سُوْرَةُ المَآئِدَةِ
Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 12
۞ وَلَقَدْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَـٰقَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَبَعَثْنَا مِنْهُمُ ٱثْنَىْ عَشَرَ نَقِيبًا ۖ وَقَالَ ٱللَّهُ إِنِّى مَعَكُمْ ۖ لَئِنْ أَقَمْتُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَيْتُمُ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَءَامَنتُم بِرُسُلِى وَعَزَّرْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَقْرَضْتُمُ ٱللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا لَّأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۚ فَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ مِنكُمْ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ سَوَآءَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ﴿12﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Indeed Allâh took the covenant from the Children of Israel (Jews), and We appointed twelve leaders among them. And Allâh said: "I am with you if you perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât ) and give Zakât and believe in My Messengers; honour and assist them, and lend a good loan to Allâh, verily, I will expiate your sins and admit you to Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise). But if any of you after this, disbelieved, he has indeed gone astray from the Straight Path."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ وَلَقَدْ
walaqad
And certainly
أَخَذَ
akhadha
took
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
مِيثَـٰقَ
mīthāqa
a Covenant
بَنِىٓ
banī
(from the) Children
إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ
is'rāīla
(of) Israel
وَبَعَثْنَا
wabaʿathnā
and We appointed
مِنْهُمُ
min'humu
among them
ٱثْنَىْ
ith'nay
two
عَشَرَ
ʿashara
(and) ten
نَقِيبًۭا ۖ
naqīban
leaders
وَقَالَ
waqāla
And said
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
إِنِّى
innī
Indeed, I (am)
مَعَكُمْ ۖ
maʿakum
with you
لَئِنْ
la-in
if
أَقَمْتُمُ
aqamtumu
you establish
ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ
l-ṣalata
the prayer
وَءَاتَيْتُمُ
waātaytumu
and give
ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ
l-zakata
the zakah
وَءَامَنتُم
waāmantum
and you believe
بِرُسُلِى
birusulī
in My Messengers
وَعَزَّرْتُمُوهُمْ
waʿazzartumūhum
and you assist them
وَأَقْرَضْتُمُ
wa-aqraḍtumu
and you loan
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
(to) Allah
قَرْضًا
qarḍan
a loan
حَسَنًۭا
ḥasanan
goodly
لَّأُكَفِّرَنَّ
la-ukaffiranna
surely I will remove
عَنكُمْ
ʿankum
from you
سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ
sayyiātikum
your evil deeds
وَلَأُدْخِلَنَّكُمْ
wala-ud'khilannakum
and I will surely admit you
جَنَّـٰتٍۢ
jannātin
(to) gardens
تَجْرِى
tajrī
flow
مِن
min
from
تَحْتِهَا
taḥtihā
underneath them
ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۚ
l-anhāru
the rivers
فَمَن
faman
But whoever
كَفَرَ
kafara
disbelieved
بَعْدَ
baʿda
after
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
that
مِنكُمْ
minkum
among you
فَقَدْ
faqad
then certainly
ضَلَّ
ḍalla
he strayed
سَوَآءَ
sawāa
(from) the way
ٱلسَّبِيلِ
l-sabīli
the right
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.
12. And Allah certainly took a firm covenant from the Children of Israel, and We appointed twelve [33] leaders among them. And Allah said: “I am with you [34]. If you establish prayer, give zakah, believe in My messengers and support them, and lend Allah a goodly loan, I will surely remove your evil deeds [35] from you and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow. But whoever among you disbelieves after that has certainly strayed from the straight [36] path.”
[33]
The Twelve Chiefs of Bani Israel and Their Responsibilities:
The meaning of Naqeeb is one who supervises and investigates. There were twelve tribes of Bani Israel, and they existed during the time of Musa ؑ. When Bani Israel demanded water from Musa ؑ, Allah commanded Musa ؑ to strike a certain stone with his staff, and twelve springs gushed forth. Thus it happened, and each tribe recognized its own spring or place to drink water and took possession of it. From each of these twelve tribes, one Naqeeb was appointed. His duty was to supervise the morals and character of the people and to strive to save them from irreligion and immorality.
[34] This promise of Allah’s companionship was conditional upon four things:
(1) That Bani Israel should continue to establish prayer,
(2) Continue to pay zakat,
(3) Believe in the messengers who would be sent later and help them with their lives and wealth,
and (4) Continue to give people a goodly loan. In other words, among the responsibilities placed upon these Naqeebs, these four mentioned tasks were the most important, and the covenant with them was that if they continued to fulfill these responsibilities, then surely Allah would be with them and would help them in every matter.
[35] The removal of evils can have two meanings. One is that a person who remains engaged in the above-mentioned great acts of goodness does not even turn his mind towards evils, and he remains protected from them, and evils stay away from him. The second is that if some evils do occur from them, they are suppressed under such great acts of goodness, and Allah does not hold them accountable for them.
[36]
The Straight Path and Its Qualities:
By "sawaa’ as-sabeel" is meant the path that is balanced, moderate, and free from excess and deficiency. Because this path is shown by that All-Knowing and Wise Being who is fully aware of all realities, and all humans are equal in His sight. This is not a path shown by any human, upon which his own emotions, love for homeland and nation, or other economic and social factors have an effect, and he cannot even discover such a moderate, balanced, and pure path free from excess and deficiency. It is Allah’s special mercy that He Himself has shown this path to mankind, so that in this world they do not face any difficulty in searching for this way, and in the Hereafter they will also attain success.
[33]
The Twelve Chiefs of Bani Israel and Their Responsibilities:
The meaning of Naqeeb is one who supervises and investigates. There were twelve tribes of Bani Israel, and they existed during the time of Musa ؑ. When Bani Israel demanded water from Musa ؑ, Allah commanded Musa ؑ to strike a certain stone with his staff, and twelve springs gushed forth. Thus it happened, and each tribe recognized its own spring or place to drink water and took possession of it. From each of these twelve tribes, one Naqeeb was appointed. His duty was to supervise the morals and character of the people and to strive to save them from irreligion and immorality.
[34] This promise of Allah’s companionship was conditional upon four things:
(1) That Bani Israel should continue to establish prayer,
(2) Continue to pay zakat,
(3) Believe in the messengers who would be sent later and help them with their lives and wealth,
and (4) Continue to give people a goodly loan. In other words, among the responsibilities placed upon these Naqeebs, these four mentioned tasks were the most important, and the covenant with them was that if they continued to fulfill these responsibilities, then surely Allah would be with them and would help them in every matter.
[35] The removal of evils can have two meanings. One is that a person who remains engaged in the above-mentioned great acts of goodness does not even turn his mind towards evils, and he remains protected from them, and evils stay away from him. The second is that if some evils do occur from them, they are suppressed under such great acts of goodness, and Allah does not hold them accountable for them.
[36]
The Straight Path and Its Qualities:
By "sawaa’ as-sabeel" is meant the path that is balanced, moderate, and free from excess and deficiency. Because this path is shown by that All-Knowing and Wise Being who is fully aware of all realities, and all humans are equal in His sight. This is not a path shown by any human, upon which his own emotions, love for homeland and nation, or other economic and social factors have an effect, and he cannot even discover such a moderate, balanced, and pure path free from excess and deficiency. It is Allah’s special mercy that He Himself has shown this path to mankind, so that in this world they do not face any difficulty in searching for this way, and in the Hereafter they will also attain success.
