Surah Ash-Shura >> Currently viewing Surah Ash-Shura Ayat 23 (42:23)

Surah Ash-Shura Ayat 23 in Arabic Text

ذَٰلِكَ ٱلَّذِي يُبَشِّرُ ٱللَّهُ عِبَادَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِۗ قُل لَّآ أَسۡـَٔلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ أَجۡرًا إِلَّا ٱلۡمَوَدَّةَ فِي ٱلۡقُرۡبَىٰۗ وَمَن يَقۡتَرِفۡ حَسَنَةٗ نَّزِدۡ لَهُۥ فِيهَا حُسۡنًاۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٞ شَكُورٌ
Zaalikal lazee yubash shirul laahu ‘ibaadahul lazeena aamanoo wa ‘amilus saalihaat; qul laaa as’alukum ‘alaihi ajran illal mawaddata fil qurbaa; wa mai yaqtarif hasanatan nazid lahoo feehaa husnaa; innal laaha Ghafoorun Shakoor

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 23

Sahih International
It is that of which Allah gives good tidings to His servants who believe and do righteous deeds. Say, [O Muhammad], “I do not ask you for this message any payment [but] only good will through kinship.” And whoever commits a good deed – We will increase for him good therein. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Appreciative.

Yusuf Ali
That is (the Bounty) whereof Allah gives Glad Tidings to His Servants who believe and do righteous deeds. Say: “No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin.” And if any one earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (service).

Abul Ala Maududi
That is the Bounty of which Allah gives tidings to His servants who have faith and do good deeds. Tell them, (O Prophet): “I do not ask you for any recompense for my work except love towards kinsfolk.” Whoever does a good deed, We shall increase its merit for him. Surely Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Appreciative.

Muhsin Khan
That is (the Paradise) whereof Allah gives glad tidings to His slaves who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds. Say (O Muhammad SAW): “No reward do I ask of you for this except to be kind to me for my kinship with you.” And whoever earns a good righteous deed, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (the deeds of those who are obedient to Him).

Pickthall
This it is which Allah announceth unto His bondmen who believe and do good works. Say (O Muhammad, unto mankind): I ask of you no fee therefor, save lovingkindness among kinsfolk. And whoso scoreth a good deed We add unto its good for him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Responsive.

Dr. Ghali
That (is) what Allah gives as good tidings to His bondmen who have believed and done deeds of righteousness. Say, “I do not ask of you a reward for it, except amity for kinship.” And whoever scores (Literally: commits) a fair deed, We will give him increase of fairness (i.e., goodness) therein. Surely Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Thankful.

Abdel Haleem
it is of this that God gives good news to His servants who believe and do good deeds. Say [Prophet], ‘I ask no reward from you for this, only the affection due to kin.’ If anyone does good, We shall increase it for him; God is most forgiving and most appreciative.

Muhammad Junagarhi
یہی وه ہے جس کی بشارت اللہ تعالیٰ اپنے ان بندوں کو دے رہا ہے جو ایمان ﻻئے اور (سنت کے مطابق) نیک عمل کیے تو کہہ دیجئے! کہ میں اس پر تم سے کوئی بدلہ نہیں چاہتا مگر محبت رشتہ داری کی، جو شخص کوئی نیکی کرے ہم اس کے لیے اس کی نیکی میں اور نیکی بڑھا دیں گے۔ بیشک اللہ تعالیٰ بخشنے واﻻ (اور) بہت قدر دان ہے

Quran 42 Verse 23 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Ash-Shura ayat 23, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(42:23) That is the Bounty of which Allah gives tidings to His servants who have faith and do good deeds. Tell them, (O Prophet): “I do not ask you for any recompense for my work[40] except love towards kinsfolk.”[41] Whoever does a good deed, We shall increase its merit for him. Surely Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Appreciative.[42]


40 That is, every effort that the prophet (peace be upon him) was making to save the people from Allah’s punishment and to enable them to become worthy of the promise of Paradise.

41. The word qurba in the original has been interpreted differently by the different commentators. One section of them takes it in the meaning of kinship and has given this meaning to the verse: I do not ask of you any reward for this service, but I do desire that you (O people of Quraish) should show some regard for the kinship that is there between me and you. You should have accepted my invitation, but if you do not accept it, you should not be so hard-hearted as to become my bitterest enemies in the entire land of Arabia. This is the interpretation given by Hadrat Abdullah bin Abbas, which has been cited by lmam Ahmad, Bukhari. Muslim. Tirmidhi, Ibn Jarir, Tabarani, Baihaqi. Ibn Said and others on the authority of many reporters and the same commentary has been given by Mujahid. Ikrimah, Qatadah, Suddi, Abu Malik, Abdur Rehman bin Zaid bin Aslam, Dahhak. Ata bin Dinar and the other major commentators.

The other section takes qurba in the meaning of nearness and interprets the verse to mean: I do not seek from you any other reward than this that you should develop in yourselves a desire for attaining nearness to Allah. That is, you should be reformed. That is my only reward. This commentary has been reported from Hasan Basri and a saying of Qatadah also has been cited in support of this, so much so that in a tradition by Tabarani this saying has also been attributed to Ibn Abbas. In the Quran itself, at another place, this same subject has been treated, thus: Tell them: I do not seek of you any reward for this work. I only ask of the one, who will, to adopt the way of his Lord. (Surah Al-Furqan, Ayat 57).

The third group takes qurba in the meaning of the kindred, and interprets the verse to mean this: I do not seek from you any other reward than this that you should love my near and dear ones. Then, some of the commentators of this group interpret the kindred to mean alt the children of Abdul Muttalib, and some others restrict it to Ali and Fatimah and their children. This commentary has been reported from Saeed bin Jubair and Amr bin Shuaib, and in some traditions it has been attributed to Ibn Abbas and Ali bin Hussain (Zainal Abedin), but this interpretation cannot be accepted for several reasons. Firstly, when Surah Ash-Shura was revealed at Makkah, Ali and Fatimah had not yet been married and, therefore, there could be no question of their children. As for the children of Abdul Muttalib, they were not all following the Prophet (peace be upon him) but some of them had openly joined with his enemies, and the enmity of Abu Lahab is well known. Second, the kindred of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were not only the children of Abdul Muttalib but he had his kindred among all the families of the Quraish through his mother and his father and his wife Khadijah. In all these clans he had his best supporters as well as his staunch enemies. Third, and this is the most important point, in view of the high position of a Prophet (peace be upon him) from which he starts his mission of inviting the people towards Allah, it does not seem fitting that he would ask the people to love his kindred in return for his services in connection with his great mission. No person of fine taste could imagine that Allah would have taught His Prophet (peace be upon him) such a little thing, and the Prophet would have uttered the same before the Quraish. In the stories that have been narrated of the Prophets in the Quran, we find that a Prophet after Prophet stands up before his people sad says: I do not ask of you any reward: my reward is with Allah, Lord of the worlds. (Surah Younus, Ayat 72); (Surah Houd, Ayat 29, 51); (Surah Ash-Shuara, Ayat 109, 127, 145, 164, 180). In Surah YaSeen the criterion given of a Prophet’s truthfulness is that he gives his invitation without any selfish motive. (Surah Ash-Shuara, ayat 21). In the Quran the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself has been made to say again and again words to the effect: I demand no reward from you for this message. (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 90); (Surah Yousuf, Ayat 104); (Surah Al-Muminun, Ayat 72); (Surah Al-Furqan, Ayat 57); (Surah Saba, Ayat 47); (Surah Suad, Ayat 86); (Surah At-Toor, Ayat 40); (Surah Al-Qalam, Ayat 46). After this, what could be the occasion for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to tell the people that in return for his service of inviting them to Allah, they should love his relatives. Then it seems all the more irrelevant when we state that the addressees here are the disbelievers and not the believers. The whole discourse, from the beginning to the end, is directed to them. Therefore, there could be no question in this regard of asking the opponents for any reward, for a reward is asked of those who show some appreciation for the services that a person has rendered for them. The disbelievers were not at all appreciative of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) services. On the contrary, they regarded them as a crime and had turned bitterly hostile to him.

42. That is, contrary to the culprits who commit disobedience knowingly, Allah’s affair with the servants who strive to do good, is like this:

(1) He makes them even more righteous than they could be solely by their own efforts.

(2) He overlooks the weaknesses that remain in their work, and the sins that are committed by them inadvertently, in spite of striving to become good.

(3) Allah appreciates whatever little provision of the good deeds they bring and rewards them richly and generously for it.

Ibn-Kathir

23. That is whereof Allah gives glad tidings to His servants who believe and do righteous good deeds. Say: “No reward do I ask of you for this except to be kind to me for my kinship with you.” And whoever earns a good righteous deed, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof. Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate. 24. Or say they: “He has invented a lie against Allah” If Allah willed, He could have sealed up your heart. And Allah wipes out falsehood, and establishes the truth by His Word. Verily, He knows well what are in the breasts.


Good News of the Blessings of Paradise for the People of Faith

Having mentioned the gardens of Paradise, Allah then says to His servants who believe and do righteous deeds:

﴿ذَلِكَ الَّذِى يُبَشِّرُ اللَّهُ عِبَادَهُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ﴾

(That is whereof Allah gives glad tidings to His servants who believe and do righteous good deeds.) meaning, this will undoubtedly come to them, because it is glad tidings from Allah to them.

﴿قُل لاَّ أَسْـَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْراً إِلاَّ الْمَوَدَّةَ فِى الْقُرْبَى﴾

(Say: “No reward do I ask of you for this except to be kind to me for my kinship with you.”) means, `say, O Muhammad, to these idolators among the disbeliever of Quraysh: I do not ask you for anything in return for this message and sincere advice which I bring to you. All I ask of you is that you withhold your evil from me and let me convey the Messages of my Lord. If you will not help me, then do not disturb me, for the sake of the ties of kinship that exist between you and I.’ Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, was asked about the Ayah:

﴿إِلاَّ الْمَوَدَّةَ فِى الْقُرْبَى﴾

(except to be kind to me for my kinship with you.) Sa`id bin Jubayr said, “To be kind to the family of Muhammad.” Ibn `Abbas said, “No, you have jumped to a hasty conclusion. There was no clan among Quraysh to whom the Prophet did not have some ties of kinship.” Ibn `Abbas said, “Except that you uphold the ties of kinship that exist between me and you.” This was recorded by Al-Bukhari. It was also recorded by Imam Ahmad with a different chain of narration.

﴿وَمَن يَقْتَرِفْ حَسَنَةً نَّزِدْ لَهُ فِيهَا حُسْناً﴾

(And whoever earns a good righteous deed, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof) means, `whoever does a good deed, We will increase him in good for it, i.e., in reward.’ This is like the Ayah:

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ وَإِن تَكُ حَسَنَةً يُضَـعِفْهَا وَيُؤْتِ مِن لَّدُنْهُ أَجْراً عَظِيماً ﴾

(Surely, Allah wrongs not even of the weight of a speck of dust, but if there is any good, He doubles it, and gives from Him a great reward.) (4:40)

﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ شَكُورٌ﴾

(Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate.) means, He forgives many bad deeds and increases a small amount of good deeds; He conceals and forgives sins and He multiplies and increases the reward of good deeds.

The Accusation that the Prophet fabricated the Qur’an — and the Response to that

Allah’s saying;

﴿أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِباً فَإِن يَشَإِ اللَّهُ يَخْتِمْ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ﴾

(Or say they: “He has invented a lie against Allah” If Allah willed, He could have sealed up your heart.) means, `if you had invented any lies against Him, as these ignorant people claim,’

﴿يَخْتِمْ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ﴾

(He could have sealed up your heart.) means, `and thus caused you to forget what had already come to you of the Qur’an.’ This is like the Ayah:

﴿وَلَوْ تَقَوَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بَعْضَ الاٌّقَاوِيلِ – لأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ – ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ – فَمَا مِنكُم مِّنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَـجِزِينَ ﴾

(And if he had forged a false saying concerning Us (Allah), We surely would have seized him by his right hand, and then We certainly would have cut off his life artery, And none of you could have withheld Us from (punishing) him.) (69:44-47) which means, `We would have wrought the utmost vengeance upon him, and no one among mankind would have been able to protect him.’ And Allah said:

﴿وَيُحِقُّ الْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَـتِهِ﴾

(and establishes the truth by His Word.) means, He establishes it and strengthens it and makes it clear by His Words, i.e., by His evidence and signs.

﴿إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ﴾

(Verily, He knows well what are in the breasts.) means, all that is hidden in the hearts of men.

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