سُوْرَةُ يُوْنُسَ
Surah Yunus (10) — Ayah 85
فَقَالُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِّلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ﴿85﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
They said: "In Allâh we put our trust. Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the folk who are Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) (i.e. do not make them overpower us).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَقَالُوا۟
faqālū
Then they said
عَلَى
ʿalā
Upon
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
تَوَكَّلْنَا
tawakkalnā
we put our trust
رَبَّنَا
rabbanā
Our Lord
لَا
lā
(Do) not
تَجْعَلْنَا
tajʿalnā
make us
فِتْنَةًۭ
fit'natan
a trial
لِّلْقَوْمِ
lil'qawmi
for the people
ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
l-ẓālimīna
the wrongdoers
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
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 86,85) { فَقَالُوْا عَلَى اللّٰهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا …:} They not only accepted the Prophet’s advice but also verbally declared that we rely only on Allah, He alone is our support, and along with this, they made two supplications, and both these supplications are a remedy for protection from the oppression of tyrant rulers. The first supplication is: O our Lord! Do not make us a trial for the wrongdoing people. The word {’’ فِتْنَةً ‘‘} is a verbal noun which, as the verbal noun of the active verb {’’ فَتَنَ ‘‘}, will mean the active participle, that is, {’’ فَاتِنِيْنَ‘‘} those who put others into trial and tribulation. Similarly, it can also be the verbal noun of the passive verb {’’ فُتِنَ‘‘}, meaning the passive participle, that is, {’’ مَفْتُوْنِيْنَ ‘‘} those who are put into trial. In the first case, the meaning will be: O Allah! Do not make us the cause for putting these wrongdoers into trial, that is, do not make us the cause for putting them into the trial of disbelief, so that if they remain dominant over us and we continue to be the target of their oppression, they will fall into the trial of believing themselves to be true and upon the truth, and will become more firm in disbelief, and will think that if the Muslims were true and upon the truth, then their Lord would surely help them, as a poet has said:
If You do not support the truth-seekers,
The idols will taunt that the Muslim’s God does not exist.
And if {’’ فِتْنَةً ‘‘} is considered as the passive verbal noun, then the meaning will be: Do not make us (those who fall into trial) for these wrongdoers, so that due to their oppression and violence, any one of us may fall into the trial of apostasy and lose his faith. The second supplication is: O our Lord! Not only save us from being a cause of trial for them, but also, with Your mercy, grant us deliverance and freedom from these disbelievers. From this supplication, it is evident how much Allah’s servants cared for faith and the Hereafter, that they did not even want to be the cause for anyone remaining in disbelief, nor did they want that due to someone’s oppression, they themselves should fall into trial and lose their faith.
If You do not support the truth-seekers,
The idols will taunt that the Muslim’s God does not exist.
And if {’’ فِتْنَةً ‘‘} is considered as the passive verbal noun, then the meaning will be: Do not make us (those who fall into trial) for these wrongdoers, so that due to their oppression and violence, any one of us may fall into the trial of apostasy and lose his faith. The second supplication is: O our Lord! Not only save us from being a cause of trial for them, but also, with Your mercy, grant us deliverance and freedom from these disbelievers. From this supplication, it is evident how much Allah’s servants cared for faith and the Hereafter, that they did not even want to be the cause for anyone remaining in disbelief, nor did they want that due to someone’s oppression, they themselves should fall into trial and lose their faith.
