سُوْرَةُ الْكَهْفِ
Surah Al-Kahf (18) — Ayah 110
قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَآ إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ ۖ فَمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ لِقَآءَ رَبِّهِۦ فَلْيَعْمَلْ عَمَلًا صَـٰلِحًا وَلَا يُشْرِكْ بِعِبَادَةِ رَبِّهِۦٓ أَحَدًۢا ﴿110﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): "I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me that your Ilâh (God) is One Ilâh (God - i.e. Allâh). So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قُلْ
qul
Say
إِنَّمَآ
innamā
Only
أَنَا۠
anā
I
بَشَرٌۭ
basharun
(am) a man
مِّثْلُكُمْ
mith'lukum
like you
يُوحَىٰٓ
yūḥā
Has been revealed
إِلَىَّ
ilayya
to me
أَنَّمَآ
annamā
that
إِلَـٰهُكُمْ
ilāhukum
your God
إِلَـٰهٌۭ
ilāhun
(is) God
وَٰحِدٌۭ ۖ
wāḥidun
One
فَمَن
faman
So whoever
كَانَ
kāna
is
يَرْجُوا۟
yarjū
hoping
لِقَآءَ
liqāa
(for the) meeting
رَبِّهِۦ
rabbihi
(with) his Lord
فَلْيَعْمَلْ
falyaʿmal
let him do
عَمَلًۭا
ʿamalan
deeds
صَـٰلِحًۭا
ṣāliḥan
righteous
وَلَا
walā
and not
يُشْرِكْ
yush'rik
associate
بِعِبَادَةِ
biʿibādati
in (the) worship
رَبِّهِۦٓ
rabbihi
(of) his Lord
أَحَدًۢا
aḥadan
anyone
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. Say: I am only a human being like you [90]. (The difference is that) revelation is sent to me that your God is only One God. So whoever hopes to meet his Lord should do righteous deeds and not associate anyone in the worship of his Lord.
[90] This objection of the disbelievers and its answer have already been mentioned several times before, that is, I am also a human being like you: I eat, drink, walk, marry, and have wives. However, the difference is that I am also the Messenger of Allah. This answer was for those who did not accept you as a Messenger, and even before those who knew (i.e., the noble Companions), you admitted your human weaknesses several times, as is evident from the following hadiths.
1.
Your Repeated Admission of Being Human Before the Noble Companions:
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ narrates that once the Prophet ﷺ led the prayer and made some addition or omission in it. When he finished the prayer with salam, the people said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, has a new command regarding the prayer come?" The Prophet ﷺ asked, "Why, what is the matter?" The people said, "You have performed such and such number of rak'ahs." Upon hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ turned back, faced the qiblah, performed two prostrations of forgetfulness (sahw), then finished with salam, then turned towards us and said: "If a new command regarding the prayer had come, I would certainly have informed you, but the fact is that I am also a man like you; just as you forget, I also forget. So when I forget, remind me, and when any of you is uncertain about his prayer, he should complete his prayer according to what he thinks is most likely, then finish with salam and perform two prostrations of forgetfulness." [بخاري، كتاب الصلوة۔ باب التوجه نحو القبلة]
2. Umm al-Mu'mineen Sayyidah Umm Salamah ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "I am also only a human being, and you come to me with your disputes, and sometimes it happens that one of you is more eloquent in presenting his case than the other, so I decide in his favor based on what I hear. Now, if I grant someone a right that belongs to his brother, then remember, I am giving him a piece of fire." [بخاري، كتاب الاحكام۔ باب موعظة الامام للخصوم]
From this hadith, it is also clear that the Prophet ﷺ did not possess knowledge of the unseen, as some people think.
3. Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Khadij ؓ narrates that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to Madinah, the people used to graft date palms. The Prophet ﷺ asked, "What are you doing?" The Companions ؓ replied, "We have always done this." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Perhaps it would be better if you did not do this." So the people stopped grafting, and the yield of dates decreased. The Companions ؓ mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said: "I am also only a human being. When I command you regarding your religion, then act upon it, but when I say something from my own opinion, then I am only a man (i.e., I can also make a mistake)." [مسلم۔ كتاب الفضائل باب وجوب امتثال ماقاله، دون ما ذكره، من معائش الدنيا على سبيل الراي]
Those Who Fall Into Excess or Negligence Regarding Your Status:
We felt the need to mention these hadiths because the Ummah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has fallen into excess and negligence regarding him. Some people insist that he was not a human being at all, but rather light (nur). These hadiths are recorded to explain to them and as a proof against them. The other group, which fell into negligence, brought him down to the level of an ordinary human being and argued that "innama" is a word of restriction, whereas "innama" only serves to distinguish between divinity and servitude, meaning that there is no share of divinity in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. This does not negate the perfections of prophethood. In Bukhari, under the chapter "Signs of Prophethood in Islam," hundreds of your miracles are mentioned. Therefore, considering the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as an ordinary human being like any other is extreme disrespect and grave ignorance.
[91] That is, whoever longs to meet Allah and wishes that this meeting be pleasant, he should continue to perform righteous deeds while fearing Allah, but with the condition that there is not even a trace of shirk in the worship of Allah. Firstly, he should worship Him alone with sincerity, and secondly, he should not associate anyone with Him in His worship, and the ways of worship, veneration, and supplication that are legislated for Allah should not be performed for anyone else.
[90] This objection of the disbelievers and its answer have already been mentioned several times before, that is, I am also a human being like you: I eat, drink, walk, marry, and have wives. However, the difference is that I am also the Messenger of Allah. This answer was for those who did not accept you as a Messenger, and even before those who knew (i.e., the noble Companions), you admitted your human weaknesses several times, as is evident from the following hadiths.
1.
Your Repeated Admission of Being Human Before the Noble Companions:
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ narrates that once the Prophet ﷺ led the prayer and made some addition or omission in it. When he finished the prayer with salam, the people said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, has a new command regarding the prayer come?" The Prophet ﷺ asked, "Why, what is the matter?" The people said, "You have performed such and such number of rak'ahs." Upon hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ turned back, faced the qiblah, performed two prostrations of forgetfulness (sahw), then finished with salam, then turned towards us and said: "If a new command regarding the prayer had come, I would certainly have informed you, but the fact is that I am also a man like you; just as you forget, I also forget. So when I forget, remind me, and when any of you is uncertain about his prayer, he should complete his prayer according to what he thinks is most likely, then finish with salam and perform two prostrations of forgetfulness." [بخاري، كتاب الصلوة۔ باب التوجه نحو القبلة]
2. Umm al-Mu'mineen Sayyidah Umm Salamah ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "I am also only a human being, and you come to me with your disputes, and sometimes it happens that one of you is more eloquent in presenting his case than the other, so I decide in his favor based on what I hear. Now, if I grant someone a right that belongs to his brother, then remember, I am giving him a piece of fire." [بخاري، كتاب الاحكام۔ باب موعظة الامام للخصوم]
From this hadith, it is also clear that the Prophet ﷺ did not possess knowledge of the unseen, as some people think.
3. Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Khadij ؓ narrates that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to Madinah, the people used to graft date palms. The Prophet ﷺ asked, "What are you doing?" The Companions ؓ replied, "We have always done this." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Perhaps it would be better if you did not do this." So the people stopped grafting, and the yield of dates decreased. The Companions ؓ mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and he said: "I am also only a human being. When I command you regarding your religion, then act upon it, but when I say something from my own opinion, then I am only a man (i.e., I can also make a mistake)." [مسلم۔ كتاب الفضائل باب وجوب امتثال ماقاله، دون ما ذكره، من معائش الدنيا على سبيل الراي]
Those Who Fall Into Excess or Negligence Regarding Your Status:
We felt the need to mention these hadiths because the Ummah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has fallen into excess and negligence regarding him. Some people insist that he was not a human being at all, but rather light (nur). These hadiths are recorded to explain to them and as a proof against them. The other group, which fell into negligence, brought him down to the level of an ordinary human being and argued that "innama" is a word of restriction, whereas "innama" only serves to distinguish between divinity and servitude, meaning that there is no share of divinity in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. This does not negate the perfections of prophethood. In Bukhari, under the chapter "Signs of Prophethood in Islam," hundreds of your miracles are mentioned. Therefore, considering the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as an ordinary human being like any other is extreme disrespect and grave ignorance.
[91] That is, whoever longs to meet Allah and wishes that this meeting be pleasant, he should continue to perform righteous deeds while fearing Allah, but with the condition that there is not even a trace of shirk in the worship of Allah. Firstly, he should worship Him alone with sincerity, and secondly, he should not associate anyone with Him in His worship, and the ways of worship, veneration, and supplication that are legislated for Allah should not be performed for anyone else.
