سُوْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ
Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 51
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلرُّسُلُ كُلُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَٱعْمَلُوا۟ صَـٰلِحًا ۖ إِنِّى بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ ﴿51﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibât [all kinds of Halâl foods which Allâh has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits, etc.] and do righteous deeds. Verily! I am Well-Acquainted with what you do.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا
yāayyuhā
O Messengers
ٱلرُّسُلُ
l-rusulu
O Messengers
كُلُوا۟
kulū
Eat
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ
l-ṭayibāti
the good things
وَٱعْمَلُوا۟
wa-iʿ'malū
and do
صَـٰلِحًا ۖ
ṣāliḥan
righteous (deeds)
إِنِّى
innī
Indeed, I Am
بِمَا
bimā
of what
تَعْمَلُونَ
taʿmalūna
you do
عَلِيمٌۭ
ʿalīmun
All-Knower
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.
O messengers [53]! Eat of the good things [54] and do righteous deeds. Surely, I am well aware of what you do [55].
[53] This manner of address is not because all the messengers were gathered in one place and thus addressed in this way. Rather, it is because the fundamental teachings of all the messengers have been the same. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, a collective style of address has been adopted here. Also, although in this verse the address is to the messengers, the command is general. And in some places, the Noble Quran has given the command to eat lawful and pure things by saying ﴿يٰا ايُّهَا النَّاس﴾, and in some places, the believers are the ones addressed with this command.
[54]
The Command to the Messengers to Eat Pure Things:
By pure things are meant those things whose consumption has been declared lawful by the Shariah and which have been obtained through lawful means only. To understand this, consider that a chicken is, in itself, a lawful thing, but if it is stolen, it becomes unlawful. Similarly, wealth obtained through interest or other unlawful means will be considered unlawful wealth.
The Importance of Lawful Earning:
Lawful earning and abstaining from the unlawful is such an important command that Allah Almighty has mentioned it before righteous deeds. This means that if someone’s earnings are unlawful, even their righteous deeds are not accepted. In this regard, under verse 168 of Surah Al-Baqarah, we have already mentioned eight hadiths, which would be beneficial to review again so that the full importance of this important legal command may be understood.
[55] That is, if someone has mixed unlawful with lawful earnings, I know it well, and I also know how much of your deeds contained sincerity and the pleasure of Allah. This meaning will apply when the address is understood to be directed at common people or believers, because any kind of disobedience is not denied for the prophets. And if the address is understood to be directed at the prophets, then the meaning will be that I know well to what extent you fulfilled the duty of conveying the message.
[53] This manner of address is not because all the messengers were gathered in one place and thus addressed in this way. Rather, it is because the fundamental teachings of all the messengers have been the same. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, a collective style of address has been adopted here. Also, although in this verse the address is to the messengers, the command is general. And in some places, the Noble Quran has given the command to eat lawful and pure things by saying ﴿يٰا ايُّهَا النَّاس﴾, and in some places, the believers are the ones addressed with this command.
[54]
The Command to the Messengers to Eat Pure Things:
By pure things are meant those things whose consumption has been declared lawful by the Shariah and which have been obtained through lawful means only. To understand this, consider that a chicken is, in itself, a lawful thing, but if it is stolen, it becomes unlawful. Similarly, wealth obtained through interest or other unlawful means will be considered unlawful wealth.
The Importance of Lawful Earning:
Lawful earning and abstaining from the unlawful is such an important command that Allah Almighty has mentioned it before righteous deeds. This means that if someone’s earnings are unlawful, even their righteous deeds are not accepted. In this regard, under verse 168 of Surah Al-Baqarah, we have already mentioned eight hadiths, which would be beneficial to review again so that the full importance of this important legal command may be understood.
[55] That is, if someone has mixed unlawful with lawful earnings, I know it well, and I also know how much of your deeds contained sincerity and the pleasure of Allah. This meaning will apply when the address is understood to be directed at common people or believers, because any kind of disobedience is not denied for the prophets. And if the address is understood to be directed at the prophets, then the meaning will be that I know well to what extent you fulfilled the duty of conveying the message.
