سُوْرَةُ فُصِّلَتۡ
Surah Fussilat (41) — Ayah 34
وَلَا تَسْتَوِى ٱلْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا ٱلسَّيِّئَةُ ۚ ٱدْفَعْ بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُۥ عَدَٰوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌ ﴿34﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allâh orders the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger,[2] and to excuse those who treat them badly) then verily he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَا
walā
And not
تَسْتَوِى
tastawī
(are) equal
ٱلْحَسَنَةُ
l-ḥasanatu
the good (deed)
وَلَا
walā
and
ٱلسَّيِّئَةُ ۚ
l-sayi-atu
the evil (deed)
ٱدْفَعْ
id'faʿ
Repel
بِٱلَّتِى
bi-allatī
by (that) which
هِىَ
hiya
[it]
أَحْسَنُ
aḥsanu
(is) better
فَإِذَا
fa-idhā
then behold
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
One who
بَيْنَكَ
baynaka
between you
وَبَيْنَهُۥ
wabaynahu
and between him
عَدَٰوَةٌۭ
ʿadāwatun
(was) enmity
كَأَنَّهُۥ
ka-annahu
(will become) as if he
وَلِىٌّ
waliyyun
(was) a friend
حَمِيمٌۭ
ḥamīmun
intimate
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.
34. (O Prophet) Good and evil [42] are never equal. Repel (evil) with what is better; then you will see that the one with whom you had enmity will become as if he were a devoted friend.
[42] Responding to evil with evil harms the cause of da'wah, while responding with goodness can turn even an enemy into a friend. In this verse, a golden principle of inviting towards Allah is stated. First, it is explained that good and evil can never be the same. This is mentioned because the disbelievers of Makkah had resorted to the worst tactics to crush the call to Islam. Muslims are being made to understand that the outcome of evil can never be good. Ultimately, evil ruins the one who commits it. Therefore, the one inviting towards Allah should never respond to evil with evil. Rather, he should endure it, not give an immediate response, and the next step should be to respond to evil with goodness. In this way, the enemy himself will become subdued and ashamed, and he will be compelled to think: what kind of treatment did I give, and what kind of treatment did the other party give me? He will become convinced of your sincerity, goodwill, and integrity, to the extent that he will abandon his opposition and join you, becoming your close friend. The second benefit of this is that your goal of inviting towards Allah will not be hindered; rather, it will progress further. But if you respond to evil with evil, then more evil will arise from the other side, opposition will increase even more, and your real objective will be lost, causing irreparable harm to the call towards Allah.
[42] Responding to evil with evil harms the cause of da'wah, while responding with goodness can turn even an enemy into a friend. In this verse, a golden principle of inviting towards Allah is stated. First, it is explained that good and evil can never be the same. This is mentioned because the disbelievers of Makkah had resorted to the worst tactics to crush the call to Islam. Muslims are being made to understand that the outcome of evil can never be good. Ultimately, evil ruins the one who commits it. Therefore, the one inviting towards Allah should never respond to evil with evil. Rather, he should endure it, not give an immediate response, and the next step should be to respond to evil with goodness. In this way, the enemy himself will become subdued and ashamed, and he will be compelled to think: what kind of treatment did I give, and what kind of treatment did the other party give me? He will become convinced of your sincerity, goodwill, and integrity, to the extent that he will abandon his opposition and join you, becoming your close friend. The second benefit of this is that your goal of inviting towards Allah will not be hindered; rather, it will progress further. But if you respond to evil with evil, then more evil will arise from the other side, opposition will increase even more, and your real objective will be lost, causing irreparable harm to the call towards Allah.
