سُوْرَةُ اِبْرَاهِيْمَ
Surah Ibrahim (14) — Ayah 4
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا بِلِسَانِ قَوْمِهِۦ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ ۖ فَيُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ﴿4﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And We sent not a Messenger except with the language of his people, in order that he might make (the Message) clear for them. Then Allâh misleads whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمَآ
wamā
And not
أَرْسَلْنَا
arsalnā
We sent
مِن
min
any
رَّسُولٍ
rasūlin
Messenger
إِلَّا
illā
except
بِلِسَانِ
bilisāni
with the language
قَوْمِهِۦ
qawmihi
(of) his people
لِيُبَيِّنَ
liyubayyina
so that he might make clear
لَهُمْ ۖ
lahum
for them
فَيُضِلُّ
fayuḍillu
Then Allah lets go astray
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Then Allah lets go astray
مَن
man
whom
يَشَآءُ
yashāu
He wills
وَيَهْدِى
wayahdī
and guides
مَن
man
whom
يَشَآءُ ۚ
yashāu
He wills
وَهُوَ
wahuwa
And He
ٱلْعَزِيزُ
l-ʿazīzu
(is) the All-Mighty
ٱلْحَكِيمُ
l-ḥakīmu
the All-Wise
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.
4. And We did not send any Messenger except in the language of his people, so that he might make things clear to them. Then Allah lets go astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills, and He is the Mighty, the Wise. [4][5]
[4]
What is the Explanation of the Quran?
That is, it is the responsibility of the Messenger to explain or teach the explanation of the Quran to his people, even though they speak the same language. Here, it should be understood that explanation is not merely repeating the words of the Quran, but in explanation, it includes conveying the correct meaning of the words of the Quran, its commentary and interpretation, its strategy and method of compliance—everything is included. In order to understand the Quran and act upon it, it is necessary that the meaning of the words of the Quran be determined according to both the One Who revealed it and the one upon whom it was revealed. Understand this with an example: Zaid (the speaker) says to Bakr (the addressee), "Bring water," then Bakr will only be able to comply with Zaid's command if both the speaker and the addressee have a determined and identical understanding of the words "water" and "bring." And if Zaid uses an ambiguous word, then until he further clarifies it, Bakr will not be able to act upon it. Similarly, if Zaid's addressee is someone who does not understand Urdu at all, then he will also not be able to comply with his command, and it will remain a question mark. This is why Allah Almighty did not only reveal the words of the Noble Quran, but also inspired their meaning into the mind of the addressee (the Messenger of Allah ﷺ), so that there would be no difficulty in complying with the command. That is, determining the meaning in the mind of the addressee is itself the explanation of the Quran.
Why is the Explanation of the Quran Necessary?
Furthermore, Allah Almighty has clearly stated in Surah Al-Qiyamah that the explanation along with the Quran is also Our responsibility, and the protection of both the Quran and its explanation is Our responsibility, and this very explanation was taught to the Ummah by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. For example, in countless places in the Quran, the word ﴿اَقِيْمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ﴾ has appeared. In this verse, there is a command to establish Salah, and until it is known what Salah actually is, compliance is impossible. Looking up its meaning in the dictionary will not suffice, because this is a Shari'ah term which requires a lengthy and detailed explanation. For example, the procedure for performing Salah, how many rak'ahs should be prayed, the command of purification before it, the timings of the prayers, etc.—all of this was the task of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to teach the Ummah, and this is the explanation of the Quran. The same is the case with other Shari'ah terms, and they are numerous. For example: Ilah, Deen, Ibadah, Salah, Sawm, Hajj, Manasik Hajj, Tawaf, Talbiyah, Ruku', Sujud, Qiyam, Umrah, Akhirah, Ma'ruf and Munkar, etc.—the only valid meaning of all these terms is the one explained by the Messenger of Allah.
The Explanation of the Quran is Your Responsibility:
Moreover, many words have multiple meanings. Some are used idiomatically. Some words have different customary meanings and different literal meanings. The interpretation and explanation of all these words is called the explanation of the Quran. It is not sufficient for the Book to be revealed merely in the language that is the national language. Rather, there are many places where explanation is needed. The explanation of the Quran was your ﷺ responsibility, and this very explanation is called Sunnah.
[5] It is not the case that since Allah is dominant over everything, therefore He may misguide whomever He wills and guide whomever He wills. Rather, He is also Wise, and the demand of His wisdom is that whoever seeks guidance is surely granted guidance, and He only misguides the one who chooses the path of misguidance and is not even willing to listen to the truth.
[4]
What is the Explanation of the Quran?
That is, it is the responsibility of the Messenger to explain or teach the explanation of the Quran to his people, even though they speak the same language. Here, it should be understood that explanation is not merely repeating the words of the Quran, but in explanation, it includes conveying the correct meaning of the words of the Quran, its commentary and interpretation, its strategy and method of compliance—everything is included. In order to understand the Quran and act upon it, it is necessary that the meaning of the words of the Quran be determined according to both the One Who revealed it and the one upon whom it was revealed. Understand this with an example: Zaid (the speaker) says to Bakr (the addressee), "Bring water," then Bakr will only be able to comply with Zaid's command if both the speaker and the addressee have a determined and identical understanding of the words "water" and "bring." And if Zaid uses an ambiguous word, then until he further clarifies it, Bakr will not be able to act upon it. Similarly, if Zaid's addressee is someone who does not understand Urdu at all, then he will also not be able to comply with his command, and it will remain a question mark. This is why Allah Almighty did not only reveal the words of the Noble Quran, but also inspired their meaning into the mind of the addressee (the Messenger of Allah ﷺ), so that there would be no difficulty in complying with the command. That is, determining the meaning in the mind of the addressee is itself the explanation of the Quran.
Why is the Explanation of the Quran Necessary?
Furthermore, Allah Almighty has clearly stated in Surah Al-Qiyamah that the explanation along with the Quran is also Our responsibility, and the protection of both the Quran and its explanation is Our responsibility, and this very explanation was taught to the Ummah by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. For example, in countless places in the Quran, the word ﴿اَقِيْمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ﴾ has appeared. In this verse, there is a command to establish Salah, and until it is known what Salah actually is, compliance is impossible. Looking up its meaning in the dictionary will not suffice, because this is a Shari'ah term which requires a lengthy and detailed explanation. For example, the procedure for performing Salah, how many rak'ahs should be prayed, the command of purification before it, the timings of the prayers, etc.—all of this was the task of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to teach the Ummah, and this is the explanation of the Quran. The same is the case with other Shari'ah terms, and they are numerous. For example: Ilah, Deen, Ibadah, Salah, Sawm, Hajj, Manasik Hajj, Tawaf, Talbiyah, Ruku', Sujud, Qiyam, Umrah, Akhirah, Ma'ruf and Munkar, etc.—the only valid meaning of all these terms is the one explained by the Messenger of Allah.
The Explanation of the Quran is Your Responsibility:
Moreover, many words have multiple meanings. Some are used idiomatically. Some words have different customary meanings and different literal meanings. The interpretation and explanation of all these words is called the explanation of the Quran. It is not sufficient for the Book to be revealed merely in the language that is the national language. Rather, there are many places where explanation is needed. The explanation of the Quran was your ﷺ responsibility, and this very explanation is called Sunnah.
[5] It is not the case that since Allah is dominant over everything, therefore He may misguide whomever He wills and guide whomever He wills. Rather, He is also Wise, and the demand of His wisdom is that whoever seeks guidance is surely granted guidance, and He only misguides the one who chooses the path of misguidance and is not even willing to listen to the truth.
