not.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَإِذَا
fa-idhā
But when
جَآءَتْهُمُ
jāathumu
came to them
ٱلْحَسَنَةُ
l-ḥasanatu
the good
قَالُوا۟
qālū
they said
لَنَا
lanā
For us
هَـٰذِهِۦ ۖ
hādhihi
(is) this
وَإِن
wa-in
And if
تُصِبْهُمْ
tuṣib'hum
afflicts them
سَيِّئَةٌۭ
sayyi-atun
bad
يَطَّيَّرُوا۟
yaṭṭayyarū
they ascribe evil omens
بِمُوسَىٰ
bimūsā
to Musa
وَمَن
waman
and who
مَّعَهُۥٓ ۗ
maʿahu
(were) with him
أَلَآ
alā
Behold
إِنَّمَا
innamā
Only
طَـٰٓئِرُهُمْ
ṭāiruhum
their evil omens
عِندَ
ʿinda
(are) with
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
وَلَـٰكِنَّ
walākinna
but
أَكْثَرَهُمْ
aktharahum
most of them
لَا
lā
(do) not
يَعْلَمُونَ
yaʿlamūna
know
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.
131. 1. By ḥasanah (goodness) is meant abundance of grain and fruits; by sayyi’ah (evil), its opposite, i.e., famine and decrease in produce. They would take all the credit for prosperity themselves, saying it is the result of their own hard work, and would blame hardship on Musa (Moses) ﷺ and those who believed in him, claiming that the misfortune affecting their land was due to the bad omen of these people.
131. 2. The meaning of ṭā’ir is “one who flies,” i.e., a bird. Since people used to take good or bad omens from the direction in which a bird flew, this word began to be used for omens in general, and it is in this sense here. Allah Almighty said that all good or bad, whether prosperity or famine, that befalls them, its causes are from Allah Almighty; Musa ﷺ and his followers are not the cause. The meaning of (ۭاَلَآ اِنَّمَا طٰۗىِٕرُهُمْ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ) 7. Al-A‘raf:131) will be that the cause of their bad omen is in Allah’s knowledge, and it is their disbelief and denial, not anything else. Or, it is from Allah, and its reason is their disbelief.
131. 2. The meaning of ṭā’ir is “one who flies,” i.e., a bird. Since people used to take good or bad omens from the direction in which a bird flew, this word began to be used for omens in general, and it is in this sense here. Allah Almighty said that all good or bad, whether prosperity or famine, that befalls them, its causes are from Allah Almighty; Musa ﷺ and his followers are not the cause. The meaning of (ۭاَلَآ اِنَّمَا طٰۗىِٕرُهُمْ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ) 7. Al-A‘raf:131) will be that the cause of their bad omen is in Allah’s knowledge, and it is their disbelief and denial, not anything else. Or, it is from Allah, and its reason is their disbelief.
