سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْعَامِ
Surah Al-An'aam (6) — Ayah 108
وَلَا تَسُبُّوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَدْوًۢا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِم مَّرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿108﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides Allâh, lest they insult Allâh wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fair-seeming to each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall then inform them of all that they used to do.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَا
walā
And (do) not
تَسُبُّوا۟
tasubbū
insult
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those whom
يَدْعُونَ
yadʿūna
they invoke
مِن
min
from
دُونِ
dūni
other than
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
فَيَسُبُّوا۟
fayasubbū
lest they insult
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
عَدْوًۢا
ʿadwan
(in) enmity
بِغَيْرِ
bighayri
without
عِلْمٍۢ ۗ
ʿil'min
knowledge
كَذَٰلِكَ
kadhālika
Thus
زَيَّنَّا
zayyannā
We have made fair-seeming
لِكُلِّ
likulli
to every
أُمَّةٍ
ummatin
community
عَمَلَهُمْ
ʿamalahum
their deed
ثُمَّ
thumma
Then
إِلَىٰ
ilā
to
رَبِّهِم
rabbihim
their Lord
مَّرْجِعُهُمْ
marjiʿuhum
(is) their return
فَيُنَبِّئُهُم
fayunabbi-uhum
then He will inform them
بِمَا
bimā
about what
كَانُوا۟
kānū
they used to
يَعْمَلُونَ
yaʿmalūna
do
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.
108. (O Muslims!) Do not insult those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest they insult Allah in hostility without knowledge [109]. Thus We have made the deeds of every group seem fair to them. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of what they used to do [110].
[109]
Leaving a Good Deed or Enduring a Lesser Trial to Avoid a Greater Trial:
Act with patience and restraint, and do not, in anger, revile their deities, otherwise, as a reaction, they will begin to abuse your true deity, Allah, and indirectly, you yourselves will become the cause of Allah being abused. Although there is no doubt about the evilness of their deities and there is no harm in calling them bad—in fact, it is a good thing—this verse establishes the principle that if performing a good deed is likely to result in a greater trial as a reaction, then that good deed should be abandoned. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that if, in order to avoid a lesser trial, there is a risk of a greater trial arising, then the lesser trial should be tolerated. A clear example of this is that in Makkah, some Muslims, due to weakness of faith, were not migrating and had taken refuge with the polytheists of Makkah. When these polytheists fought against the Muslims, they would put those who had not migrated at the front of their army. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير۔ سورة توبه]
Now, if the Muslim army kills these Muslims, it becomes guilty of their killing, and if it does not kill them, then all the Muslims are killed. In such a situation, killing those Muslims is the correct course of action, and Allah has severely reprimanded those Muslims who did not migrate.
Commentary on the Democratic System and the Status of Voting:
In the present era, an example of this is the issue of voting during elections in a democratic political system. And it is clear that the democratic system is the very antithesis of Islam and the Islamic system of Khilafah. In a democratic system, the supreme authority can only be a human or an institution, whereas from the Islamic point of view, no human can be the supreme authority. Rather, the supreme authority is only the Being of Allah Almighty. This is the fundamental difference on the basis of which we can assert that compromise between Islam and democracy is impossible, even though the constitution of Pakistan states that "the supreme authority is Allah Almighty," but its implementation is impossible. The reason is that if, in reality, Allah Almighty is accepted as the supreme authority, then the current democratic system automatically comes to an end. Furthermore, there are five things in the democratic system, without any one of which democracy cannot function, and these things are religiously impermissible, and they are:
1. The existence of political parties being necessary.
2. Seeking leadership, i.e., applying to become a member of the assembly oneself, and then striving for it by all lawful and unlawful means.
3. Considering the majority opinion as the criterion of truth.
4. Universal adult suffrage, i.e., giving the right to vote to everyone, including women.
5. Considering the value of every person's vote as equal. In this situation, it seems appropriate that one should not encourage this system at all by voting, but even then, sometimes there arises the danger that an element averse to religion may come to power. Therefore, it becomes necessary to cooperate with the party that is relatively better from a religious perspective, and its justification is only to the extent that, to prevent a greater trial, a lesser trial is tolerated. This is only a temporary remedy, and the real remedy is to adopt the path that was the way of the noble Prophets in order to change this infidel political system.
[110]
Why Does Every Sect Remain Content with Its Own Beliefs and Actions?
Since this world is a place of trial, We have established its system in such a way and gathered such means that here every nation remains proud of its own actions and ways. Allah has not created the human mind in such a way that it is compelled only to accept and like the truth, with no possibility of turning towards error. However, when one goes to Allah and the realities become manifest, then everyone will know what kind of deeds he was doing in the world. In this world, even if a sect is actively opposing the truth, it thinks that it is doing a very good deed.
[109]
Leaving a Good Deed or Enduring a Lesser Trial to Avoid a Greater Trial:
Act with patience and restraint, and do not, in anger, revile their deities, otherwise, as a reaction, they will begin to abuse your true deity, Allah, and indirectly, you yourselves will become the cause of Allah being abused. Although there is no doubt about the evilness of their deities and there is no harm in calling them bad—in fact, it is a good thing—this verse establishes the principle that if performing a good deed is likely to result in a greater trial as a reaction, then that good deed should be abandoned. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that if, in order to avoid a lesser trial, there is a risk of a greater trial arising, then the lesser trial should be tolerated. A clear example of this is that in Makkah, some Muslims, due to weakness of faith, were not migrating and had taken refuge with the polytheists of Makkah. When these polytheists fought against the Muslims, they would put those who had not migrated at the front of their army. [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير۔ سورة توبه]
Now, if the Muslim army kills these Muslims, it becomes guilty of their killing, and if it does not kill them, then all the Muslims are killed. In such a situation, killing those Muslims is the correct course of action, and Allah has severely reprimanded those Muslims who did not migrate.
Commentary on the Democratic System and the Status of Voting:
In the present era, an example of this is the issue of voting during elections in a democratic political system. And it is clear that the democratic system is the very antithesis of Islam and the Islamic system of Khilafah. In a democratic system, the supreme authority can only be a human or an institution, whereas from the Islamic point of view, no human can be the supreme authority. Rather, the supreme authority is only the Being of Allah Almighty. This is the fundamental difference on the basis of which we can assert that compromise between Islam and democracy is impossible, even though the constitution of Pakistan states that "the supreme authority is Allah Almighty," but its implementation is impossible. The reason is that if, in reality, Allah Almighty is accepted as the supreme authority, then the current democratic system automatically comes to an end. Furthermore, there are five things in the democratic system, without any one of which democracy cannot function, and these things are religiously impermissible, and they are:
1. The existence of political parties being necessary.
2. Seeking leadership, i.e., applying to become a member of the assembly oneself, and then striving for it by all lawful and unlawful means.
3. Considering the majority opinion as the criterion of truth.
4. Universal adult suffrage, i.e., giving the right to vote to everyone, including women.
5. Considering the value of every person's vote as equal. In this situation, it seems appropriate that one should not encourage this system at all by voting, but even then, sometimes there arises the danger that an element averse to religion may come to power. Therefore, it becomes necessary to cooperate with the party that is relatively better from a religious perspective, and its justification is only to the extent that, to prevent a greater trial, a lesser trial is tolerated. This is only a temporary remedy, and the real remedy is to adopt the path that was the way of the noble Prophets in order to change this infidel political system.
[110]
Why Does Every Sect Remain Content with Its Own Beliefs and Actions?
Since this world is a place of trial, We have established its system in such a way and gathered such means that here every nation remains proud of its own actions and ways. Allah has not created the human mind in such a way that it is compelled only to accept and like the truth, with no possibility of turning towards error. However, when one goes to Allah and the realities become manifest, then everyone will know what kind of deeds he was doing in the world. In this world, even if a sect is actively opposing the truth, it thinks that it is doing a very good deed.
