سُوْرَةُ الشُّوْرٰي
Surah Ash-Shura (42) — Ayah 23
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلَّذِى يُبَشِّرُ ٱللَّهُ عِبَادَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ ۗ قُل لَّآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا ٱلْمَوَدَّةَ فِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ ۗ وَمَن يَقْتَرِفْ حَسَنَةً نَّزِدْ لَهُۥ فِيهَا حُسْنًا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ ﴿23﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
That is (the Paradise) whereof Allâh gives glad tidings to His slaves who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds. Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم): "No reward do I ask of you for this except to be kind to me for my kinship with you." And whoever earns a good righteous deed, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof. Verily, Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (the deeds of those who are obedient to Him).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
That
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
(is of) which
يُبَشِّرُ
yubashiru
Allah gives glad tidings
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah gives glad tidings
عِبَادَهُ
ʿibādahu
(to) His slaves
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
ءَامَنُوا۟
āmanū
believe
وَعَمِلُوا۟
waʿamilū
and do
ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ ۗ
l-ṣāliḥāti
righteous deeds
قُل
qul
Say
لَّآ
lā
Not
أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ
asalukum
I ask you
عَلَيْهِ
ʿalayhi
for it
أَجْرًا
ajran
any payment
إِلَّا
illā
except
ٱلْمَوَدَّةَ
l-mawadata
the love
فِى
fī
among
ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ ۗ
l-qur'bā
the relatives
وَمَن
waman
And whoever
يَقْتَرِفْ
yaqtarif
earns
حَسَنَةًۭ
ḥasanatan
any good
نَّزِدْ
nazid
We increase
لَهُۥ
lahu
for him
فِيهَا
fīhā
therein
حُسْنًا ۚ
ḥus'nan
good
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
غَفُورٌۭ
ghafūrun
(is) Oft-Forgiving
شَكُورٌ
shakūrun
All-Appreciative
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.
That is the grace of which Allah gives glad tidings to His servants who believe and do righteous deeds. Say, "I do not ask you for any reward for this except the love of kinship [34]." And whoever earns a good deed, We will increase for him goodness [35] therein. Surely, Allah is Forgiving and Appreciative.
[34]
The Different Meanings of ﴿الا المودّة فى القربيٰ﴾:
Several interpretations of this phrase have been mentioned, but the best interpretation is the one narrated in the Sahihain from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), and it is as follows: Someone asked Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), "What is the meaning of ﴿الَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبٰي﴾?" Sa'id bin Jubair (may Allah be pleased with him) immediately said that it refers to your family. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, "You are being hasty. The fact is that there was no clan of the Quraysh with whom the Prophet ﷺ did not have some relation. So Allah Almighty said to His Prophet: Tell them, if you do nothing else (do not become Muslims), then at least consider the ties of kinship (and stop harming me)." [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
Another interpretation is that here ﴿قُرْبٰي﴾ means nearness or closeness. In this sense, it means that I do not ask you for any reward for this work except that love for attaining closeness to Allah develops among you. That is, you become righteous and begin to love Allah. This alone is my reward. A third group takes ﴿قُرْبٰي﴾ in this verse to mean relatives. Then, one faction interprets this love as love for Banu Abd al-Muttalib, and another as love for Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra (may Allah be pleased with her), Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and their children. This interpretation is incorrect for the following reasons.
The Shi'a Argument from ﴿مودّة فى القربيٰ﴾ and Its Response:
1. Due to your ﷺ mother and your ﷺ wife Sayyidah Khadijah al-Kubra (may Allah be pleased with her), your ﷺ kinship was not limited to Banu Abd al-Muttalib alone, but was with almost all the clans of Quraysh. And among Banu Abd al-Muttalib, some were on your ﷺ side and some were severe enemies. Everyone knows about Abu Lahab's enmity towards you. The same was the case with the rest of the Quraysh clans. Therefore, there is no reason for such specification.
2. To take ﴿قُرْبٰي﴾ to mean Sayyidah Fatimah and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) and their children is incorrect because this Surah is Makki, and the marriage of Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) took place only after migrating to Madinah.
3. And the most important reason for the incorrectness of this interpretation is that to demand from people, "I do not ask you for any reward for this preaching except that you love my relatives," is extremely low and inferior compared to the lofty status of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, especially when such a demand is made from disbelievers. How could there be any question of demanding a reward from disbelievers? A reward can only be asked from someone who likes the work, and the disbelievers had become your enemies because of this preaching. Could such a demand be made from them? However, it should be clear that loving your Ahl al-Bayt, the pure wives (may Allah be pleased with them), your daughters, and all other relatives, including Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and their children, is necessary for the believers in terms of love, respect, and recognition of the rights of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. And to love them in degrees is, in reality, a requirement of love for you ﷺ. Such love can be demanded from Muslims, not from disbelievers, whereas in this verse the address is to the disbelievers.
[35] That is, whoever wants to become righteous, Allah makes him even more righteous. If there are any shortcomings in his deeds, He forgives them, and whatever good deeds they perform, He appreciates and encourages them and grants them greater reward.
[34]
The Different Meanings of ﴿الا المودّة فى القربيٰ﴾:
Several interpretations of this phrase have been mentioned, but the best interpretation is the one narrated in the Sahihain from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), and it is as follows: Someone asked Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), "What is the meaning of ﴿الَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبٰي﴾?" Sa'id bin Jubair (may Allah be pleased with him) immediately said that it refers to your family. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said, "You are being hasty. The fact is that there was no clan of the Quraysh with whom the Prophet ﷺ did not have some relation. So Allah Almighty said to His Prophet: Tell them, if you do nothing else (do not become Muslims), then at least consider the ties of kinship (and stop harming me)." [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]
Another interpretation is that here ﴿قُرْبٰي﴾ means nearness or closeness. In this sense, it means that I do not ask you for any reward for this work except that love for attaining closeness to Allah develops among you. That is, you become righteous and begin to love Allah. This alone is my reward. A third group takes ﴿قُرْبٰي﴾ in this verse to mean relatives. Then, one faction interprets this love as love for Banu Abd al-Muttalib, and another as love for Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra (may Allah be pleased with her), Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and their children. This interpretation is incorrect for the following reasons.
The Shi'a Argument from ﴿مودّة فى القربيٰ﴾ and Its Response:
1. Due to your ﷺ mother and your ﷺ wife Sayyidah Khadijah al-Kubra (may Allah be pleased with her), your ﷺ kinship was not limited to Banu Abd al-Muttalib alone, but was with almost all the clans of Quraysh. And among Banu Abd al-Muttalib, some were on your ﷺ side and some were severe enemies. Everyone knows about Abu Lahab's enmity towards you. The same was the case with the rest of the Quraysh clans. Therefore, there is no reason for such specification.
2. To take ﴿قُرْبٰي﴾ to mean Sayyidah Fatimah and Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) and their children is incorrect because this Surah is Makki, and the marriage of Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) took place only after migrating to Madinah.
3. And the most important reason for the incorrectness of this interpretation is that to demand from people, "I do not ask you for any reward for this preaching except that you love my relatives," is extremely low and inferior compared to the lofty status of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, especially when such a demand is made from disbelievers. How could there be any question of demanding a reward from disbelievers? A reward can only be asked from someone who likes the work, and the disbelievers had become your enemies because of this preaching. Could such a demand be made from them? However, it should be clear that loving your Ahl al-Bayt, the pure wives (may Allah be pleased with them), your daughters, and all other relatives, including Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and their children, is necessary for the believers in terms of love, respect, and recognition of the rights of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. And to love them in degrees is, in reality, a requirement of love for you ﷺ. Such love can be demanded from Muslims, not from disbelievers, whereas in this verse the address is to the disbelievers.
[35] That is, whoever wants to become righteous, Allah makes him even more righteous. If there are any shortcomings in his deeds, He forgives them, and whatever good deeds they perform, He appreciates and encourages them and grants them greater reward.
