سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْعَامِ
Surah Al-An'aam (6) — Ayah 85
وَزَكَرِيَّا وَيَحْيَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَإِلْيَاسَ ۖ كُلٌّ مِّنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ﴿85﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And Zakariyâ (Zachariya), and Yahya (John) and ‘Îsâ (Jesus) and Iliyâs (Elias), each one of them was of the righteous.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَزَكَرِيَّا
wazakariyyā
And Zakariya
وَيَحْيَىٰ
wayaḥyā
and Yahya
وَعِيسَىٰ
waʿīsā
and Isa
وَإِلْيَاسَ ۖ
wa-il'yāsa
and Elijah
كُلٌّۭ
kullun
all (were)
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
l-ṣāliḥīna
the righteous
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.
85. And (We guided) Zakariya [87], John, Jesus, and Elias—each one of them was of the righteous.
[87]
Eliminating Shirk is the Greatest Jihad:
In the Quran, in most places where the mention of the noble Prophets occurs, there is also a chronological order, but here, most likely, the quality that has been given the most consideration is which among them strove the most against shirk, or some other qualities have been considered. Among them, at the forefront, only the mention of Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ is made, whom Allah Almighty, on the basis of this very quality, «امة قانة» and made His friend. Then, mentioning the favors upon Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ, it is stated that his son Ishaq ؑ and then his son Yaqub ؑ were honored with prophethood, and for the future, prophethood was made exclusive to their progeny. After that, the mention of Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ is made, who spent a long period of nine and a half centuries striving against shirk. Although his era was much before that of Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ. The reward for him was that after him, prophethood was made exclusive to his progeny. Then after this, the mention of Sayyiduna Dawud ؑ and his son Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ is made, who, in addition to prophethood, were also granted kingship, and they broke the power of shirk by the sword. Then the mention of Sayyiduna Ayyub ؑ is made, who displayed perfect patience in this struggle between truth and falsehood, until Allah Almighty gave him the title of ﴿اِنَّا وَجَدْنٰهُ صَابِرًا﴾. And the patience of Sayyiduna Yusuf ؑ was also praised by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; he remained imprisoned for seven years without any fault, then when the invitation came from the king of Egypt, he said to the messenger, "First ask the king about the condition of those women who had accused me." The Prophet ﷺ said, "If I had been imprisoned for such a long period, I would have gone with the messenger without saying anything." [بخاري۔ كتاب الانبياء۔ باب لقد كان فى يوسف] Allah also granted him kingship, and in a hadith it is mentioned that the Companions asked, "Who is the most honorable?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "Yusuf, who himself was a prophet, his father was a prophet, his grandfather was a prophet, and his great-grandfather (Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ) was also a prophet." After this, the mention of Musa and Harun (peace be upon them) is made. Musa was Kalimullah, and at his request, Sayyiduna Harun ؑ was granted prophethood so that he could assist him in bringing the Israelites, who had been corrupted for centuries, back to the right path. They too spent their entire lives enduring hardships at the hands of the Israelites. Then after them, the mention of Sayyiduna Zakariya, Yahya, and Isa (peace be upon them) is made. Two of them were killed by the Israelites for inviting them to the truth, and the third, Sayyiduna Isa ؑ, they tried to crucify. Then the mention of Sayyiduna Ilyas, Ismail, Al-Yasa', Yunus, and Lut (peace be upon them) is made. Then, regarding all the Prophets, a uniform comment is made: all these people were righteous and, in their respective times, were superior to all the nations and individuals of the world because they strove against shirk and endured hardships for the sake of upholding tawheed and inviting to the truth.
[87]
Eliminating Shirk is the Greatest Jihad:
In the Quran, in most places where the mention of the noble Prophets occurs, there is also a chronological order, but here, most likely, the quality that has been given the most consideration is which among them strove the most against shirk, or some other qualities have been considered. Among them, at the forefront, only the mention of Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ is made, whom Allah Almighty, on the basis of this very quality, «امة قانة» and made His friend. Then, mentioning the favors upon Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ, it is stated that his son Ishaq ؑ and then his son Yaqub ؑ were honored with prophethood, and for the future, prophethood was made exclusive to their progeny. After that, the mention of Sayyiduna Nuh ؑ is made, who spent a long period of nine and a half centuries striving against shirk. Although his era was much before that of Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ. The reward for him was that after him, prophethood was made exclusive to his progeny. Then after this, the mention of Sayyiduna Dawud ؑ and his son Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ is made, who, in addition to prophethood, were also granted kingship, and they broke the power of shirk by the sword. Then the mention of Sayyiduna Ayyub ؑ is made, who displayed perfect patience in this struggle between truth and falsehood, until Allah Almighty gave him the title of ﴿اِنَّا وَجَدْنٰهُ صَابِرًا﴾. And the patience of Sayyiduna Yusuf ؑ was also praised by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; he remained imprisoned for seven years without any fault, then when the invitation came from the king of Egypt, he said to the messenger, "First ask the king about the condition of those women who had accused me." The Prophet ﷺ said, "If I had been imprisoned for such a long period, I would have gone with the messenger without saying anything." [بخاري۔ كتاب الانبياء۔ باب لقد كان فى يوسف] Allah also granted him kingship, and in a hadith it is mentioned that the Companions asked, "Who is the most honorable?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "Yusuf, who himself was a prophet, his father was a prophet, his grandfather was a prophet, and his great-grandfather (Sayyiduna Ibrahim ؑ) was also a prophet." After this, the mention of Musa and Harun (peace be upon them) is made. Musa was Kalimullah, and at his request, Sayyiduna Harun ؑ was granted prophethood so that he could assist him in bringing the Israelites, who had been corrupted for centuries, back to the right path. They too spent their entire lives enduring hardships at the hands of the Israelites. Then after them, the mention of Sayyiduna Zakariya, Yahya, and Isa (peace be upon them) is made. Two of them were killed by the Israelites for inviting them to the truth, and the third, Sayyiduna Isa ؑ, they tried to crucify. Then the mention of Sayyiduna Ilyas, Ismail, Al-Yasa', Yunus, and Lut (peace be upon them) is made. Then, regarding all the Prophets, a uniform comment is made: all these people were righteous and, in their respective times, were superior to all the nations and individuals of the world because they strove against shirk and endured hardships for the sake of upholding tawheed and inviting to the truth.
