سُوْرَةُ يُوسُفَ
Surah Yusuf (12) — Ayah 110
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ٱسْتَيْـَٔسَ ٱلرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُوا۟ جَآءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا فَنُجِّىَ مَن نَّشَآءُ ۖ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿110﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
(They were reprieved) until, when the Messengers gave up hope and thought that they were denied (by their people), then came to them Our Help, and whomsoever We willed were rescued. And Our punishment cannot be warded off from the people who are Mujrimûn (criminals, sinners, disbelievers, polytheists).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
حَتَّىٰٓ
ḥattā
Until
إِذَا
idhā
when
ٱسْتَيْـَٔسَ
is'tayasa
gave up hope
ٱلرُّسُلُ
l-rusulu
the Messengers
وَظَنُّوٓا۟
waẓannū
and thought
أَنَّهُمْ
annahum
that they
قَدْ
qad
certainly
كُذِبُوا۟
kudhibū
were denied
جَآءَهُمْ
jāahum
then came to them
نَصْرُنَا
naṣrunā
Our help
فَنُجِّىَ
fanujjiya
and was saved
مَن
man
whom
نَّشَآءُ ۖ
nashāu
We willed
وَلَا
walā
And not
يُرَدُّ
yuraddu
(can) be repelled
بَأْسُنَا
basunā
Our punishment
عَنِ
ʿani
from
ٱلْقَوْمِ
l-qawmi
the people
ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
l-muj'rimīna
(who are) criminals
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.
110. (The same happened with the previous messengers) until, when the messengers despaired and the people were convinced that they had been lied to [104], Our help came to the messengers. Then We saved whom We willed. But Our punishment cannot be averted from the guilty people.
[104]
The Effect of Delay in Allah’s Help on the Believers:
For the explanation of this last sentence, consider the following hadith: Sayyiduna Urwah bin Zubair ؓ asked Sayyidah Aisha ؓ about its meaning, so she said that it means that those who believed in the prophets and affirmed them, when for a long period calamity and hardship continued to befall them and Allah’s help was delayed, and the prophets lost hope in the disbelievers bringing faith, and began to think that even those who had already believed might now consider them to be liars. At that moment, Allah’s help arrived. [بخاري، كتاب التفسير]
This verse sheds light on Allah’s law of respite (the law of granting reprieve). That is, it has often happened that the messengers thought that all those who were to believe had already believed. Yet, the divine punishment which had been promised to them through the messengers’ tongues did not descend. Now, those who had believed and were enduring the oppression and tyranny of the deniers of truth, and to whom the promise of victory and help was being made—firstly, that promise was not being fulfilled, and secondly, the deniers of truth became convinced that the prophets’ promises of punishment were all empty threats. Therefore, even the believers began to think that perhaps these prophets had lied to them, or that such promises might turn out to be false. In such despairing circumstances, sometimes even the steadfastness of the prophets might have begun to waver, as is mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah: ﴿وَزُلْزِلُوْا حَتّيٰ يَقُوْلَ الرَّسُوْلُ وَالَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مَعَهٗ مَتيٰ نَصْرُ اللّٰهِ﴾ [2: 214]
At that time, Allah’s punishment arrived, and when the time for punishment comes, it cannot be postponed, and Allah surely shows the believers a way to be saved from that punishment.
[104]
The Effect of Delay in Allah’s Help on the Believers:
For the explanation of this last sentence, consider the following hadith: Sayyiduna Urwah bin Zubair ؓ asked Sayyidah Aisha ؓ about its meaning, so she said that it means that those who believed in the prophets and affirmed them, when for a long period calamity and hardship continued to befall them and Allah’s help was delayed, and the prophets lost hope in the disbelievers bringing faith, and began to think that even those who had already believed might now consider them to be liars. At that moment, Allah’s help arrived. [بخاري، كتاب التفسير]
This verse sheds light on Allah’s law of respite (the law of granting reprieve). That is, it has often happened that the messengers thought that all those who were to believe had already believed. Yet, the divine punishment which had been promised to them through the messengers’ tongues did not descend. Now, those who had believed and were enduring the oppression and tyranny of the deniers of truth, and to whom the promise of victory and help was being made—firstly, that promise was not being fulfilled, and secondly, the deniers of truth became convinced that the prophets’ promises of punishment were all empty threats. Therefore, even the believers began to think that perhaps these prophets had lied to them, or that such promises might turn out to be false. In such despairing circumstances, sometimes even the steadfastness of the prophets might have begun to waver, as is mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah: ﴿وَزُلْزِلُوْا حَتّيٰ يَقُوْلَ الرَّسُوْلُ وَالَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مَعَهٗ مَتيٰ نَصْرُ اللّٰهِ﴾ [2: 214]
At that time, Allah’s punishment arrived, and when the time for punishment comes, it cannot be postponed, and Allah surely shows the believers a way to be saved from that punishment.
