سُوْرَةُ الْقَلَمِ
Surah Al-Qalam (68) — Ayah 51
وَإِن يَكَادُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ بِأَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُۥ لَمَجْنُونٌ ﴿51﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And verily, those who disbelieve would almost make you slip with their eyes (through hatred) when they hear the Reminder (the Qur’ân), and they say: "Verily, he (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) is a madman!"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِن
wa-in
And indeed
يَكَادُ
yakādu
would almost
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
كَفَرُوا۟
kafarū
disbelieve
لَيُزْلِقُونَكَ
layuz'liqūnaka
surely make you slip
بِأَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ
bi-abṣārihim
with their look
لَمَّا
lammā
when
سَمِعُوا۟
samiʿū
they hear
ٱلذِّكْرَ
l-dhik'ra
the Message
وَيَقُولُونَ
wayaqūlūna
and they say
إِنَّهُۥ
innahu
Indeed, he
لَمَجْنُونٌۭ
lamajnūnun
(is) surely mad
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 51) {وَ اِنْ يَّكَادُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا لَيُزْلِقُوْنَكَ … :} In this verse, {’’ اِنْ ‘‘} was originally {’’ إِنَّ‘‘} (with a doubled noon), because later {’’ لَيُزْلِقُوْنَكَ ‘‘} is preceded by a laam. When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would recite the verses of Allah to the disbelievers and condemn idolatry, they would become extremely angry and glare at him with a look of rage, calling him insane. In Surah Al-Hajj (72), it is mentioned that they are close to attacking those who recite Our verses. {’’ لَيُزْلِقُوْنَكَ ‘‘ ’’أَزْلَقَ يُزْلِقُ‘‘} (af‘aal) means to make slip. It also means “to destroy,” because a person can be destroyed by slipping and falling. The meaning is that when the disbelievers hear the reminder, they glare at you with such anger and sharp looks as if they would make you slip from your position. The second meaning is as if they would destroy you. This is similar to the saying, “So-and-so looked at me in such a way as if he would devour me.”
Some commentators have written that there were certain tribes whose evil eye would affect very quickly, so they would look at you (peace be upon him) with evil intent, hoping to cast the evil eye upon you. Although the reality of the evil eye is established by authentic ahadith, this interpretation is not applicable here, because the evil eye is cast when someone looks at something with admiration, not with an angry look. The second reason is that in the verse, their looking is restricted by {’’ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ ‘‘}, meaning when they hear the reminder, they look at you in this way. At such a time of anger, the question of the evil eye does not arise, and those narrations are also not strong. [ کَذَا قَالَ صَاحِبُ أَحْسَنِ التَّفَاسِیْرِ وَ ابْنُ الْجَوْزِيْ فِيْ زَادِ الْمَسِیْرِ ]
Some commentators have written that there were certain tribes whose evil eye would affect very quickly, so they would look at you (peace be upon him) with evil intent, hoping to cast the evil eye upon you. Although the reality of the evil eye is established by authentic ahadith, this interpretation is not applicable here, because the evil eye is cast when someone looks at something with admiration, not with an angry look. The second reason is that in the verse, their looking is restricted by {’’ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الذِّكْرَ ‘‘}, meaning when they hear the reminder, they look at you in this way. At such a time of anger, the question of the evil eye does not arise, and those narrations are also not strong. [ کَذَا قَالَ صَاحِبُ أَحْسَنِ التَّفَاسِیْرِ وَ ابْنُ الْجَوْزِيْ فِيْ زَادِ الْمَسِیْرِ ]
