سُوْرَةُ السَّجْدَةِ
Surah As-Sajda (32) — Ayah 13
وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَـَٔاتَيْنَا كُلَّ نَفْسٍ هُدَىٰهَا وَلَـٰكِنْ حَقَّ ٱلْقَوْلُ مِنِّى لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ ﴿13﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And if We had willed, surely We would have given every person his guidance, but the Word from Me took effect (about evil-doers), that I will fill Hell with jinn and mankind together.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَوْ
walaw
And if
شِئْنَا
shi'nā
We (had) willed
لَـَٔاتَيْنَا
laātaynā
surely We (would) have given
كُلَّ
kulla
every
نَفْسٍ
nafsin
soul
هُدَىٰهَا
hudāhā
its guidance
وَلَـٰكِنْ
walākin
but
حَقَّ
ḥaqqa
(is) true
ٱلْقَوْلُ
l-qawlu
the Word
مِنِّى
minnī
from Me
لَأَمْلَأَنَّ
la-amla-anna
that I will surely fill
جَهَنَّمَ
jahannama
Hell
مِنَ
mina
with
ٱلْجِنَّةِ
l-jinati
the jinn
وَٱلنَّاسِ
wal-nāsi
and the men
أَجْمَعِينَ
ajmaʿīna
together
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.
13. And if We had willed, We could have given every soul its guidance [14], but My word will be fulfilled that I will surely fill Hell with jinn and humans all together [15].
[14]
Human beings and jinn were not created for compelled obedience:
That is, we do not need the forced faith of humans. In that case, granting humans free will would have been entirely pointless. Now, since the ability to distinguish between good and bad paths has been granted to him, and he has been given the choice to select either of these paths, therefore, it is not Allah’s task to compel everyone to follow the path of guidance. Rather, it is that whichever path someone chooses, Allah grants him the ability to pursue that very path.
[15]
Whose vicegerent is Adam?
Out of all the living creatures created by Allah, only two types—jinn and humans—have been granted the power of discernment and the ability to will and choose. And only these two types are obligated to follow the divine law. For them, this world is the abode of trial. Before humans, the jinn inhabited this earth. When their rebellion increased, Allah replaced them with another creation—humans—as their successors. Previously, the chain of prophethood was among the jinn. Then this chain of prophethood was transferred to humans. The prophet who was sent to humans was also for the jinn, and the jinn were also made obliged to obey that same prophet. But mankind did not lag behind the jinn in rebellion and denial of the truth. Both misused the free will granted by Allah. The majority of both types, being enamored with the world, failed this test. The devils among jinn and humans left no stone unturned in preventing creation from the path of Allah and leading them astray, and all these matters were already known to Allah—that the majority of jinn and humans would fail this test and become fuel for Hell. Allah Almighty has mentioned this reality in various ways at different places in the Noble Quran: sometimes attributing this failure to Himself, sometimes to the devils among jinn and humans, and sometimes to those who went astray.
[14]
Human beings and jinn were not created for compelled obedience:
That is, we do not need the forced faith of humans. In that case, granting humans free will would have been entirely pointless. Now, since the ability to distinguish between good and bad paths has been granted to him, and he has been given the choice to select either of these paths, therefore, it is not Allah’s task to compel everyone to follow the path of guidance. Rather, it is that whichever path someone chooses, Allah grants him the ability to pursue that very path.
[15]
Whose vicegerent is Adam?
Out of all the living creatures created by Allah, only two types—jinn and humans—have been granted the power of discernment and the ability to will and choose. And only these two types are obligated to follow the divine law. For them, this world is the abode of trial. Before humans, the jinn inhabited this earth. When their rebellion increased, Allah replaced them with another creation—humans—as their successors. Previously, the chain of prophethood was among the jinn. Then this chain of prophethood was transferred to humans. The prophet who was sent to humans was also for the jinn, and the jinn were also made obliged to obey that same prophet. But mankind did not lag behind the jinn in rebellion and denial of the truth. Both misused the free will granted by Allah. The majority of both types, being enamored with the world, failed this test. The devils among jinn and humans left no stone unturned in preventing creation from the path of Allah and leading them astray, and all these matters were already known to Allah—that the majority of jinn and humans would fail this test and become fuel for Hell. Allah Almighty has mentioned this reality in various ways at different places in the Noble Quran: sometimes attributing this failure to Himself, sometimes to the devils among jinn and humans, and sometimes to those who went astray.
