سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 109
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ ۗ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۗ وَلَدَارُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ ۗ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿109﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And We sent not before you (as Messengers) any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of the townships. Have they not travelled in the land and seen what was the end of those who were before them? And verily, the home of the Hereafter is the best for those who fear Allâh and obey Him (by abstaining from sins and evil deeds, and by performing righteous good deeds). Do you not then understand?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمَآ
wamā
And not
أَرْسَلْنَا
arsalnā
We sent
مِن
min
before you
قَبْلِكَ
qablika
before you
إِلَّا
illā
but
رِجَالًۭا
rijālan
men
نُّوحِىٓ
nūḥī
We revealed
إِلَيْهِم
ilayhim
to them
مِّنْ
min
from (among)
أَهْلِ
ahli
(the) people
ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ ۗ
l-qurā
(of) the townships
أَفَلَمْ
afalam
So have not
يَسِيرُوا۟
yasīrū
they traveled
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the earth
فَيَنظُرُوا۟
fayanẓurū
and seen
كَيْفَ
kayfa
how
كَانَ
kāna
was
عَـٰقِبَةُ
ʿāqibatu
(the) end
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
(of) those who
مِن
min
(were) before them
قَبْلِهِمْ ۗ
qablihim
(were) before them
وَلَدَارُ
waladāru
And surely the home
ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ
l-ākhirati
(of) the Hereafter
خَيْرٌۭ
khayrun
(is) best
لِّلَّذِينَ
lilladhīna
for those who
ٱتَّقَوْا۟ ۗ
ittaqaw
fear Allah
أَفَلَا
afalā
Then will not
تَعْقِلُونَ
taʿqilūna
you use reason
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
109. And before you, We sent only men as Messengers, from among the people of the towns, to whom We revealed [103]. Have they not traveled through the earth and seen what was the end of those before them? And surely, the home of the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allah. Do you not then understand?
[103]
Why is it necessary for the Messenger to be from the same nation and to be a human being?
This is, in fact, an answer to an objection raised by the deniers of prophethood in every era, as well as by the disbelievers of Makkah, that how can we believe in the prophethood and messengership of a man like ourselves, who has all the human needs and weaknesses as we do. Without mentioning this objection, its answer is being given in this verse. That is, all the prophets spent their childhood and youth before their people, so that their life before prophethood could serve as a testimony to their call, and their people could fully understand their message. And if We had sent a stranger from outside as a prophet, would they have been able to understand his message? Then, if they could not even understand, how could they have believed? Then, when no other situation is possible except this, what room is left for such an objection? And the second aspect is that those people who, by making such objections, refused to accept the call of the prophets, should at least have considered their outcome. Then, from this, it could also be concluded that when this was the fate of the deniers of truth in this world, then in the Hereafter it will be even worse. Also, those who reformed themselves in this world and feared Allah, not only were they good in this world, but their outcome in the Hereafter will be even better.
No woman has ever been a prophetess:
In this verse, two additional points are incidentally learned. One is that no woman has ever been made a prophet in any era. The second is that no prophet was ever sent to a Bedouin or wild region. They were born in large towns or cities, and those were the centers of their preaching.
[103]
Why is it necessary for the Messenger to be from the same nation and to be a human being?
This is, in fact, an answer to an objection raised by the deniers of prophethood in every era, as well as by the disbelievers of Makkah, that how can we believe in the prophethood and messengership of a man like ourselves, who has all the human needs and weaknesses as we do. Without mentioning this objection, its answer is being given in this verse. That is, all the prophets spent their childhood and youth before their people, so that their life before prophethood could serve as a testimony to their call, and their people could fully understand their message. And if We had sent a stranger from outside as a prophet, would they have been able to understand his message? Then, if they could not even understand, how could they have believed? Then, when no other situation is possible except this, what room is left for such an objection? And the second aspect is that those people who, by making such objections, refused to accept the call of the prophets, should at least have considered their outcome. Then, from this, it could also be concluded that when this was the fate of the deniers of truth in this world, then in the Hereafter it will be even worse. Also, those who reformed themselves in this world and feared Allah, not only were they good in this world, but their outcome in the Hereafter will be even better.
No woman has ever been a prophetess:
In this verse, two additional points are incidentally learned. One is that no woman has ever been made a prophet in any era. The second is that no prophet was ever sent to a Bedouin or wild region. They were born in large towns or cities, and those were the centers of their preaching.
