سُوْرَةُ الْاَعْرَافِ
Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 199
خُذِ ٱلْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِٱلْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ ﴿199﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish (i.e. don’t punish them).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
خُذِ
khudhi
Hold
ٱلْعَفْوَ
l-ʿafwa
(to) forgiveness
وَأْمُرْ
wamur
and enjoin
بِٱلْعُرْفِ
bil-ʿur'fi
the good
وَأَعْرِضْ
wa-aʿriḍ
and turn away
عَنِ
ʿani
from
ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ
l-jāhilīna
the ignorant
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.
199. (O Prophet!) Adopt forgiveness, enjoin what is right, and turn away from the ignorant [197].
[197]
Instructions for the Caller to Truth:
1. Forgiveness and Forbearance
2. Commanding Good Deeds
3. Avoidance in Argument
4. Refraining from Retaliation
In this verse, Allah Almighty has, in very brief words, stated three pieces of advice to you ﷺ which are extremely important for every caller to truth. It is as if the solution to the problems faced by the caller to truth has been encapsulated in a few words, and they are as follows:
1. In the previous few verses, there has been a serious critique of the false deities of the polytheists and the polytheists themselves. As a result, they may begin to spew venom against you ﷺ or speak ill of you ﷺ. In such a situation, you ﷺ should adopt the way of forgiveness, act with patience and endurance. You should keep your temperament calm both regarding the weaknesses of your companions and the provocations of your opponents, because during the call to truth, sometimes impulsiveness can harm the real objective, and this quality was present in you ﷺ to the highest degree. As Allah Almighty said:
﴿ فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ لِنْتَ لهَُمْ ....﴾ [3: 159]
2. One should invite towards such good deeds in clear and simple words that common sense is ready to accept, and in such a manner that people do not find it burdensome. The best example of this is the incident when you ﷺ sent Mu'adh bin Jabal ؓ as governor to Yemen and gave him these instructions: First, invite the people to the oneness of Allah. Then, when they accept Islam, inform them that your Lord has made five prayers obligatory upon you during the day. Then, when they begin to act upon this, inform them that Allah Almighty has made zakat obligatory upon your wealth, and when collecting zakat, avoid taking their best possessions, and beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between Allah and the supplication of the oppressed. [بخاري۔ كتاب الزكوٰة۔ باب لاتؤخَذَ كرائم اموال الناس فى الصدقة]
In this hadith, the order of invitation and the manner of address that has been described contains countless lessons for the caller to truth. Also, whenever you ﷺ would send any caller, you would instruct them:
﴿بَشِّرُوْا وَلاَتُنَفِّرُوْا وَيَسِّرُوْا وَلاَ تُعَسِّرُوْا﴾ [بخاري۔ كتاب المغازي۔ باب بعث ابي موسيٰ و معاذ اليٰ يمن]
That is, wherever you go, your arrival should be a cause of happiness for the people, not a cause of aversion, and you should be a means of ease for the people, not a means of hardship and difficulty.
3. And the third point is that you should try to avoid those who argue for the sake of argument and object for the sake of objection. If you get entangled in their words, the work of spreading the call to truth will come to a halt. Therefore, one should not waste time responding to the objections and taunts of such people, but rather, being indifferent to them, continue on your journey.
[197]
Instructions for the Caller to Truth:
1. Forgiveness and Forbearance
2. Commanding Good Deeds
3. Avoidance in Argument
4. Refraining from Retaliation
In this verse, Allah Almighty has, in very brief words, stated three pieces of advice to you ﷺ which are extremely important for every caller to truth. It is as if the solution to the problems faced by the caller to truth has been encapsulated in a few words, and they are as follows:
1. In the previous few verses, there has been a serious critique of the false deities of the polytheists and the polytheists themselves. As a result, they may begin to spew venom against you ﷺ or speak ill of you ﷺ. In such a situation, you ﷺ should adopt the way of forgiveness, act with patience and endurance. You should keep your temperament calm both regarding the weaknesses of your companions and the provocations of your opponents, because during the call to truth, sometimes impulsiveness can harm the real objective, and this quality was present in you ﷺ to the highest degree. As Allah Almighty said:
﴿ فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ لِنْتَ لهَُمْ ....﴾ [3: 159]
2. One should invite towards such good deeds in clear and simple words that common sense is ready to accept, and in such a manner that people do not find it burdensome. The best example of this is the incident when you ﷺ sent Mu'adh bin Jabal ؓ as governor to Yemen and gave him these instructions: First, invite the people to the oneness of Allah. Then, when they accept Islam, inform them that your Lord has made five prayers obligatory upon you during the day. Then, when they begin to act upon this, inform them that Allah Almighty has made zakat obligatory upon your wealth, and when collecting zakat, avoid taking their best possessions, and beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between Allah and the supplication of the oppressed. [بخاري۔ كتاب الزكوٰة۔ باب لاتؤخَذَ كرائم اموال الناس فى الصدقة]
In this hadith, the order of invitation and the manner of address that has been described contains countless lessons for the caller to truth. Also, whenever you ﷺ would send any caller, you would instruct them:
﴿بَشِّرُوْا وَلاَتُنَفِّرُوْا وَيَسِّرُوْا وَلاَ تُعَسِّرُوْا﴾ [بخاري۔ كتاب المغازي۔ باب بعث ابي موسيٰ و معاذ اليٰ يمن]
That is, wherever you go, your arrival should be a cause of happiness for the people, not a cause of aversion, and you should be a means of ease for the people, not a means of hardship and difficulty.
3. And the third point is that you should try to avoid those who argue for the sake of argument and object for the sake of objection. If you get entangled in their words, the work of spreading the call to truth will come to a halt. Therefore, one should not waste time responding to the objections and taunts of such people, but rather, being indifferent to them, continue on your journey.
