سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 49
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يُزَكُّونَ أَنفُسَهُم ۚ بَلِ ٱللَّهُ يُزَكِّى مَن يَشَآءُ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا ﴿49﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Have you not seen those (Jews and Christians) who claim sanctity for themselves. Nay, but Allâh sanctifies whom He wills, and they will not be dealt with injustice even equal to the extent of a scalish thread in the long slit of a date-stone.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَلَمْ
alam
Do not
تَرَ
tara
you see
إِلَى
ilā
[towards]
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
يُزَكُّونَ
yuzakkūna
claim purity
أَنفُسَهُم ۚ
anfusahum
(for) themselves
بَلِ
bali
Nay
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
(it is) Allah
يُزَكِّى
yuzakkī
He purifies
مَن
man
whom
يَشَآءُ
yashāu
He wills
وَلَا
walā
and not
يُظْلَمُونَ
yuẓ'lamūna
they will be wronged
فَتِيلًا
fatīlan
(even as much as) a hair on a date-seed
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.
49. Have you not considered those who boast about their own purity? [81] In fact, it is Allah Who purifies whom He wills, and they will not be wronged even as much as a speck.
[81]
The Belief in Easy Salvation:
By these people are also meant the scholars of the Jews and Christians, that when they were invited to abandon their evil deeds and to believe, they would boastfully say:
﴿نَحْنُ اَبْنٰؤُا اللّٰهِ وَاَحِبَّاؤُهٗ﴾ [ 5: 18]
That is, "We are Allah's sons and His beloved ones." Also, since they are the descendants of the prophets, they claim to possess pure souls. And the Christians invented the doctrine of the atonement of the Messiah, according to which all the sins of the Christians were borne by Sayyiduna Isa ؑ, who was crucified, and thus their entire community became pure and deserving of Paradise. Allah Almighty said that self-praise and boasting achieve nothing. Only the one is pure who keeps himself free from sins and whom Allah declares pure. Like the Jews and Christians, this belief, in some form, is also found among Muslims. Some people call themselves Sayyid and the family of the Messenger, and claim that their lineage is pure, meaning that they are pure people generation after generation, and this was the same belief of the Jews that they were the descendants of the prophets. Then, some people have even constructed "heavenly gates" in this world, claiming that whoever passes under this gate on the day of the Urs will go straight to Paradise after death.
[81]
The Belief in Easy Salvation:
By these people are also meant the scholars of the Jews and Christians, that when they were invited to abandon their evil deeds and to believe, they would boastfully say:
﴿نَحْنُ اَبْنٰؤُا اللّٰهِ وَاَحِبَّاؤُهٗ﴾ [ 5: 18]
That is, "We are Allah's sons and His beloved ones." Also, since they are the descendants of the prophets, they claim to possess pure souls. And the Christians invented the doctrine of the atonement of the Messiah, according to which all the sins of the Christians were borne by Sayyiduna Isa ؑ, who was crucified, and thus their entire community became pure and deserving of Paradise. Allah Almighty said that self-praise and boasting achieve nothing. Only the one is pure who keeps himself free from sins and whom Allah declares pure. Like the Jews and Christians, this belief, in some form, is also found among Muslims. Some people call themselves Sayyid and the family of the Messenger, and claim that their lineage is pure, meaning that they are pure people generation after generation, and this was the same belief of the Jews that they were the descendants of the prophets. Then, some people have even constructed "heavenly gates" in this world, claiming that whoever passes under this gate on the day of the Urs will go straight to Paradise after death.
