سُوْرَةُ النَّحْلِ
Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 123
ثُمَّ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ أَنِ ٱتَّبِعْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ﴿123﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Then, We have sent the revelation to you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم saying): "Follow the religion of Ibrâhîm (Abraham) Hanif (Islâmic Monotheism - to worship none but Allâh) and he was not of the Mushrikûn (polytheists, idolaters and disbelievers).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ثُمَّ
thumma
Then
أَوْحَيْنَآ
awḥaynā
We revealed
إِلَيْكَ
ilayka
to you
أَنِ
ani
that
ٱتَّبِعْ
ittabiʿ
You follow
مِلَّةَ
millata
(the) religion
إِبْرَٰهِيمَ
ib'rāhīma
(of) Ibrahim
حَنِيفًۭا ۖ
ḥanīfan
upright
وَمَا
wamā
and not
كَانَ
kāna
he was
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
l-mush'rikīna
the polytheists
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.
Then We revealed to you: “Follow the faith of Abraham, the upright one [125]; and he was not of the polytheists.”
[125]
Only Four Fundamental Things Were Forbidden in the Shari'ah of Sayyiduna Ibrahim:
That is, if today there is any follower of the religion of Ibrahim, it is only this Last Prophet to whom We have commanded to follow the religion of Ibrahim. Apart from him, neither the polytheists of Makkah are followers of Sayyiduna Ibrahim, nor the Jews, nor the Christians, even though all of them wish to trace their lineage to Sayyiduna Ibrahim and consider it a matter of pride. This is because these people are polytheists, while Sayyiduna Ibrahim was not a polytheist. The polytheism of the polytheists of Makkah is obvious. The polytheism of the Jews was that they made Sayyiduna Uzair the son of Allah. Also, they declared many lawful things unlawful for themselves, as a result of which Allah also made those things unlawful for them. And the Christians are also polytheists, who have made three gods instead of one.
[125]
Only Four Fundamental Things Were Forbidden in the Shari'ah of Sayyiduna Ibrahim:
That is, if today there is any follower of the religion of Ibrahim, it is only this Last Prophet to whom We have commanded to follow the religion of Ibrahim. Apart from him, neither the polytheists of Makkah are followers of Sayyiduna Ibrahim, nor the Jews, nor the Christians, even though all of them wish to trace their lineage to Sayyiduna Ibrahim and consider it a matter of pride. This is because these people are polytheists, while Sayyiduna Ibrahim was not a polytheist. The polytheism of the polytheists of Makkah is obvious. The polytheism of the Jews was that they made Sayyiduna Uzair the son of Allah. Also, they declared many lawful things unlawful for themselves, as a result of which Allah also made those things unlawful for them. And the Christians are also polytheists, who have made three gods instead of one.
