سُوْرَةُ الْاَعْرَافِ
Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 56
وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَـٰحِهَا وَٱدْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا ۚ إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿56﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order, and invoke Him with fear and hope. Surely, Allâh’s Mercy is (ever) near unto the good-doers.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَا
walā
And (do) not
تُفْسِدُوا۟
tuf'sidū
cause corruption
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the earth
بَعْدَ
baʿda
after
إِصْلَـٰحِهَا
iṣ'lāḥihā
its reformation
وَٱدْعُوهُ
wa-id'ʿūhu
And call Him
خَوْفًۭا
khawfan
(in) fear
وَطَمَعًا ۚ
waṭamaʿan
and hope
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
رَحْمَتَ
raḥmata
(the) Mercy
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
قَرِيبٌۭ
qarībun
(is) near
مِّنَ
mina
for
ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
l-muḥ'sinīna
the good-doers
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.
56. And do not cause corruption on the earth after it has been set right [59]. And call upon Allah with fear and hope [60]. Surely, the mercy of Allah is near to those who do good.
[59]
What is Corruption in the Land?
Corruption in the land is that a person abandons the worship of Allah and begins to obey his own self or others, and, leaving the path of guidance shown by Allah, establishes the structure of his morals, society, economy, politics, and civilization upon such principles and laws that are derived from someone else's guidance. This is the fundamental corruption from which countless forms of disorder arise in the management of the earth, and such complex problems emerge for which no solution seems apparent, and even if a solution is thought of, instead of resolving the issues, they become even more complicated. Incidentally, from this verse it is also understood that in the beginning, there was only reform on the earth, because the first human, Adam, was himself a prophet. Later, satanic elements created forms of corruption in this reform, so Allah continued to send prophets to eliminate this corruption. Whereas those who write the story of human civilization establish the theory that man gradually emerged from darkness into light, and his life began with corruption which is gradually being rectified. The Quran strongly refutes this theory.
The Beginning of Societal Reform Can Only Be With Tawheed:
That is, the only way to correct corruption is to begin with Tawheed. This is why all the prophets who came into the world generally came at times when various forms of corruption had arisen in society, so they began their call with Tawheed, making it the first condition to abstain from the worship of anyone besides Allah. After adopting this principle, evils automatically depart from society.
[60] The meaning of calling upon Allah with fear and hope is that one should attach all hopes to Allah and never despair of His mercy, and one should fear lest, due to some mistake or shortcoming, one becomes rejected in the court of Allah. Both aspects must, in any case, be kept in view. However, the aspect of having a good opinion of Allah should remain dominant, as is clear from the following hadith: Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ, three days before his death, said, "Every one of you must have a good opinion of Allah at the time of death." [ مسلم۔ كتاب الجنة وصفة نعيمها باب الامر بحسن ظن بالله تعاليٰ]
[59]
What is Corruption in the Land?
Corruption in the land is that a person abandons the worship of Allah and begins to obey his own self or others, and, leaving the path of guidance shown by Allah, establishes the structure of his morals, society, economy, politics, and civilization upon such principles and laws that are derived from someone else's guidance. This is the fundamental corruption from which countless forms of disorder arise in the management of the earth, and such complex problems emerge for which no solution seems apparent, and even if a solution is thought of, instead of resolving the issues, they become even more complicated. Incidentally, from this verse it is also understood that in the beginning, there was only reform on the earth, because the first human, Adam, was himself a prophet. Later, satanic elements created forms of corruption in this reform, so Allah continued to send prophets to eliminate this corruption. Whereas those who write the story of human civilization establish the theory that man gradually emerged from darkness into light, and his life began with corruption which is gradually being rectified. The Quran strongly refutes this theory.
The Beginning of Societal Reform Can Only Be With Tawheed:
That is, the only way to correct corruption is to begin with Tawheed. This is why all the prophets who came into the world generally came at times when various forms of corruption had arisen in society, so they began their call with Tawheed, making it the first condition to abstain from the worship of anyone besides Allah. After adopting this principle, evils automatically depart from society.
[60] The meaning of calling upon Allah with fear and hope is that one should attach all hopes to Allah and never despair of His mercy, and one should fear lest, due to some mistake or shortcoming, one becomes rejected in the court of Allah. Both aspects must, in any case, be kept in view. However, the aspect of having a good opinion of Allah should remain dominant, as is clear from the following hadith: Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ, three days before his death, said, "Every one of you must have a good opinion of Allah at the time of death." [ مسلم۔ كتاب الجنة وصفة نعيمها باب الامر بحسن ظن بالله تعاليٰ]
