Surah Nahl Ayat 92 in Arabic Text
English Translation
Here you can read various translations of verse 92
And do not be like she who untwisted her spun thread after it was strong [by] taking your oaths as [means of] deceit between you because one community is more plentiful [in number or wealth] than another community. Allah only tries you thereby. And He will surely make clear to you on the Day of Resurrection that over which you used to differ.
And be not like a woman who breaks into untwisted strands the yarn which she has spun, after it has become strong. Nor take your oaths to practise deception between yourselves, lest one party should be more numerous than another: for Allah will test you by this; and on the Day of Judgment He will certainly make clear to you (the truth of) that wherein ye disagree.
And do not become like the woman who, after having painstakingly spun her yarn, caused it to disintegrate into pieces. You resort to oaths as instruments of mutual deceit so that one people might take greater advantage than another although Allah puts you to the test through this. Surely on the Day of Resurrection He will make clear the Truth concerning the matters over which you differed.
And be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun after it has become strong, by taking your oaths a means of deception among yourselves, lest a nation may be more numerous than another nation. Allah only tests you by this [i.e. who obeys Allah and fulfills Allah’s Covenant and who disobeys Allah and breaks Allah’s Covenant]. And on the Day of Resurrection, He will certainly make clear to you that wherein you used to differ [i.e. a believer confesses and believes in the Oneness of Allah and in the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad SAW which the disbeliever denies it and that was their difference amongst them in the life of this world].
And be not like unto her who unravelleth the thread, after she hath made it strong, to thin filaments, making your oaths a deceit between you because of a nation being more numerous than (another) nation. Allah only trieth you thereby, and He verily will explain to you on the Day of Resurrection that wherein ye differed.
And do not be as she who breaks her yarn, even after it is strongly spun, (Literally: powerfully spun) into strands, by taking to yourselves your oaths fraudulently among yourselves, one nation being more numerous than another nation. Surely, Allah only tries you thereby; and indeed He will definitely make evident to you upon the Day of the Resurrection that wherein you used to differ.
Do not use your oaths to deceive each other- like a woman who unravels the thread she has firmly spun- just because one party may be more numerous than another. God tests you with this, and on the Day of the Resurrection He will make clear to you those things you differed about.
اور اس عورت کی طرح نہ ہو جاؤ جس نے اپنا سوت مضبوط کاتنے کے بعد ٹکڑے ٹکڑے کرکے توڑ ڈاﻻ، کہ تم اپنی قسموں کو آپس کے مکر کا باعﺚ ٹھراؤ، اس لیے کہ ایک گروه دوسرے گروه سے بڑھا چڑھا ہوجائے۔ بات صرف یہی ہے کہ اس عہد سے اللہ تمہیں آزما رہا ہے۔ یقیناً اللہ تعالیٰ تمہارے لیے قیامت کے دن ہر اس چیز کو کھول کر بیان کر دے گا جس میں تم اختلاف کر رہے تھے
Quran 16 Verse 92 Explanation
For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Nahl ayat 92, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.
Ala-Maududi
(16:92) And do not become like the woman who, after having painstakingly spun her yarn, caused it to disintegrate into pieces.[90] You resort to oaths as instruments of mutual deceit so that one people might take greater advantage than another although Allah puts you to the test through this.[91] Surely on the Day of Resurrection[92] He will make clear the Truth concerning the matters over which you differed.
90. In this verse, Allah has enjoined three kinds of covenants which have been mentioned in the order of their importance. The first of these covenants is the one between man and his Allah which is the most important of all. The second in importance is the covenant between one man or one group of men and another man or another group of men, which is taken with Allah as a witness or in which the name of God has been used. The third covenant is that which has been made without using Allah’s name. Though this is third in importance, its fulfillment is as important as that of the first two and the violation of any of these has been prohibited.
91. In this connection it should be noted that Allah has rebuked the people for the worst form of violation of treaties which has been creating the greatest disorder in the world. It is a pity that even big people consider it to be a virtue to violate treaties in order to gain advantages for their people in political, economic and religious conflicts. At one time the leader of one nation enters into a treaty with another nation for the interest of his own people but at another time the same leader publicly breaks the very same treaty for the interest of his people, or secretly violates it. It is an irony that such violations are made even by those people who are honest in their private lives. Moreover, it is regrettable that their own people do not protest against them; nay, they eulogize them for such shameful feats of diplomacy. Therefore, Allah warns that every such treaty is a test of the character of those who enter into it, and of their nations. They might gain some apparent advantage for their people in this way, but they will not escape their consequences on the Day of Judgment.
92. This is to warn that decision about differences and disputes that lead to conflict will be made on the Day of Judgment. Therefore, these should not be made an excuse to break agreements and treaties. Even if one is wholly in the right and the opponent is wholly in the wrong. It is not right for the former to break treaties or make false propaganda or employ other deceitful methods to defeat the other. If one does so, it will go against him on that Day because righteousness demands that one should not only be right in his theories and aims but should also use right methods and employ right means. This warning has especially been given to those religious groups and sects who always suffer from this misunderstanding that they have a right to defeat their opponents because they are on the side of God and their opponents are rebels against Allah. Therefore, there is no obligation on them to stick to their treaties with their opponents. This was what the Arab Jews practiced, declaring: There is no moral obligation on us in regard to the pagan Arabs, and we are rightly entitled to practice dishonesty and deceit that might be of advantage to us and harmful to the disbelievers.
Ibn-Kathir
The tafsir of Surah An-Nahl verse 92 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Nahl ayat 91 which provides the complete commentary from verse 91 through 92.
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