سُوْرَةُ يٰسٓ
Surah Yaseen (36) — Ayah 13
وَٱضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلًا أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ إِذْ جَآءَهَا ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ ﴿13﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And put forward to them a similitude: the (story of the) dwellers of the town, [it is said that the town was Antioch (Antâkiya)], when there came Messengers to them.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱضْرِبْ
wa-iḍ'rib
And set forth
لَهُم
lahum
to them
مَّثَلًا
mathalan
an example
أَصْحَـٰبَ
aṣḥāba
(of the) companions
ٱلْقَرْيَةِ
l-qaryati
(of) the city
إِذْ
idh
when
جَآءَهَا
jāahā
came to it
ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ
l-mur'salūna
the Messengers
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 present to them the example [15] of the people of the town, when messengers came to them.
[15]
The Companions of the Town and the Truthful Man: Which Town Was This?
There is no explicit mention of this in the Quran and Hadith. The commentators say that it refers to the city of Antioch located in Rome. Then there is also a difference of opinion as to whether these were direct messengers or indirect messengers or preachers. Some say that these preachers were sent by Sayyiduna Isa (Jesus) ؑ himself. And some say that they were among the disciples of Sayyiduna Isa ؑ. From the general statement of the Quran, it appears that they were direct messengers of Allah. And if this is the case, then their era should be before the time of Sayyiduna Isa ؑ, because after Sayyiduna Isa ؑ and until the advent of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, no prophet or messenger was sent. And determining the name of the town or whether the messengers were direct or indirect is not something inherently required, so its investigation is not necessary. The real purpose is to make the disbelievers of Makkah understand, because there were many similarities between the circumstances of the disbelievers of Makkah and the people of that town.
[15]
The Companions of the Town and the Truthful Man: Which Town Was This?
There is no explicit mention of this in the Quran and Hadith. The commentators say that it refers to the city of Antioch located in Rome. Then there is also a difference of opinion as to whether these were direct messengers or indirect messengers or preachers. Some say that these preachers were sent by Sayyiduna Isa (Jesus) ؑ himself. And some say that they were among the disciples of Sayyiduna Isa ؑ. From the general statement of the Quran, it appears that they were direct messengers of Allah. And if this is the case, then their era should be before the time of Sayyiduna Isa ؑ, because after Sayyiduna Isa ؑ and until the advent of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, no prophet or messenger was sent. And determining the name of the town or whether the messengers were direct or indirect is not something inherently required, so its investigation is not necessary. The real purpose is to make the disbelievers of Makkah understand, because there were many similarities between the circumstances of the disbelievers of Makkah and the people of that town.
