سُوْرَةُ النَّحْلِ
Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 106
مَن كَفَرَ بِٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ إِيمَـٰنِهِۦٓ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُۥ مُطْمَئِنٌّۢ بِٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ وَلَـٰكِن مَّن شَرَحَ بِٱلْكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿106﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Whoever disbelieved in Allâh after his belief, except him who is forced thereto and whose heart is at rest with Faith; but such as open their breasts to disbelief, on them is wrath from Allâh, and theirs will be a great torment.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
مَن
man
Whoever
كَفَرَ
kafara
disbelieves
بِٱللَّهِ
bil-lahi
in Allah
مِنۢ
min
after
بَعْدِ
baʿdi
after
إِيمَـٰنِهِۦٓ
īmānihi
his belief
إِلَّا
illā
except
مَنْ
man
(one) who
أُكْرِهَ
uk'riha
is forced
وَقَلْبُهُۥ
waqalbuhu
while his heart
مُطْمَئِنٌّۢ
muṭ'ma-innun
(is) content
بِٱلْإِيمَـٰنِ
bil-īmāni
with the faith
وَلَـٰكِن
walākin
But
مَّن
man
(one) who
شَرَحَ
sharaḥa
opens
بِٱلْكُفْرِ
bil-kuf'ri
to disbelief
صَدْرًۭا
ṣadran
(his) breast
فَعَلَيْهِمْ
faʿalayhim
then upon them
غَضَبٌۭ
ghaḍabun
(is) a wrath
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
وَلَهُمْ
walahum
and for them
عَذَابٌ
ʿadhābun
(is) a punishment
عَظِيمٌۭ
ʿaẓīmun
great
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.
Whoever disbelieves in Allah after having believed—except for one who is forced while his heart [111] is secure in faith—(he is excused), but whoever willingly opens his heart to disbelief [112], upon them is the wrath of Allah, and for them is a tremendous punishment.
[111]
Permission to Utter a Word of Disbelief in a State of Compulsion:
If a Muslim, overwhelmed by calamities and hardships or at the time of danger to life, utters a word of disbelief with his tongue, provided that his heart remains steadfast upon faith, then there is permission for this. Otherwise, the original ruling or determination is that even at such a time, his steadfastness should not waver, and he should not take advantage of this concession. Thus, during the Makkan period, the persecutions and hardships inflicted upon the Muslims by the Quraysh of Makkah were such that most of the noble Companions ؓ adhered to determination. They endured the hardships, but their steadfastness did not waver in the slightest. To the extent that some Companions even sacrificed their lives. The only example we find is that of Sayyiduna ‘Ammar bin Yasir ؓ. ‘Ammar ؓ himself, his father Yasir, and his mother Sumayyah were all slaves of Abu Jahl, the chief of Quraysh of Makkah. In front of Sayyiduna ‘Ammar ؓ, his father was martyred, and Abu Jahl, the accursed, struck his mother with a spear in her private part and martyred her. In these circumstances, he was compelled to say whatever the disbelievers wanted him to say. Then, immediately, he ؓ came to the presence of the Prophet ﷺ and said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! In such and such circumstances, I spoke ill of you and praised their deities.” The Prophet ﷺ asked, “Describe the state of your heart.” Sayyiduna ‘Ammar ؓ replied, “My heart is fully content with faith.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Alright, if they treat you the same way again, then you may again take advantage of this concession.” In this context, these verses were revealed. [بخاری۔ کتاب الا کراہ۔ باب قول اللہ الامن اکرہ وقلبہ مطمئن بالایمان]
[112] That is, those who, after embracing Islam, become overwhelmed by the hardships that befall them and begin to prefer their former life of comfort in disbelief, and are not willing to bear any worldly loss, and for these reasons, willingly and eagerly choose the path of disbelief again—such people are indeed deserving of a great punishment.
[111]
Permission to Utter a Word of Disbelief in a State of Compulsion:
If a Muslim, overwhelmed by calamities and hardships or at the time of danger to life, utters a word of disbelief with his tongue, provided that his heart remains steadfast upon faith, then there is permission for this. Otherwise, the original ruling or determination is that even at such a time, his steadfastness should not waver, and he should not take advantage of this concession. Thus, during the Makkan period, the persecutions and hardships inflicted upon the Muslims by the Quraysh of Makkah were such that most of the noble Companions ؓ adhered to determination. They endured the hardships, but their steadfastness did not waver in the slightest. To the extent that some Companions even sacrificed their lives. The only example we find is that of Sayyiduna ‘Ammar bin Yasir ؓ. ‘Ammar ؓ himself, his father Yasir, and his mother Sumayyah were all slaves of Abu Jahl, the chief of Quraysh of Makkah. In front of Sayyiduna ‘Ammar ؓ, his father was martyred, and Abu Jahl, the accursed, struck his mother with a spear in her private part and martyred her. In these circumstances, he was compelled to say whatever the disbelievers wanted him to say. Then, immediately, he ؓ came to the presence of the Prophet ﷺ and said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! In such and such circumstances, I spoke ill of you and praised their deities.” The Prophet ﷺ asked, “Describe the state of your heart.” Sayyiduna ‘Ammar ؓ replied, “My heart is fully content with faith.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Alright, if they treat you the same way again, then you may again take advantage of this concession.” In this context, these verses were revealed. [بخاری۔ کتاب الا کراہ۔ باب قول اللہ الامن اکرہ وقلبہ مطمئن بالایمان]
[112] That is, those who, after embracing Islam, become overwhelmed by the hardships that befall them and begin to prefer their former life of comfort in disbelief, and are not willing to bear any worldly loss, and for these reasons, willingly and eagerly choose the path of disbelief again—such people are indeed deserving of a great punishment.
