Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nahl Verse 90

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Allah enjoins to do justice and to adopt good behavior and to give relatives (their due rights), and forbids shameful acts, evil deeds and oppressive attitude. He exhorts you, so that you may be mindful.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Indeed, Allah commands justice, grace, as well as courtesy to close relatives. He forbids indecency, wickedness, and aggression. He instructs you so perhaps you will be mindful.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Allah enjoins justice, kindness, and giving relatives [their dues], and He forbids shameful acts, evil deeds and oppression. He exhorts you, so that you may take heed.

A. J. Arberry

Surely God bids to justice and good-doing and giving to kinsmen; and He forbids indecency, dishonour, and insolence, admonishing you, so that haply you will remember.

Abdul Haleem

God commands justice, doing good, and generosity towards relatives and He forbids what is shameful, blameworthy, and oppressive. He teaches you, so that you may take heed.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Verily Allah commandeth justice and well-doing and giving to kindred; and He prohibiteth lewdness and wickedness and oppression; He exhorteth you that haply ye may beadmonished.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion; He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.

Abul Ala Maududi

Surely Allah enjoins justice, kindness and the doing of good to kith and kin, and forbids all that is shameful, evil and oppressive. He exhorts you so that you may be mindful.

Ahmed Ali

Verily God has enjoined justice, the doing of good, and the giving of gifts to your relatives; and forbidden indecency, impropriety and oppression. He warns you so that you may remember.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Indeed Allah decrees the commands of justice and kindness, and of giving to relatives, and forbids from the shameful and evil and rebellion; He advises you so that you may pay heed.

Ali Quli Qarai

Indeed Allah enjoins justice and kindness, and generosity towards relatives, and He forbids indecency, wrongdoing, and aggression. He advises you, so that you may take admonition.

Ali Ünal

God enjoins justice (and right judgment in all matters), and devotion to doing good, and generosity towards relatives, and He forbids you indecency, wickedness and vile conduct (all offenses against religion, life, personal property, chastity, and health of mind and body). He exhorts you (repeatedly) so that you may reflect and be mindful!

Amatul Rahman Omar

Allâh enjoins justice and the doing of good to others and giving like kindred and He forbids indecencies and manifest evil and transgression. He admonishes you that you may take heed and attain eminence.

English Literal

That God orders/commands with the justice/equality and the goodness, and giving/bringing (to) of the relations/near, and (God) forbids/prevents from the enormous/atrocious deeds , and the defiance of God and His orders/obscenity , and the oppression/transgression , He preaches to/advises/warns you, maybe/perhaps you mention/remember .

Faridul Haque

Indeed Allah decrees the commands of justice and kindness, and of giving to relatives, and forbids from the shameful and evil and rebellion; He advises you so that you may pay heed.

Hamid S. Aziz

Verily, Allah commands justice, the doing of good (kindness, benevolence), and liberality to kindred, and He forbids all shameful deeds (lewdness, abomination, perversity) and wickedness (wrong, injustice, oppression, rebellion); He exhorts you that per chance (or possibly) you may be mindful.

Hilali & Khan

Verily, Allah enjoins Al-Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allah Alone - Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan [i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allah, totally for Allah's sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet SAW in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help, etc.): and forbids Al-Fahsha' (i.e. all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right, etc.), and Al-Munkar (i.e. all that is prohibited by Islamic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds, etc.), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression), He admonishes you, that you may take heed.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And on the day when We raise up in every people a witness against them from among themselves, and bring thee as a witness against these. And We have revealed the Book to thee explaining all things, and a guidance and mercy and good news for those who submit.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good (to others) and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency and evil and rebellion; He admonishes you that you may be mindful.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed.

Muhammad Sarwar

God commands (people) to maintain justice, kindness, and proper relations with their relatives. He forbids them to commit indecency, sin, and rebellion. God gives you advice so that perhaps you will take heed.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Allah orders justice, and good deeds, and giving to one's kindred. He forbids indecency, dishonor and insolence. He admonishes you in order that you take heed.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Verily, Allah orders justice and kindness, and giving (help) to the relatives, and He forbids immoral sins, and evil and tyranny. He admonishes you, so that perhaps you may take heed.

Wahiduddin Khan

God commands justice, kindness and giving their [due to] near relatives, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and transgression. He admonishes you so that you may take heed!

Talal Itani

God commands justice, and goodness, and generosity towards relatives. And He forbids immorality, and injustice, and oppression. He advises you, so that you may take heed.

Tafsir jalalayn

Indeed God enjoins justice -- [that is] affirmation of [His] Oneness, or [actually] being fair, and virtue, performance of the [religious] obligations, or that you should worship God as if you were able to see Him, as [reported] in the hadth; and giving to kinsfolk -- He has singled it [kinship] out for mention by way of [highlighting] its importance -- and He forbids lewdness, fornication, and abomination, with regard to the [stipulations of the] Law, [abomination] such as disbelief and acts of disobedience, and aggression, wrongdoing against people -- He also singles this out for mention by way of [showing] its importance; just as He began with [the mention of] `lewdness', in this way, He admonishes you, through commands and prohibitions, so that you might remember, [that you might] be admonished (tadhakkarna, `you [might] remember', the original t' [of tatadhakkarna] has been assimilated with the dhl). In the Mustadrak [of al- Hkim al-Naysbr] it is reported from Ibn Mas`d that [he said]; `This [verse] is the most comprehensive verse in the Qur'n in terms of [what is] good and [what is] evil'.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Command to be Fair and Kind

Allah says;

إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالاِحْسَانِ



Verily, Allah orders justice and kindness,

Allah tells us that He commands His servant to be just, i.e., fair and moderate, and that He encourages kindness and good treatment.

As He says;

وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُواْ بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُمْ بِهِ وَلَيِن صَبَرْتُمْ لَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لِّلصَّـبِرينَ

And if you punish them, then punish them with the like of that with which you were afflicted. But if you have patience with them, then it is better for those who are patient. (16;126)

وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّيَةٍ سَيِّيَةٌ مِّثْلُهَا فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ

The recompense for an offense is an offense the like thereof; but whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is with Allah. (42;40)

وَالْجُرُوحَ قِصَاصٌ فَمَن تَصَدَّقَ بِهِ فَهُوَ كَفَّارَةٌ لَّهُ

and wounds equal for equal. But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity, it shall count as atonement for him. (5;45)

And there are other Ayat which support the institution of justice in Islam, as well as encouraging a fair and generous attitude.
The Command to maintain the Ties of Kinship and the prohibition of Immoral Sins, Evil and Tyranny

Allah says;

وَإِيتَاء ذِي الْقُرْبَى

and giving (help) to relatives,

meaning that Allah is commanding us to uphold the ties of kinship, as He says;

وَءَاتِ ذَا الْقُرْبَى حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَلَا تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِيرًا

And give the relative his due and to the poor and to the wayfarer. But do not spend wastefully in the manner of a spendthrift. (17;26)

وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ

and He forbids immoral sins, and evil.
Fahsha' refers to all things that are forbidden, and Munkar refers to those forbidden deeds that are committed openly by the one who does them.

Hence Allah says elsewhere;

قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ

Say (O Muhammad);"(But) the things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are the indecencies, whether committed openly or secretly) (7;33)

وَالْبَغْيِ
Baghy,

refers to aggression towards people.

In a Hadith, the Prophet said;

مَا مِنْ ذَنْبٍ أَجْدَرَ أَنْ يُعَجِّلَ اللهُ عُقُوبَتَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعَ مَا يَدَّخِرُ لِصَاحِبِهِ فِي الاْاخِرَةِ مِنَ الْبَغْيِ وَقَطِيعَةِ الرَّحِم

There is no sin more deserving of having its punishment hastened in this world, as well as what is reserved in the Hereafter for the one who does it, than tyrannical aggression and cutting the ties of kinship.

يَعِظُكُمْ

He admonishes you,

meaning, He commands what He commands you of good and He forbids what He forbids you of evil;

لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ



so that perhaps you may take heed.

Ash-Sha`bi reported that Shatiyr bin Shakl said;

"I heard Ibn Mas`ud say;

`The most comprehensive Ayah in the Qur'an is in Surah An-Nahl;

إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالاِحْسَانِ

Verily, Allah enjoins justice and kindness..."'

It was reported by Ibn Jarir.
The Eyewitness Account of `Uthman

Concerning the revelation of this Ayah, Imam Ahmad reported a Hasan Hadith from Abdullah bin Abbas who said;

"While the Messenger of Allah was sitting in the courtyard of his house, Uthman bin Maz`un passed by and smiled at the Messenger of Allah.

The Messenger of Allah said to him,
أَلَا تَجْلِسُ
(Won't you sit down)?

He said, `Certainly.'

So the Messenger of Allah sat facing him, and while they were talking, the Messenger of Allah began looking up at the sky, looking at it for a while, then he brought his gaze down until he was looking at the ground to his right. Then the Messenger of Allah turned slightly away from his companion Uthman to where he was looking. Then he began to tilt his head as if trying to understand something, and Ibn Maz`un was looking on.

When the matter was finished and he had understood what had been said to him, the Messenger of Allah stared at the sky again as he had the first time, looking at whatever he could see until it disappeared. Then he turned back to face Uthman again.

Uthman said, `O Muhammad, I have never seen you do anything like you did today while I was sitting with you.'

The Messenger of Allah said;

وَمَا رَأَيْتَنِي فَعَلْتُ



What did you see me do?

Uthman said;`I saw you staring at the sky, then you lowered your gaze until you were looking to your right, then you turned to him and left me. Then you tilted your head as if you were trying to understand something that was being said to you.'

The Messenger of Allah said,

وَفَطِنْتَ لِذَلِكَ



Did you notice that?

Uthman said, `Yes'.

The Messenger of Allah said;

أَتَانِي رَسُولُ اللهِ انِفًا وَأَنْتَ جَالِس

A messenger from Allah came to me just now, when you were sitting here.

Uthman said, `A messenger from Allah!'

The Messenger of Allah said, Yes.

Uthman said, `And what did he say to you?'

The Messenger of Allah said;

إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالاِحْسَانِ

Verily, Allah orders justice and kindness...

Uthman said;

That was when faith was established in my heart and I began to love Muhammad."

It is a Hasan Hadith having a good connected chain of narrators in which their hearing it from each other is clear