سُوْرَةُ النَّجْمِ
Surah An-Najm (53) — Ayah 32
ٱلَّذِينَ يَجْتَنِبُونَ كَبَـٰٓئِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّمَمَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ وَٰسِعُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ ۚ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِذْ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِذْ أَنتُمْ أَجِنَّةٌ فِى بُطُونِ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمْ ۖ فَلَا تُزَكُّوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰٓ ﴿32﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Those who avoid great sins (See the Qur’ân, Verses: 6:152,153) and Al-Fawâhish (illegal sexual intercourse) except the small faults, - verily, your Lord is of Vast Forgiveness. He knows you well when He created you from the earth (Adam), and when you were fetuses in your mothers’ wombs. So ascribe not purity to yourselves. He knows best him who fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him [i.e. those who are Al-Muttaqûn (the pious. See V.2:2)].
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
Those who
يَجْتَنِبُونَ
yajtanibūna
avoid
كَبَـٰٓئِرَ
kabāira
great
ٱلْإِثْمِ
l-ith'mi
sins
وَٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ
wal-fawāḥisha
and the immoralities
إِلَّا
illā
except
ٱللَّمَمَ ۚ
l-lamama
the small faults
إِنَّ
inna
indeed
رَبَّكَ
rabbaka
your Lord
وَٰسِعُ
wāsiʿu
(is) vast
ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ ۚ
l-maghfirati
(in) forgiveness
هُوَ
huwa
He
أَعْلَمُ
aʿlamu
(is) most knowing about you
بِكُمْ
bikum
(is) most knowing about you
إِذْ
idh
when
أَنشَأَكُم
ansha-akum
He produced you
مِّنَ
mina
from
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the earth
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
and when
أَنتُمْ
antum
you (were)
أَجِنَّةٌۭ
ajinnatun
fetuses
فِى
fī
in
بُطُونِ
buṭūni
(the) wombs
أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمْ ۖ
ummahātikum
(of) your mothers
فَلَا
falā
So (do) not
تُزَكُّوٓا۟
tuzakkū
ascribe purity
أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ
anfusakum
(to) yourselves
هُوَ
huwa
He
أَعْلَمُ
aʿlamu
knows best
بِمَنِ
bimani
(he) who
ٱتَّقَىٰٓ
ittaqā
fears
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.
32. Those who avoid major sins and indecencies, except for minor faults [22]—surely, your Lord's forgiveness is vast [23]. He knows you well when He created you from the earth and when you were embryos in your mothers' wombs [24]. So do not claim purity for yourselves; He knows best who is truly righteous.
[22] For the explanation and commentary of this phrase, see the footnotes 51 and 53 of verse 31 of Surah An-Nisa.
[23] That is, this is only the result of the vastness of His forgiveness that if you refrain from major sins, then He will forgive all your thoughts related to those sins, your initial steps, your slips, and impurities. Although their number is much greater compared to the major sins.
[24]
Why is Self-Praise Wrong?
That is, no person should be proud or boastful of his piety and good deeds, nor should he consider himself superior and greater than others. Rather, he should look at the beginning of his own creation, through what stages he has passed to reach this position, and whether those stages are worthy of pride. After dust, his creation began from a filthy and insignificant drop of water, then for a period he was nurtured in the filth of his mother's womb. And now, if he has embraced faith or performed some good deeds, how can self-praise befit him? Then, he does not know, nor is there any means to know, what kind of deeds he will perform in the rest of his life and die upon, because mostly, the real consideration is for those deeds which he performs in the last part of his life, and his ultimate reward or punishment or salvation will depend on such deeds, as is evident from the following hadiths:
1. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said—and he was truthful, and what was promised to him was also true: "The substance (nutfa) of each one of you is collected in his mother's womb for forty days. Then for forty days, it remains as a clot of blood. Then for forty days, it remains as a lump of flesh. Then Allah sends an angel and commands him to write four things: What will his deeds be? How much will his provision be? How long will his life be? And will he be fortunate or unfortunate? Then the soul is breathed into him. Then (after coming into the world) among you, there is one who keeps doing good deeds all his life until Paradise is only a hand's span away from him. Then what is written in destiny overtakes him, so he does a deed of the people of Hell . And there is a person who keeps doing evil deeds all his life until Hell is only a hand's span away from him, then what is written in destiny overtakes him, and he does a deed of the people of Paradise" (and he enters Paradise). [بخاري، كتاب بدء الخلق۔ باب ذكر الملائكة]
2. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that we were present at the battle of Khaybar. When the Prophet ﷺ said about one of his companions (Qazman), who claimed to be a Muslim (but was actually a hypocrite), "This person is of the people of Hell." This person fought bravely and was wounded, to the extent that some people began to doubt the statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Then people saw him in such a state that when his wounds became too painful, he put his hand into his quiver, took out an arrow, and wounded his own neck, committing suicide. Seeing this situation, several companions ؓ ran to the Prophet ﷺ and said: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Allah has made your statement true. This person destroyed himself by suicide. The Prophet ﷺ said to one person: Get up and announce among the people that "Only a believer will enter Paradise, and it is Allah's power that He can help His religion even through a wicked person." [بخاری، کتاب المغازی۔ باب غزوۃ خیبر]
[22] For the explanation and commentary of this phrase, see the footnotes 51 and 53 of verse 31 of Surah An-Nisa.
[23] That is, this is only the result of the vastness of His forgiveness that if you refrain from major sins, then He will forgive all your thoughts related to those sins, your initial steps, your slips, and impurities. Although their number is much greater compared to the major sins.
[24]
Why is Self-Praise Wrong?
That is, no person should be proud or boastful of his piety and good deeds, nor should he consider himself superior and greater than others. Rather, he should look at the beginning of his own creation, through what stages he has passed to reach this position, and whether those stages are worthy of pride. After dust, his creation began from a filthy and insignificant drop of water, then for a period he was nurtured in the filth of his mother's womb. And now, if he has embraced faith or performed some good deeds, how can self-praise befit him? Then, he does not know, nor is there any means to know, what kind of deeds he will perform in the rest of his life and die upon, because mostly, the real consideration is for those deeds which he performs in the last part of his life, and his ultimate reward or punishment or salvation will depend on such deeds, as is evident from the following hadiths:
1. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said—and he was truthful, and what was promised to him was also true: "The substance (nutfa) of each one of you is collected in his mother's womb for forty days. Then for forty days, it remains as a clot of blood. Then for forty days, it remains as a lump of flesh. Then Allah sends an angel and commands him to write four things: What will his deeds be? How much will his provision be? How long will his life be? And will he be fortunate or unfortunate? Then the soul is breathed into him. Then (after coming into the world) among you, there is one who keeps doing good deeds all his life until Paradise is only a hand's span away from him. Then what is written in destiny overtakes him, so he does a deed of the people of Hell . And there is a person who keeps doing evil deeds all his life until Hell is only a hand's span away from him, then what is written in destiny overtakes him, and he does a deed of the people of Paradise" (and he enters Paradise). [بخاري، كتاب بدء الخلق۔ باب ذكر الملائكة]
2. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that we were present at the battle of Khaybar. When the Prophet ﷺ said about one of his companions (Qazman), who claimed to be a Muslim (but was actually a hypocrite), "This person is of the people of Hell." This person fought bravely and was wounded, to the extent that some people began to doubt the statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Then people saw him in such a state that when his wounds became too painful, he put his hand into his quiver, took out an arrow, and wounded his own neck, committing suicide. Seeing this situation, several companions ؓ ran to the Prophet ﷺ and said: O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Allah has made your statement true. This person destroyed himself by suicide. The Prophet ﷺ said to one person: Get up and announce among the people that "Only a believer will enter Paradise, and it is Allah's power that He can help His religion even through a wicked person." [بخاری، کتاب المغازی۔ باب غزوۃ خیبر]
