سُوْرَةُ المَآئِدَةِ
Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 35
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱبْتَغُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ ٱلْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَـٰهِدُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿35﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
O you who believe! Do your duty to Allâh and fear Him. And seek the means of approach to Him, and strive hard in His Cause (as much as you can), so that you may be successful.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا
yāayyuhā
O you
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
who
ءَامَنُوا۟
āmanū
believe
ٱتَّقُوا۟
ittaqū
Fear
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
وَٱبْتَغُوٓا۟
wa-ib'taghū
and seek
إِلَيْهِ
ilayhi
towards Him
ٱلْوَسِيلَةَ
l-wasīlata
the means
وَجَـٰهِدُوا۟
wajāhidū
and strive hard
فِى
fī
in
سَبِيلِهِۦ
sabīlihi
His way
لَعَلَّكُمْ
laʿallakum
so that you may
تُفْلِحُونَ
tuf'liḥūna
succeed
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.
35. O you who believe! Fear Allah and seek a means [68] of nearness to Him, and strive in His way [69] so that you may succeed.
[68]
Definition of Wasilah and Its Pursuit:
Any means or cause adopted to attain closeness to Allah Almighty is called wasilah, and there are only two permissible forms of wasilah. One is to make a living person a means for the acceptance of one's supplication, and the evidence for this is the following hadith. Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik ؓ narrates that in the time of Sayyiduna Umar ؓ, when there was a drought, they would supplicate through the wasilah of Sayyiduna Abbas ؓ and say: O Allah, previously we used to bring the wasilah of Your Prophet to You, and You would send down rain. Now we have brought the wasilah of the Prophet’s uncle, so send rain upon us. The narrator says that then it would rain.
[بخاری کتاب الاستسقاء۔ باب سوال الناس الامام]
And the second form is to make one's own righteous deeds a wasilah. The evidence for this is the lengthy hadith which is mentioned in several places in Bukhari, that three men from Bani Israel once went on a journey and were caught in a storm of wind and rain, so they took refuge in a cave. Coincidentally, a large rock rolled down from the mountain and blocked the mouth of the cave, and now all three despaired of their lives. They thought that at this time only supplication to Allah could help, so each of them should supplicate to Allah by presenting a deed which he had done purely for Allah’s pleasure. Thus, the first person supplicated by presenting his deed, and a third of the rock moved away from the mouth of the cave. Then the second supplicated, and another third of the rock moved. Then the third supplicated through his deed, and the entire rock moved away from the mouth of the cave, and they came out.
[بخاری۔ کتاب البیوع۔ باب من اشتری شیا لغیرہ نیز کتاب الاجارات۔ باب من استاجرا جیرا۔ نیز کتاب ابواب الحرث و المزارعۃ وما جاء فیہ باب اذا زرع بمال قوما بغیر اذنھم]
However, among us, a very incorrect concept of wasilah has become prevalent. [تفصيل كے لئے ديكهئے سورة بني اسرائيل كا حاشيه نمبر 70 اور سورة زمر كا حاشيه نمبر 94]
Also, Wasilah is the name of a station near the Throne of the Most Merciful in Paradise. In the supplication taught after the adhan, every Muslim prays for the Messenger of Allah, saying: O Allah, grant him wasilah. Also, the Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever supplicates for wasilah for me, I will intercede for him.
[بخاری۔ کتاب الاذان۔ باب الدعاء عندالنداء]
[69]
The Real Wasilah is Jihad in the Path of Allah:
That is, the best wasilah for success in the Hereafter is jihad, and this too is a type of the second form. The highest form of jihad is fighting in the path of Allah, however, jihad can also refer to any effort by a person that proves helpful in the propagation of Islam and the establishment of the Islamic system, or that removes obstacles in this path, whether it is by speech, writing, or by hand. As is clear from the following ahadith.
Jihad Against Evils:
The Prophet ﷺ said: Whenever Allah sent a prophet to his ummah, he had some disciples and companions who adhered to his sunnah and followed his command. Then, after them, there would come such unworthy successors who would not do what they said and would do things they were not commanded to do. Now, whoever strives against such people with his hand, he is a believer; and whoever strives with his tongue, he is also a believer; and whoever strives with his heart (considers it evil), he is also a believer, and after that, there is not even a mustard seed’s worth of faith. [مسلم كتاب الايمان]
The first target of jihad should be one’s own self, then relatives, then others in order of priority. Thus, the Prophet said: “Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot do so, then with his tongue (by speech or writing); and if he cannot do that, then at least consider it evil in his heart, and that is the weaker level of faith.” [مسلم۔ حواله ايضاً]
[68]
Definition of Wasilah and Its Pursuit:
Any means or cause adopted to attain closeness to Allah Almighty is called wasilah, and there are only two permissible forms of wasilah. One is to make a living person a means for the acceptance of one's supplication, and the evidence for this is the following hadith. Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik ؓ narrates that in the time of Sayyiduna Umar ؓ, when there was a drought, they would supplicate through the wasilah of Sayyiduna Abbas ؓ and say: O Allah, previously we used to bring the wasilah of Your Prophet to You, and You would send down rain. Now we have brought the wasilah of the Prophet’s uncle, so send rain upon us. The narrator says that then it would rain.
[بخاری کتاب الاستسقاء۔ باب سوال الناس الامام]
And the second form is to make one's own righteous deeds a wasilah. The evidence for this is the lengthy hadith which is mentioned in several places in Bukhari, that three men from Bani Israel once went on a journey and were caught in a storm of wind and rain, so they took refuge in a cave. Coincidentally, a large rock rolled down from the mountain and blocked the mouth of the cave, and now all three despaired of their lives. They thought that at this time only supplication to Allah could help, so each of them should supplicate to Allah by presenting a deed which he had done purely for Allah’s pleasure. Thus, the first person supplicated by presenting his deed, and a third of the rock moved away from the mouth of the cave. Then the second supplicated, and another third of the rock moved. Then the third supplicated through his deed, and the entire rock moved away from the mouth of the cave, and they came out.
[بخاری۔ کتاب البیوع۔ باب من اشتری شیا لغیرہ نیز کتاب الاجارات۔ باب من استاجرا جیرا۔ نیز کتاب ابواب الحرث و المزارعۃ وما جاء فیہ باب اذا زرع بمال قوما بغیر اذنھم]
However, among us, a very incorrect concept of wasilah has become prevalent. [تفصيل كے لئے ديكهئے سورة بني اسرائيل كا حاشيه نمبر 70 اور سورة زمر كا حاشيه نمبر 94]
Also, Wasilah is the name of a station near the Throne of the Most Merciful in Paradise. In the supplication taught after the adhan, every Muslim prays for the Messenger of Allah, saying: O Allah, grant him wasilah. Also, the Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever supplicates for wasilah for me, I will intercede for him.
[بخاری۔ کتاب الاذان۔ باب الدعاء عندالنداء]
[69]
The Real Wasilah is Jihad in the Path of Allah:
That is, the best wasilah for success in the Hereafter is jihad, and this too is a type of the second form. The highest form of jihad is fighting in the path of Allah, however, jihad can also refer to any effort by a person that proves helpful in the propagation of Islam and the establishment of the Islamic system, or that removes obstacles in this path, whether it is by speech, writing, or by hand. As is clear from the following ahadith.
Jihad Against Evils:
The Prophet ﷺ said: Whenever Allah sent a prophet to his ummah, he had some disciples and companions who adhered to his sunnah and followed his command. Then, after them, there would come such unworthy successors who would not do what they said and would do things they were not commanded to do. Now, whoever strives against such people with his hand, he is a believer; and whoever strives with his tongue, he is also a believer; and whoever strives with his heart (considers it evil), he is also a believer, and after that, there is not even a mustard seed’s worth of faith. [مسلم كتاب الايمان]
The first target of jihad should be one’s own self, then relatives, then others in order of priority. Thus, the Prophet said: “Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he cannot do so, then with his tongue (by speech or writing); and if he cannot do that, then at least consider it evil in his heart, and that is the weaker level of faith.” [مسلم۔ حواله ايضاً]
