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 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 109) ➊ {اَفَمَنْ اَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهٗ عَلٰى تَقْوٰى … : ’’ شَفَا ‘‘} Edge {’’ جُرُفٍ ‘‘} The edge of a stream or river from beneath which water has carried away the soil and it is about to collapse, because there is no foundation beneath it to support it, only a hollow mass of earth underneath. {’’ هَارٍ ‘‘} is an active participle {’’هَارَ يَهَارُ ({خَافَ يَخَافُ})‘‘} from or {”هَارَ يَهُوْرُ ({قَالَ يَقُوْلُ})“} from. The original was {’’هَائِرٌ‘‘}, as in {’’خَائِفٌ‘‘} or {’’قَائِلٌ‘‘}, then metathesis occurred so it became { ’’هَارِيٌ‘‘} and after dropping the ya from {’’رَاضِيٌ‘‘}, it became {’’رَاضٍ‘‘ } like {’’هَارِيٌ‘‘} from {’’هَارٍ‘‘}. {’’ فَانْهَارَ ‘‘} is the past tense of the form {’’ اِنْهِيَارٌ ‘‘}.
This is the example of two persons: one whose belief and actions are founded on piety towards Allah and His pleasure, and the other whose belief and actions are based solely on disbelief and hypocrisy. The former's building has a strong and firm foundation; it will never collapse, while the latter's building is on something that appears solid but is hollow underneath, as if it has no foundation at all. The result can only be that this building will collapse, taking him with it, and because it stands on disbelief and hypocrisy (whose end is the Fire), it will collapse with him into the Fire of Hell.
➋ { وَ اللّٰهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظّٰلِمِيْنَ:} That is, the consequence of injustice (zulm) is such that even if one wishes to do good deeds, he is unable to do so. (Muwaddih)
This is the example of two persons: one whose belief and actions are founded on piety towards Allah and His pleasure, and the other whose belief and actions are based solely on disbelief and hypocrisy. The former's building has a strong and firm foundation; it will never collapse, while the latter's building is on something that appears solid but is hollow underneath, as if it has no foundation at all. The result can only be that this building will collapse, taking him with it, and because it stands on disbelief and hypocrisy (whose end is the Fire), it will collapse with him into the Fire of Hell.
➋ { وَ اللّٰهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظّٰلِمِيْنَ:} That is, the consequence of injustice (zulm) is such that even if one wishes to do good deeds, he is unable to do so. (Muwaddih)
