سُوْرَةُ الْقَصَصِ
Surah Al-Qasas (28) — Ayah 86
وَمَا كُنتَ تَرْجُوٓا۟ أَن يُلْقَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ ۖ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ ظَهِيرًا لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ﴿86﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And you were not expecting that the Book (this Qur’ân) would be sent down to you, but it is a mercy from your Lord. So never be a supporter of the disbelievers.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمَا
wamā
And not
كُنتَ
kunta
you were
تَرْجُوٓا۟
tarjū
expecting
أَن
an
that
يُلْقَىٰٓ
yul'qā
would be sent down
إِلَيْكَ
ilayka
to you
ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ
l-kitābu
the Book
إِلَّا
illā
except
رَحْمَةًۭ
raḥmatan
(as) a mercy
مِّن
min
from
رَّبِّكَ ۖ
rabbika
your Lord
فَلَا
falā
So (do) not
تَكُونَنَّ
takūnanna
be
ظَهِيرًۭا
ẓahīran
an assistant
لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
lil'kāfirīna
to the disbelievers
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.
86. You never expected that this Book [118] (the Qur’an) would be revealed to you. It is only a mercy from Allah. So never be a supporter of the disbelievers [119].
[118]
A Prophet Does Not Know He Will Receive Prophethood Until He Is Granted It:
From this verse, it is clearly understood that no prophet knows before being granted prophethood that he will be given prophethood. The incident of Prophet Musa ؑ being granted prophethood has been mentioned multiple times in the Quran: how, on a dark and cold night, he set out in search of fire after losing his way, and Allah called him and honored him with prophethood. Exactly the same situation occurred with you in the Cave of Hira. After the first revelation, you returned home in a state of anxiety and said: "Cover me, cover me." Then, when the anxiety subsided a little, you narrated the incident of the Cave of Hira to Khadijah and said: ﴿إنِّيْ خَشِيْتُ عَلٰي نَفْسِي﴾ meaning, "I even feared for my life." Then Khadijah took you to her cousin Waraqah bin Nawfal, who was a Christian scholar and a man of good character. He told you ﷺ that this was the same angel who used to descend upon Musa ؑ. [بخاری۔ کتاب الوحی۔ باب کیف بدا الوحی الیٰ رسول اللہﷺ]
How Are You the Best of the Prophets?
Another noteworthy point is that every prophet of his era is the best human being of his time. That is why Allah selects him for prophethood. After being granted prophethood, his virtue and honor increase further and continue to do so. One principle of Shariah is: «الدال على الخير كفاعله» meaning, "The one who guides towards good is like the one who does it." That is, he receives as much reward as the one who performs the deed. In this respect, every prophet is entitled to a reward equal to those of his ummah who perform righteous deeds, and this is his additional reward. And since the ummah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is more numerous than the ummahs of all other prophets, your superiority over all prophets is also established. This is the very virtue and honor regarding which Allah said: ﴿وَكَانَ فَضْلُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْكَ عَظِيْمًا﴾ [4:113] And this favor of Allah upon you, that you were granted prophethood and given the Book, was such a favor that you had no expectation of it at all.
[119] That is, if your people, the Quraysh, your brothers, and relatives are not supporting you in matters of religion, but have instead turned to opposition, then do not consider them your relatives, nor support them or side with them in any matter. Now, only those people are deserving of your help and support who have believed in you and are supporting you. And since Allah has bestowed such a great favor upon you, as gratitude for it, do not show any consideration or leniency towards your people in matters of religion. Nor should you consider yourself one of them. Yes, you must continue to invite them towards Allah, but do not allow any flexibility in the divine commands on account of kinship.
[118]
A Prophet Does Not Know He Will Receive Prophethood Until He Is Granted It:
From this verse, it is clearly understood that no prophet knows before being granted prophethood that he will be given prophethood. The incident of Prophet Musa ؑ being granted prophethood has been mentioned multiple times in the Quran: how, on a dark and cold night, he set out in search of fire after losing his way, and Allah called him and honored him with prophethood. Exactly the same situation occurred with you in the Cave of Hira. After the first revelation, you returned home in a state of anxiety and said: "Cover me, cover me." Then, when the anxiety subsided a little, you narrated the incident of the Cave of Hira to Khadijah and said: ﴿إنِّيْ خَشِيْتُ عَلٰي نَفْسِي﴾ meaning, "I even feared for my life." Then Khadijah took you to her cousin Waraqah bin Nawfal, who was a Christian scholar and a man of good character. He told you ﷺ that this was the same angel who used to descend upon Musa ؑ. [بخاری۔ کتاب الوحی۔ باب کیف بدا الوحی الیٰ رسول اللہﷺ]
How Are You the Best of the Prophets?
Another noteworthy point is that every prophet of his era is the best human being of his time. That is why Allah selects him for prophethood. After being granted prophethood, his virtue and honor increase further and continue to do so. One principle of Shariah is: «الدال على الخير كفاعله» meaning, "The one who guides towards good is like the one who does it." That is, he receives as much reward as the one who performs the deed. In this respect, every prophet is entitled to a reward equal to those of his ummah who perform righteous deeds, and this is his additional reward. And since the ummah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is more numerous than the ummahs of all other prophets, your superiority over all prophets is also established. This is the very virtue and honor regarding which Allah said: ﴿وَكَانَ فَضْلُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْكَ عَظِيْمًا﴾ [4:113] And this favor of Allah upon you, that you were granted prophethood and given the Book, was such a favor that you had no expectation of it at all.
[119] That is, if your people, the Quraysh, your brothers, and relatives are not supporting you in matters of religion, but have instead turned to opposition, then do not consider them your relatives, nor support them or side with them in any matter. Now, only those people are deserving of your help and support who have believed in you and are supporting you. And since Allah has bestowed such a great favor upon you, as gratitude for it, do not show any consideration or leniency towards your people in matters of religion. Nor should you consider yourself one of them. Yes, you must continue to invite them towards Allah, but do not allow any flexibility in the divine commands on account of kinship.
