سُوْرَةُ اٰلِ عِمْرٰنَ
Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 31
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿31﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to mankind): "If you (really) love Allâh then follow me (i.e. accept Islâmic Monotheism, follow the Qur’ân and the Sunnah), Allâh will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قُلْ
qul
Say
إِن
in
If
كُنتُمْ
kuntum
you
تُحِبُّونَ
tuḥibbūna
love
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
فَٱتَّبِعُونِى
fa-ittabiʿūnī
then follow me
يُحْبِبْكُمُ
yuḥ'bib'kumu
will love you
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
وَيَغْفِرْ
wayaghfir
and He will forgive
لَكُمْ
lakum
for you
ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ
dhunūbakum
your sins
وَٱللَّهُ
wal-lahu
And Allah
غَفُورٌۭ
ghafūrun
(is) Oft-Forgiving
رَّحِيمٌۭ
raḥīmun
Most Merciful
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.
Say, "If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful."
[33]
The Importance of Following the Sunnah and the Rejection of Innovation (Bid‘ah):
The addressees of this verse are not only Muslims, but also the People of the Book, disbelievers, polytheists, and the general masses, because almost all of them claim and profess love for Allah. So Allah Almighty has clarified that if you are truthful in your claim, then the only way is that you begin to follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The result of this will be that not only will you love Allah, but Allah Himself will begin to love you. Also, in this verse, there is a point of reflection for Muslims: the beautiful manner in which this verse emphasizes following the Sunnah—perhaps it could not have been emphasized more than this. The concept of “following” (ittiba‘) is much broader than “obedience” (ita‘at). Obedience is only in commands and prohibitions, whereas following is that you do as you see the Messenger of Allah ﷺ doing; whatever he likes, you also like, and whatever he dislikes, you also dislike, because he is the best example for you. And the third lesson from this verse is that Muslims must completely avoid innovations (bid‘ah), because innovation is the very opposite of Sunnah. The commonly understood definition of innovation is to introduce a new act into the religion which has no connection to it, and any such act that is performed after him ﷺ as a part of the religion and with the intention of reward is rejected. The person who promotes innovations is a severe criminal, because even after his death, the share of the sins of those who act upon that innovation continues to accumulate in his record of deeds. He is also a severe criminal in the sense that he considers himself in the position of the Lawgiver (Shari‘), and by making his invented act a part of the religion, he wants to complete the religion, even though the religion was completed during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
[33]
The Importance of Following the Sunnah and the Rejection of Innovation (Bid‘ah):
The addressees of this verse are not only Muslims, but also the People of the Book, disbelievers, polytheists, and the general masses, because almost all of them claim and profess love for Allah. So Allah Almighty has clarified that if you are truthful in your claim, then the only way is that you begin to follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The result of this will be that not only will you love Allah, but Allah Himself will begin to love you. Also, in this verse, there is a point of reflection for Muslims: the beautiful manner in which this verse emphasizes following the Sunnah—perhaps it could not have been emphasized more than this. The concept of “following” (ittiba‘) is much broader than “obedience” (ita‘at). Obedience is only in commands and prohibitions, whereas following is that you do as you see the Messenger of Allah ﷺ doing; whatever he likes, you also like, and whatever he dislikes, you also dislike, because he is the best example for you. And the third lesson from this verse is that Muslims must completely avoid innovations (bid‘ah), because innovation is the very opposite of Sunnah. The commonly understood definition of innovation is to introduce a new act into the religion which has no connection to it, and any such act that is performed after him ﷺ as a part of the religion and with the intention of reward is rejected. The person who promotes innovations is a severe criminal, because even after his death, the share of the sins of those who act upon that innovation continues to accumulate in his record of deeds. He is also a severe criminal in the sense that he considers himself in the position of the Lawgiver (Shari‘), and by making his invented act a part of the religion, he wants to complete the religion, even though the religion was completed during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
