سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءِ
Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 82
وَمِنَ ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينِ مَن يَغُوصُونَ لَهُۥ وَيَعْمَلُونَ عَمَلًا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ وَكُنَّا لَهُمْ حَـٰفِظِينَ ﴿82﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And of the Shayâtîn (devils from the jinn) were some who dived for him, and did other work besides that; and it was We Who guarded them.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمِنَ
wamina
And of
ٱلشَّيَـٰطِينِ
l-shayāṭīni
the devils
مَن
man
(were some) who
يَغُوصُونَ
yaghūṣūna
would dive
لَهُۥ
lahu
for him
وَيَعْمَلُونَ
wayaʿmalūna
and would do
عَمَلًۭا
ʿamalan
work
دُونَ
dūna
other than
ذَٰلِكَ ۖ
dhālika
that
وَكُنَّا
wakunnā
And We were
لَهُمْ
lahum
of them
حَـٰفِظِينَ
ḥāfiẓīna
Guardians
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.
And We subjected the devils to him, who dived for him (to extract pearls and gems from the sea) [71], and performed other tasks as well; and We alone were their keepers [72].
[71]
By whom are meant the rural people, dominion over the jinn:
Those who are accustomed to interpreting miracles and are not satisfied until they subject them to natural phenomena, take the devils in this verse to mean powerful rural people. However, powerful rural people are also human; their being rural or powerful does not change their species. All the skyscrapers in the world or heavy tasks are performed by these powerful rural people. This is not the work of delicate city dwellers. And powerful rural people are easily available to every king and even every capitalist. Then what distinction would remain for Prophet Sulaimanؑ, in whose servants Allah has specifically mentioned the jinn?
[72] That is, We had made those devils obedient to Sulaimanؑ. They could neither disobey his orders nor escape from him, and this was not any personal excellence of Sulaimanؑ. Rather, the devils were compelled to remain obedient to him because We Ourselves were their keepers.
[71]
By whom are meant the rural people, dominion over the jinn:
Those who are accustomed to interpreting miracles and are not satisfied until they subject them to natural phenomena, take the devils in this verse to mean powerful rural people. However, powerful rural people are also human; their being rural or powerful does not change their species. All the skyscrapers in the world or heavy tasks are performed by these powerful rural people. This is not the work of delicate city dwellers. And powerful rural people are easily available to every king and even every capitalist. Then what distinction would remain for Prophet Sulaimanؑ, in whose servants Allah has specifically mentioned the jinn?
[72] That is, We had made those devils obedient to Sulaimanؑ. They could neither disobey his orders nor escape from him, and this was not any personal excellence of Sulaimanؑ. Rather, the devils were compelled to remain obedient to him because We Ourselves were their keepers.
