سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْعَامِ
Surah Al-An'aam (6) — Ayah 165
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَـٰٓئِفَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَـٰتٍ لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِى مَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌۢ ﴿165﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And it is He Who has made you generations coming after generations, replacing each other on the earth. And He has raised you in ranks, some above others that He may try you in that which He has bestowed on you. Surely your Lord is Swift in retribution, and certainly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَهُوَ
wahuwa
And He
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
(is) the One Who
جَعَلَكُمْ
jaʿalakum
(has) made you
خَلَـٰٓئِفَ
khalāifa
successors
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
(of) the earth
وَرَفَعَ
warafaʿa
and raised
بَعْضَكُمْ
baʿḍakum
some of you
فَوْقَ
fawqa
above
بَعْضٍۢ
baʿḍin
others
دَرَجَـٰتٍۢ
darajātin
(in) ranks
لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ
liyabluwakum
so that He may test you
فِى
fī
in
مَآ
mā
what
ءَاتَىٰكُمْ ۗ
ātākum
He has given you
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
رَبَّكَ
rabbaka
your Lord
سَرِيعُ
sarīʿu
(is) swift
ٱلْعِقَابِ
l-ʿiqābi
(in) the punishment
وَإِنَّهُۥ
wa-innahu
and indeed, He (is)
لَغَفُورٌۭ
laghafūrun
[certainly], Oft-Forgiving
رَّحِيمٌۢ
raḥīmun
Most Merciful
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.
165. He is the One Who made you successors on the earth [190] and raised some of you in ranks above others [191] so that He may test you in what He has given you [192]. Surely, your Lord is swift in punishment, and indeed, He is certainly Forgiving and Merciful.
[190] This can also mean that man is Allah’s vicegerent on earth; he has been given certain powers so that he may establish the divine caliphate on earth. And it can also mean that man is the successor of those who passed before him on earth, and this discussion has already passed under verse 30 of Surah Al-Baqarah.
[191]
Man’s Test is Only in What Allah Has Given Him:
That is, some are rich, some are poor, some are learned, some are ignorant, some are intelligent, some are foolish; some have greater capacity for work, some have less; physically, some are strong and powerful, and some are weak and frail. In short, there are countless aspects of difference in the ranks of people in this world. The system of the world can only be maintained through these differences in ranks, and in this world, every person’s test is according to his own capacity; whatever quality Allah has given to someone, his test will be in that very thing.
[192] The test of the rich is whether he gives thanks to Allah or not, whether he fulfills the financial rights of others that are due upon him or not. If he is poor, does he act with patience and contentment, or does he start complaining and lamenting, and even in that state, does he give thanks to Allah or not? And if someone is learned, is he also practicing upon his knowledge or not, and does he benefit others with his knowledge and teach others or not? That is, does he fulfill the responsibilities that are placed upon him due to his knowledge or not? If someone is a ruler, how does he treat his subjects? If he is a subject, to what extent does he obey his rulers? In short, every person has a particular position in this world, whether his rank is high or low, and it is in that position that he is being tested in this world according to his circumstances. If he fails in this test, Allah has the power to punish him quickly, and if he is obedient but has made mistakes, Allah is Forgiving. And if he succeeds in this test, Allah is very Merciful to him; He will grant him honor in this world and will reward him with His bounties in the Hereafter as well. This verse is the conclusion of this Surah, in which it has been made clear to mankind what his status is in this universe and for what purpose he has been created.
[190] This can also mean that man is Allah’s vicegerent on earth; he has been given certain powers so that he may establish the divine caliphate on earth. And it can also mean that man is the successor of those who passed before him on earth, and this discussion has already passed under verse 30 of Surah Al-Baqarah.
[191]
Man’s Test is Only in What Allah Has Given Him:
That is, some are rich, some are poor, some are learned, some are ignorant, some are intelligent, some are foolish; some have greater capacity for work, some have less; physically, some are strong and powerful, and some are weak and frail. In short, there are countless aspects of difference in the ranks of people in this world. The system of the world can only be maintained through these differences in ranks, and in this world, every person’s test is according to his own capacity; whatever quality Allah has given to someone, his test will be in that very thing.
[192] The test of the rich is whether he gives thanks to Allah or not, whether he fulfills the financial rights of others that are due upon him or not. If he is poor, does he act with patience and contentment, or does he start complaining and lamenting, and even in that state, does he give thanks to Allah or not? And if someone is learned, is he also practicing upon his knowledge or not, and does he benefit others with his knowledge and teach others or not? That is, does he fulfill the responsibilities that are placed upon him due to his knowledge or not? If someone is a ruler, how does he treat his subjects? If he is a subject, to what extent does he obey his rulers? In short, every person has a particular position in this world, whether his rank is high or low, and it is in that position that he is being tested in this world according to his circumstances. If he fails in this test, Allah has the power to punish him quickly, and if he is obedient but has made mistakes, Allah is Forgiving. And if he succeeds in this test, Allah is very Merciful to him; He will grant him honor in this world and will reward him with His bounties in the Hereafter as well. This verse is the conclusion of this Surah, in which it has been made clear to mankind what his status is in this universe and for what purpose he has been created.
