سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 41
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍۭ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شَهِيدًا ﴿41﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) as a witness against these people?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَكَيْفَ
fakayfa
So how (will it be)
إِذَا
idhā
when
جِئْنَا
ji'nā
We bring
مِن
min
from
كُلِّ
kulli
every
أُمَّةٍۭ
ummatin
nation
بِشَهِيدٍۢ
bishahīdin
a witness
وَجِئْنَا
waji'nā
and We bring
بِكَ
bika
you
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
against
هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ
hāulāi
these (people)
شَهِيدًۭا
shahīdan
(as) a witness
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.
41. (Just imagine) how it will be when We bring a witness from every nation [73], and (O Prophet) We bring you as a witness over these witnesses.
[73]
Your Testimony Over Previous Nations:
In this verse, the condition of the Day of Gathering and the court of Allah Almighty is being mentioned. At that time, a witness will be brought from every nation, who will be the prophet of that nation, and he will testify: "O Allah! I conveyed Your message and Your commands to the nation exactly as they were, and such and such people accepted them, while such and such people disobeyed and disbelieved." But the disobedient people of that nation will outright deny and say, "No warner ever came to us." In other words, these disobedient people will not refrain from lying even in the court of Allah Almighty, and by denying the testimony of their prophet, they will try to cast doubt upon it. At that time, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will be brought, and you will confirm the testimony of those prophets. Even then, the disobedient people will not desist from their stubbornness and will say, "He was not present at that time, so how can he confirm the prophets?" At that time, you will say, "I used to confirm the previous prophets in the world as well, based on the revelation sent down from Allah, so how could I not confirm them today?" Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ narrates that once the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "Recite some Quran to me." I said, "How can I recite to you when the Quran was revealed to you?" He ﷺ said, "That's true, but I like to hear it from someone else." Ibn Mas'ud ؓ says, "Then I began to recite Surah An-Nisa, and when I reached this verse
﴿فَكَيْفَ اِذَا جِئْنَا مِنْ كُلِّ اُمَّةٍ....﴾
he ﷺ said, 'Stop.' When I looked, I saw that tears were flowing from his eyes."
[بخاری، کتاب التفسیر]
From this verse, your superiority over all the prophets is established, because you will have the honor of testifying over all the previous prophets. And when Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ, while reciting Surah An-Nisa, reached this verse, it is said that due to gratitude, thankfulness, happiness, and joy, tears began to flow from your eyes—that is, on one hand, due to extreme happiness at the virtue granted by Allah, and on the other, as an expression of utmost gratitude for this bounty of Allah, tears were flowing from your eyes.
[73]
Your Testimony Over Previous Nations:
In this verse, the condition of the Day of Gathering and the court of Allah Almighty is being mentioned. At that time, a witness will be brought from every nation, who will be the prophet of that nation, and he will testify: "O Allah! I conveyed Your message and Your commands to the nation exactly as they were, and such and such people accepted them, while such and such people disobeyed and disbelieved." But the disobedient people of that nation will outright deny and say, "No warner ever came to us." In other words, these disobedient people will not refrain from lying even in the court of Allah Almighty, and by denying the testimony of their prophet, they will try to cast doubt upon it. At that time, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ will be brought, and you will confirm the testimony of those prophets. Even then, the disobedient people will not desist from their stubbornness and will say, "He was not present at that time, so how can he confirm the prophets?" At that time, you will say, "I used to confirm the previous prophets in the world as well, based on the revelation sent down from Allah, so how could I not confirm them today?" Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ narrates that once the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "Recite some Quran to me." I said, "How can I recite to you when the Quran was revealed to you?" He ﷺ said, "That's true, but I like to hear it from someone else." Ibn Mas'ud ؓ says, "Then I began to recite Surah An-Nisa, and when I reached this verse
﴿فَكَيْفَ اِذَا جِئْنَا مِنْ كُلِّ اُمَّةٍ....﴾
he ﷺ said, 'Stop.' When I looked, I saw that tears were flowing from his eyes."
[بخاری، کتاب التفسیر]
From this verse, your superiority over all the prophets is established, because you will have the honor of testifying over all the previous prophets. And when Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ, while reciting Surah An-Nisa, reached this verse, it is said that due to gratitude, thankfulness, happiness, and joy, tears began to flow from your eyes—that is, on one hand, due to extreme happiness at the virtue granted by Allah, and on the other, as an expression of utmost gratitude for this bounty of Allah, tears were flowing from your eyes.
