سُوْرَةُ التَّوْبَةِ
Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 109
أَفَمَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَـٰنَهُۥ عَلَىٰ تَقْوَىٰ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضْوَٰنٍ خَيْرٌ أَم مَّنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَـٰنَهُۥ عَلَىٰ شَفَا جُرُفٍ هَارٍ فَٱنْهَارَ بِهِۦ فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ﴿109﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Is it then he who laid the foundation of his building on piety to Allâh and His Good Pleasure better, or he who laid the foundation of his building on the brink of an undetermined precipice ready to crumble down, so that it crumbled to pieces with him into the Fire of Hell. And Allâh guides not the people who are the Zâlimûn (cruel, violent, proud, polytheist and wrong-doer).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَفَمَنْ
afaman
Then is (one) who
أَسَّسَ
assasa
founded
بُنْيَـٰنَهُۥ
bun'yānahu
his building
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
on
تَقْوَىٰ
taqwā
righteousness
مِنَ
mina
from
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
وَرِضْوَٰنٍ
wariḍ'wānin
and (His) pleasure
خَيْرٌ
khayrun
better
أَم
am
or
مَّنْ
man
(one) who
أَسَّسَ
assasa
founded
بُنْيَـٰنَهُۥ
bun'yānahu
his building
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
on
شَفَا
shafā
edge
جُرُفٍ
jurufin
(of) a cliff
هَارٍۢ
hārin
(about to) collapse
فَٱنْهَارَ
fa-in'hāra
so it collapsed
بِهِۦ
bihi
with him
فِى
fī
in
نَارِ
nāri
(the) Fire
جَهَنَّمَ ۗ
jahannama
(of) Hell
وَٱللَّهُ
wal-lahu
And Allah
لَا
lā
(does) not
يَهْدِى
yahdī
guide
ٱلْقَوْمَ
l-qawma
the wrongdoing people
ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
l-ẓālimīna
the wrongdoing people
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.
19. 1. In this, examples of the deeds of the believer and the hypocrite are mentioned. The deed of the believer is based on piety towards Allah and for His pleasure. Whereas the deed of the hypocrite is based on showing off and corruption. It is like that piece of land under which the water of a valley flows and carries away the soil with it. That part remains hollow from underneath. If any construction is made upon it, it immediately collapses. The act of building a mosque by these hypocrites is also like this, which will drag them into Hell along with it.
