سُوْرَةُ المَآئِدَةِ
Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 41
۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلرَّسُولُ لَا يَحْزُنكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُسَـٰرِعُونَ فِى ٱلْكُفْرِ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَلَمْ تُؤْمِن قُلُوبُهُمْ ۛ وَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوا۟ ۛ سَمَّـٰعُونَ لِلْكَذِبِ سَمَّـٰعُونَ لِقَوْمٍ ءَاخَرِينَ لَمْ يَأْتُوكَ ۖ يُحَرِّفُونَ ٱلْكَلِمَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَوَاضِعِهِۦ ۖ يَقُولُونَ إِنْ أُوتِيتُمْ هَـٰذَا فَخُذُوهُ وَإِن لَّمْ تُؤْتَوْهُ فَٱحْذَرُوا۟ ۚ وَمَن يُرِدِ ٱللَّهُ فِتْنَتَهُۥ فَلَن تَمْلِكَ لَهُۥ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْـًٔا ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يُرِدِ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُطَهِّرَ قُلُوبَهُمْ ۚ لَهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا خِزْىٌ ۖ وَلَهُمْ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿41﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
O Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم)! Let not those who hurry to fall into disbelief grieve you, of such who say: "We believe" with their mouths but their hearts have no faith. And of the Jews are men who listen much and eagerly to lies - listen to others who have not come to you. They change the words from their places; they say, "If you are given this, take it, but if you are not given this, then beware!" And whomsoever Allâh wants to put in Al-Fitnah [error, because of his rejecting of Faith], you can do nothing for him against Allâh. Those are the ones whose hearts Allâh does not want to purify (from disbelief and hypocrisy); for them there is a disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter a great torment.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا
yāayyuhā
O
ٱلرَّسُولُ
l-rasūlu
Messenger
لَا
lā
Let not
يَحْزُنكَ
yaḥzunka
grieve you
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
يُسَـٰرِعُونَ
yusāriʿūna
hasten
فِى
fī
in (to)
ٱلْكُفْرِ
l-kuf'ri
[the] disbelief
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
قَالُوٓا۟
qālū
said
ءَامَنَّا
āmannā
We believe
بِأَفْوَٰهِهِمْ
bi-afwāhihim
with their mouths
وَلَمْ
walam
and not
تُؤْمِن
tu'min
believe
قُلُوبُهُمْ ۛ
qulūbuhum
their hearts
وَمِنَ
wamina
and from
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
هَادُوا۟ ۛ
hādū
(are) Jews
سَمَّـٰعُونَ
sammāʿūna
They (are) listeners
لِلْكَذِبِ
lil'kadhibi
to falsehood
سَمَّـٰعُونَ
sammāʿūna
(and) listeners
لِقَوْمٍ
liqawmin
for people
ءَاخَرِينَ
ākharīna
other
لَمْ
lam
(who have) not
يَأْتُوكَ ۖ
yatūka
come to you
يُحَرِّفُونَ
yuḥarrifūna
They distort
ٱلْكَلِمَ
l-kalima
the words
مِنۢ
min
from
بَعْدِ
baʿdi
after
مَوَاضِعِهِۦ ۖ
mawāḍiʿihi
their context
يَقُولُونَ
yaqūlūna
saying
إِنْ
in
If
أُوتِيتُمْ
ūtītum
you are given
هَـٰذَا
hādhā
this
فَخُذُوهُ
fakhudhūhu
[so] take it
وَإِن
wa-in
but if
لَّمْ
lam
not
تُؤْتَوْهُ
tu'tawhu
you are given it
فَٱحْذَرُوا۟ ۚ
fa-iḥ'dharū
then beware
وَمَن
waman
And (for) whom
يُرِدِ
yuridi
intends
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
فِتْنَتَهُۥ
fit'natahu
his trial
فَلَن
falan
then never
تَمْلِكَ
tamlika
will you have power
لَهُۥ
lahu
for him
مِنَ
mina
against
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
شَيْـًٔا ۚ
shayan
anything
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ
ulāika
Those
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
(are) the ones
لَمْ
lam
never
يُرِدِ
yuridi
will intend
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
أَن
an
that
يُطَهِّرَ
yuṭahhira
He purifies
قُلُوبَهُمْ ۚ
qulūbahum
their hearts
لَهُمْ
lahum
For them
فِى
fī
in
ٱلدُّنْيَا
l-dun'yā
the world
خِزْىٌۭ ۖ
khiz'yun
(is) disgrace
وَلَهُمْ
walahum
and for them
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ
l-ākhirati
the Hereafter
عَذَابٌ
ʿadhābun
(is) a punishment
عَظِيمٌۭ
ʿaẓīmun
great
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.
O Messenger! Do not be grieved by those who hasten into disbelief [74]—among them are those who say with their mouths, "We believe," but their hearts do not believe. And among them are some Jews who listen eagerly to lies, listening for another people who have not come to you [75]. They distort the words after they have been properly placed, saying, "If you are given this, accept it, but if you are not given it, then beware." And whomever Allah intends to put to trial [76], you can do nothing for him against Allah. Allah does not intend to purify their hearts. For them is disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter they will have a great punishment.
[74]
Your Distress Due to the Hostile Activities of the Disbelievers and Hypocrites:
In Makkah, the only ones who caused pain and distress to the Muslims and the Prophet of Islam were the Quraysh of Makkah, but after coming to Madinah, you were hurt by four types of people: first, the hypocrites; second, the Jews; third, the polytheist tribes of Arabia; and fourth, the polytheists of Makkah, who, until the conquest of Makkah, left no stone unturned in their hostile activities. However, in this verse, only two types of people are mentioned: the hypocrites and the Jews. Their hostile activities were also of various kinds: creating all sorts of doubts in the hearts of the Muslims, kindling the fire of discord among the Muslims themselves, preventing people from embracing Islam, defaming and insulting the Muslims and the Prophet of Islam, conspiring against the Muslims at the time of war, and supporting the disbelievers during battle. You were greatly distressed by the fact that people did not accept Islam, and on top of that, these hostile activities added to your distress. Thus, you would become extremely worried and grieved, and this was a natural matter. Keeping your state in view, Allah Almighty gave you this guidance for your consolation: that you need not be distressed by these circumstances. All these people are within Allah’s knowledge, and they will surely meet their end. You should always keep your focus on Allah alone.
[75]
The Punishment for the Adulterous Couple:
In this verse, there is a reference to an incident. What happened was that a married Jewish man and woman from a noble family in Khaybar committed adultery, and they wanted to escape the punishment of stoning, because in the Torah their punishment was stoning. They thought that in the Shariah of the Last Prophet, the punishment for such adultery was flogging, not stoning. Therefore, they presented the case of this Jewish man and woman in your ﷺ court. Here, it is worth mentioning that according to the treaty you had with the Jews of Madinah, the Jews were free to decide their cases and disputes according to the Torah, and if they wished, they could bring their cases to the court of the Last Prophet, in which case your decision would be binding upon them. The Jews brought this case to you with the intention that this noble adulterous couple would escape the punishment of stoning, and they agreed among themselves that if the Prophet decreed the punishment of flogging, they would accept his decision, but if he decreed stoning, they would not accept it. The narration of Muslim, which is reported from Bara’ bin Azib ؓ and is mentioned ahead, is as follows: the Jews had given this noble adulterous Jew the punishment of flogging, blackened his face, and paraded him on a donkey, so you yourself called them to you. In this way, this case came to your court.
[76]
The Jews Were Neither Followers of the Torah Nor of the Prophet:
The meaning of “fitnah” is that in reality, they were neither prepared to follow the Torah nor to accept the decision of the Prophet; rather, they were following the desires of their own souls. They were deniers of the Book of Allah, i.e., the Torah, because the command of stoning was present in the Torah, and they knew this very well. They were deniers of the Prophet ﷺ because they wanted to accept his decision conditionally—that is, if it was according to their desire (i.e., the punishment of flogging), they would accept it, and if it was contrary to their desire (i.e., the punishment of stoning), they would not accept it. Therefore, this was neither following the Torah nor the Prophet, but rather following their own desires. And whoever wishes to remain in fitnah himself, Allah opens the path of fitnah for him, and due to rebellion against Allah’s command, He does not purify their hearts from such evil diseases. He only purifies the heart of the one who himself wishes to be purified.
[74]
Your Distress Due to the Hostile Activities of the Disbelievers and Hypocrites:
In Makkah, the only ones who caused pain and distress to the Muslims and the Prophet of Islam were the Quraysh of Makkah, but after coming to Madinah, you were hurt by four types of people: first, the hypocrites; second, the Jews; third, the polytheist tribes of Arabia; and fourth, the polytheists of Makkah, who, until the conquest of Makkah, left no stone unturned in their hostile activities. However, in this verse, only two types of people are mentioned: the hypocrites and the Jews. Their hostile activities were also of various kinds: creating all sorts of doubts in the hearts of the Muslims, kindling the fire of discord among the Muslims themselves, preventing people from embracing Islam, defaming and insulting the Muslims and the Prophet of Islam, conspiring against the Muslims at the time of war, and supporting the disbelievers during battle. You were greatly distressed by the fact that people did not accept Islam, and on top of that, these hostile activities added to your distress. Thus, you would become extremely worried and grieved, and this was a natural matter. Keeping your state in view, Allah Almighty gave you this guidance for your consolation: that you need not be distressed by these circumstances. All these people are within Allah’s knowledge, and they will surely meet their end. You should always keep your focus on Allah alone.
[75]
The Punishment for the Adulterous Couple:
In this verse, there is a reference to an incident. What happened was that a married Jewish man and woman from a noble family in Khaybar committed adultery, and they wanted to escape the punishment of stoning, because in the Torah their punishment was stoning. They thought that in the Shariah of the Last Prophet, the punishment for such adultery was flogging, not stoning. Therefore, they presented the case of this Jewish man and woman in your ﷺ court. Here, it is worth mentioning that according to the treaty you had with the Jews of Madinah, the Jews were free to decide their cases and disputes according to the Torah, and if they wished, they could bring their cases to the court of the Last Prophet, in which case your decision would be binding upon them. The Jews brought this case to you with the intention that this noble adulterous couple would escape the punishment of stoning, and they agreed among themselves that if the Prophet decreed the punishment of flogging, they would accept his decision, but if he decreed stoning, they would not accept it. The narration of Muslim, which is reported from Bara’ bin Azib ؓ and is mentioned ahead, is as follows: the Jews had given this noble adulterous Jew the punishment of flogging, blackened his face, and paraded him on a donkey, so you yourself called them to you. In this way, this case came to your court.
[76]
The Jews Were Neither Followers of the Torah Nor of the Prophet:
The meaning of “fitnah” is that in reality, they were neither prepared to follow the Torah nor to accept the decision of the Prophet; rather, they were following the desires of their own souls. They were deniers of the Book of Allah, i.e., the Torah, because the command of stoning was present in the Torah, and they knew this very well. They were deniers of the Prophet ﷺ because they wanted to accept his decision conditionally—that is, if it was according to their desire (i.e., the punishment of flogging), they would accept it, and if it was contrary to their desire (i.e., the punishment of stoning), they would not accept it. Therefore, this was neither following the Torah nor the Prophet, but rather following their own desires. And whoever wishes to remain in fitnah himself, Allah opens the path of fitnah for him, and due to rebellion against Allah’s command, He does not purify their hearts from such evil diseases. He only purifies the heart of the one who himself wishes to be purified.
