سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 98
إِلَّا ٱلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ ٱلرِّجَالِ وَٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلْوِلْدَٰنِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلًا ﴿98﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Except the weak ones among men, women and children who cannot devise a plan, nor are they able to direct their way.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِلَّا
illā
Except
ٱلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ
l-mus'taḍʿafīna
the oppressed
مِنَ
mina
among
ٱلرِّجَالِ
l-rijāli
the men
وَٱلنِّسَآءِ
wal-nisāi
and the women
وَٱلْوِلْدَٰنِ
wal-wil'dāni
and the children
لَا
lā
(who) not
يَسْتَطِيعُونَ
yastaṭīʿūna
are able to
حِيلَةًۭ
ḥīlatan
plan
وَلَا
walā
and not
يَهْتَدُونَ
yahtadūna
they are directed
سَبِيلًۭا
sabīlan
(to) a way
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.
98. Except for those men, women, and children who are truly helpless and oppressed [135], and can devise no plan nor find a way out—there is hope that Allah will pardon them.
[135]
Those Unable to Migrate:
These are the Muslims who were truly weak and could not see any way to migrate. By "the weak" or "those who are helpless" are meant those who are genuinely excused, such as the sick, children, the elderly, women, and Muslims imprisoned by the disbelievers. And by limited means is meant that they neither had any arrangement for transport nor were they capable of bearing the hardship of traveling on foot. Allah Almighty has exempted them from the above-mentioned group and has promised forgiveness for their fault of not migrating. Thus, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas ؓ used to say, "I and my mother were among those whom Allah excused." [بخاري، كتاب التفسير] Likewise, there were other weak Muslims such as Walid bin Walid, Salamah bin Hisham, ‘Ayyash bin Abi Rabi‘ah, and many others, for whose deliverance the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to supplicate after bowing in prayer. [بخاری، کتاب الادب، باب تسمیۃ الولید]
[135]
Those Unable to Migrate:
These are the Muslims who were truly weak and could not see any way to migrate. By "the weak" or "those who are helpless" are meant those who are genuinely excused, such as the sick, children, the elderly, women, and Muslims imprisoned by the disbelievers. And by limited means is meant that they neither had any arrangement for transport nor were they capable of bearing the hardship of traveling on foot. Allah Almighty has exempted them from the above-mentioned group and has promised forgiveness for their fault of not migrating. Thus, Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas ؓ used to say, "I and my mother were among those whom Allah excused." [بخاري، كتاب التفسير] Likewise, there were other weak Muslims such as Walid bin Walid, Salamah bin Hisham, ‘Ayyash bin Abi Rabi‘ah, and many others, for whose deliverance the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to supplicate after bowing in prayer. [بخاری، کتاب الادب، باب تسمیۃ الولید]
