Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Hajj Verse 78

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Struggle for (seeking the pleasure of) Allah, a struggle that is owed to Him. He has chosen you and did not impose any hardship on you in the religion, the faith of your father Ibrāhīm. He (Allah) named you as Muslims earlier and also in this (Qur’ān), so that the Messenger becomes a witness to you, and you become witnesses to (other) people. So establish Salāh, pay Zakāh and hold fast to Allah. He is your patron. So, how excellent He is as a patron, and how excellent as a supporter!

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Strive for ˹the cause of˺ Allah in the way He deserves, for ˹it is˺ He ˹Who˺ has chosen you, and laid upon you no hardship in the religion—the way of your forefather Abraham. ˹It is Allah˺ Who named you ‘the ones who submit’[[ i.e., Muslims. ]] ˹in the˺ earlier ˹Scriptures˺ and in this ˹Quran˺, so that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and that you may be witnesses over humanity. So establish prayer, pay alms-tax, and hold fast to Allah. He ˹alone˺ is your Guardian. What an excellent Guardian, and what an excellent Helper!

Ruwwad Translation Center

Strive in the cause of Allah in a due manner. He has chosen you and has not imposed upon you any hardship in religion – the faith of your father Abraham. He named you as Muslims earlier and in this [Qur’an], so that the Messenger might be a witness over you and you might be witnesses over mankind. So establish prayer, give zakah, and hold fast to Allah, for He is your Protector; what an excellent Protector and an excellent Helper!

A. J. Arberry

and struggle for God as is His due, for He has chosen you, and has laid on you no impediment in your religion, being the creed of your father Abraham; He named you Muslims aforetime and in this, that the Messenger might be a witness against you, and that you might be witnesses against mankind. So perform the prayer, and pay the alms, and hold you fast to God; He is your Protector -- an excellent Protector, an excellent Helper.

Abdul Haleem

Strive hard for God as is His due: He has chosen you and placed no hardship in your religion, the faith of your forefather Abraham. God has called you Muslims––both in the past and in this [message]––so that the Messenger can bear witness about you and so that you can bear witness about other people. So keep up the prayer, give the prescribed alms, and seek refuge in God: He is your protector––an excellent protector and an excellent helper.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And strive hard for Allah as is due unto Him hard striving. He hath distinguished you, and hath not placed upon you any narrowness in the religion the faith of your father, Ibrahim. He hath named you Muslim aforetime and in this, that the apostle may be a witness for you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. Wherefore establish the prayer and'give the poor-rate, and hold fast by Allah; He is your Patron: an Excellent Patron and Excellent helper!

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And strive in His cause as ye ought to strive, (with sincerity and under discipline). He has chosen you, and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the cult of your father Abraham. It is He Who has named you Muslims, both before and in this (Revelation); that the Messenger may be a witness for you, and ye be witnesses for mankind! So establish regular Prayer, give regular Charity, and hold fast to Allah! He is your Protector - the Best to protect and the Best to help!

Abul Ala Maududi

Strive in the cause of Allah in a manner worthy of that striving. He has chosen you (for His task), and He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion. Keep to the faith of your father Abraham. Allah named you Muslims earlier and even in this (Book), that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and that you may be witnesses over all mankind. So establish Prayer, and pay Zakah, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protector. What an excellent Protector; what an excellent Helper!

Ahmed Ali

Strive in the way of God with a service worthy of Him. He has chosen you and laid no hardship on you in the way of faith, the faith of your forbear Abraham. He named you Muslim earlier, and in this (Qur'an), in order that the Prophet be witness over you, and you be witness over mankind. So be firm in devotion, pay the zakat, and hold on firmly to God. He is your friend: How excellent a friend is He, how excellent a helper!

Ahmed Raza Khan

And fight in Allah's cause as is the true manner of fighting; He has preferred you and has not kept any hardship upon you in religion; the religion of your father Ibrahim; Allah has named you Muslims – in the previous Books and in this Qur’an, so that the Noble Messenger be your guardian and witness, and you be witness against other people; therefore keep the prayer established and give charity, and hold fast to the rope of Allah; He is your Master; so what an excellent Master and what an excellent Supporter!

Ali Quli Qarai

And wage jihad for the sake of Allah, a jihad which is worthy of Him. He has chosen you and has not placed for you any obstacle in the religion, the faith of your father, Abraham. He named you ‘Muslims’ before, and in this, so that the Apostle may be a witness to you, and that you may be witnesses to mankind. So maintain the prayer, give the zakat, and hold fast to Allah. He is your master—an excellent master and an excellent helper.

Ali Ünal

Strive in God’s cause and purely for His sake (against His enemies to raise His Word, and against Satan and your carnal, evil-commanding souls,) in a manner worthy of that striving. He has chosen you (especially for this task) and has not laid any hardship on you in the Religion. This is the way of your father Abraham. God named you Muslims previously, and in this Book, that the (most noble) Messenger may be a witness for you (as to the ways you follow), and that you may be the witnesses for people. So establish the Prayer in conformity with its conditions, pay the Prescribed Purifying Alms, and hold fast to God. He is your Owner and Guardian. How excellent a Guardian and an Owner He is, how excellent a Helper.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And strive your hardest to win the pleasure of Allâh, so hard a striving as is possible and as it behoves you. He has chosen you and has imposed no hardship upon you in the matter of your faith, (so follow) the creed of your father Abraham. He named you Muslims (both) before this and (again) in this (Book the Qur´ân), so that the Messenger may be a guardian over you and that you may be guardians over people. Therefore, observe Prayer, keep on presenting the Zakât and hold fast to Allâh. He is your Patron, what a gracious Patron, and what a gracious Helper.

English Literal

And struggle/do (your) utmost His deserved/true struggle , He chose/purified you, and He did not make/put on you in the religion from strain/hardship , your father Abraham`s religion/faith, He named/identified you the Moslems/submitters/surrenderers from before, and in this the Messenger to be a witness/present on you, and you be witnessing/testifying/witnesses/testifiers on the people, so stand/keep up the prayers, and give/bring the charity/ purification , and hold fast/take shelter with/by God, He is your master/ally , so blessed/praised (is) the master/ally , and blessed/praised (is) the victorior/savior . 236

Faridul Haque

And fight in Allah´s cause as is the true manner of fighting; He has preferred you and has not kept any hardship upon you in religion; the religion of your father Ibrahim; Allah has named you Muslims – in the previous Books and in this Qur’an, so that the Noble Messenger be your guardian and witness, and you be witness against other people; therefore keep the prayer established and give charity, and hold fast to the rope of Allah; He is your Master; so what an excellent Master and what an excellent Supporter!

Hamid S. Aziz

O you who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves (in obeisance), and serve your Lord, and do good, that per chance (or possibly) you may prosper;

Hilali & Khan

And strive hard in Allah's Cause as you ought to strive (with sincerity and with all your efforts that His Name should be superior). He has chosen you (to convey His Message of Islamic Monotheism to mankind by inviting them to His religion, Islam), and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship, it is the religion of your father Ibrahim (Abraham) (Islamic Monotheism). It is He (Allah) Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (the Quran), that the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind! So perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), give Zakat and hold fast to Allah [i.e. have confidence in Allah, and depend upon Him in all your affairs] He is your Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.), what an Excellent Maula (Patron, Lord, etc.) and what an Excellent Helper!

Maulana Mohammad Ali

O you who believe, bow down and prostrate yourselves and serve your Lord, and do good that you may succeed.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And strive hard in (the way of) Allah, (such) a striving as is due to Him; He has chosen you and has not laid upon you an hardship in religion; the faith of your father Ibrahim; He named you Muslims before and in this, that the Apostle may be a bearer of witness to you, and you may be bearers of witness to the people; therefore keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and hold fast by Allah; He is your Guardian; how excellent the Guardian and how excellent the Helper!

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper!

Muhammad Sarwar

Strive steadfastly for the Cause of God. He has chosen you but has not imposed on you hardship in your religion, the noble religion of your father, Abraham. God named you Muslims before and in this Book, so that the Messenger will witness (your actions) and will be the witness over mankind. Be steadfast in your prayer, pay the religious tax, and seek protection from God; He is your Guardian, a gracious Guardian and Helper.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Struggle for Allah as is due to Him. He has chosen you and has not laden a burden upon you in your religion, being the Creed of Abraham your father. He has named you Muslims before and in this so that the Messenger (Muhammad) can be a witness for you, and in order that you be witnesses against mankind. Therefore, establish the prayer and pay the obligatory charity and hold fast to Allah. He is your Guardian, the Excellent Guardian, the Excellent Helper!

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And strive hard in Allah's cause as you ought to strive. He has chosen you, and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship: it is the religion of your father Ibrahim. He has named you Muslims both before and in this (Qur'an), that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind! So, perform the Salah, give the Zakah and hold fast to Allah. He is your Mawla, what an Excellent Mawla and what an Excellent Helper!

Wahiduddin Khan

Strive for the cause of God as it behoves you to strive for it. He has chosen you and laid on you no burden in the matter of your religion, the faith of Abraham your forefather. In this, as in former scriptures He has given you the name of Muslims, so that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and so that you may be witnesses over mankind. Therefore, say your prayers regularly and pay the zakat and hold fast to God. He is your master. An excellent master and an excellent helper!

Talal Itani

And strive for God, with the striving due to Him. He has chosen you, and has not burdened you in religion—the faith of your father Abraham. It is he who named you Muslims before, and in this. So that the Messenger may be a witness over you, and you may be witnesses over the people. So pray regularly, and give regular charity, and cleave to God. He is your Protector. What an excellent Protector, and what an excellent Helper.

Tafsir jalalayn

And struggle in the way of God, in order to establish His religion, a struggle worthy of Him, by expending all effort therein (haqqa is in the accusative because it is a verbal noun). He has elected you, He has chosen you for His religion, and has not laid upon you in your religion any hardship, that is, [any] constraint, for He has facilitated [adherence to] it during times of difficulty, such as [His permitting you] to shorten prayers, to seek ritual purification from earth, to eat of carrion, and to break the fast during illness or travel -- the creed of your father (millata is in the accusative because the genitive preposition kf [sc. ka-millati, `like the creed of'] has been omitted) Abraham (Ibrhma, an explicative supplement). He, that is, God, named you Muslims before, that is, before [the revelation of] this Book, and in this, that is, [in] the Qur'n, so that the Messenger might be a witness against you, on the Day of Resurrection, that he delivered the Message to you, and that you might be witnesses against mankind, that their messengers delivered the Message to them. So maintain prayer, observe it regularly, and pay the alms, and hold fast to God, trust in Him. He is your Patron, your Helper and the Guardian of your affairs. An excellent Patron, is He, and an excellent Helper, for you. Meccan; it consists of 118 or 119 verses, revealed after [srat] al-Anbiy'.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ



And strive hard in Allah's cause as you ought to strive.

means, with your wealth and your tongues and your bodies.

This is like the Ayah;

اتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ

Have Taqwa of Allah as is His due. (3;102)

هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ

He has chosen you,

means, `O Ummah (of Islam), Allah has selected you and chosen you over all other nations, and has favored you and blessed you and honored you with the noblest of Messengers and the noblest of Laws.'

وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ

and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship,

He has not given you more than you can bear and He has not obliged you to do anything that will cause you difficulty except that He has created for you a way out. So the Salah, which is the most important pillar of Islam after the two testimonies of faith, is obligatory, four Rak`ahs when one is settled, which are shortened to two Rak`ah when one is traveling.

According to some Imams, only one Rak`ahs is obligatory at times of fear, as was recorded in the Hadith.

A person may pray while walking or riding, facing the Qiblah or otherwise. When praying optional prayers while traveling, one may face the Qiblah or not.

A person is not obliged to stand during the prayer if he is sick; the sick person may pray sitting down, and if he is not able to do that then he may pray lying on his side.

And there are other exemptions and dispensations which may apply to the obligatory prayers and other duties. So the Prophet said;

بُعِثْتُ بِالْحَنِيفِيَّةِ السَّمْحَة

I have been sent with the easy Hanifi way.

And he said to Mu`adh and Abu Musa, when he sent them as governors to Yemen;

بَشِّرَا وَلَا تُنَفِّرا وَيَسِّرَا وَلَا تُعَسِّرَا

Give good news and do not repel them. Make things easy for the people and do not make the things difficult for them.

And there are many similar Hadiths.

Ibn Abbas said concerning the Ayah,
وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ
(and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship),

"This means difficulty."

مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ

It is the religion of your father Ibrahim.

Ibn Jarir said,

"This refers back to the Ayah,
وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ
(and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship), meaning, any difficulty."

On the contrary, He has made it easy for you, like the religion of your father Ibrahim. He said,

"It may be that it means;adhere to the religion of your father Ibrahim."

I say;This interpretation of the Ayah is like the Ayah;

قُلْ إِنَّنِى هَدَانِى رَبِّى إِلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِّلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا


Say;"Truly, my Lord has guided me to a straight path, a right religion, the religion of Ibrahim, a Hanif. (6;161)

هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِي هَذَا

He has named you Muslims both before and in this (Qur'an),

Imam Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said, narrating from Ibn Jurayj, from Ata', from Ibn Abbas;concerning Allah's saying,
هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمينَ مِن قَبْلُ
(He has named you Muslims before),

"This refers to Allah, may He be glorified."

This was also the view of Mujahid, Ata', Ad-Dahhak, As-Suddi, Muqatil bin Hayyan and Qatadah.

Mujahid said,

"Allah named you Muslims before, in the previous Books and in Adh-Dhikr,
وَفِي هَذَا
(and in this), means, the Qur'an."

This was also the view of others, because Allah says;

هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ

He has chosen you, and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship,

Then He urged them to follow the Message which His Messenger brought, by reminding them that this was the religion of their father Ibrahim.

Then He mentioned His blessings to this Ummah, whereby He mentioned them and praised them long ago in the Books of the Prophets which were recited to the rabbis and monks. Allah says;
هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمينَ مِن قَبْلُ
(He has named you Muslims both before) meaning, before the Qur'an,
وَفِي هَذَا
(and in this).

Under the explanation of this Ayah, An-Nasa'i recorded from Al-Harith Al-Ash`ari from the Messenger of Allah, who said;

مَنْ دَعَا بِدَعْوَى الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ جِثِيِّ جَهَنَّم

Whoever adopts the call of Jahiliyyah, will be one of those who will crawl on their knees in Hell.

A man said, "O Messenger of Allah, even if he fasts and performs Salah?"

He said,

نَعَمْ وَإِنْ صَامَ وَصَلَّى فَادْعُوا بِدَعْوَةِ اللهِ الَّتِي سَمَّاكُمْ بِهَا الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْمُوْمِنِينَ عِبَادَ الله

Yes, even if he fasts and performs Salah. So adopt the call of Allah whereby He called you Muslims and believers and servants of Allah.

لِيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاء عَلَى النَّاسِ

that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind!

means, `thus We have made you a just and fair nation, the best of nations, and all other nations will testify to your justice. On the Day of Resurrection you will be,
شُهَدَاء عَلَى النَّاسِ
(witnesses over mankind),' because on that Day all the nations will acknowledge its leadership and its precedence over all others.

Therefore, on the Day of Resurrection the testimony of the members of this community will be accepted as proof that the Messengers conveyed the Message of their Lord to them, and the Messenger will testify that he conveyed the Message to them.

فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَأةَ وَاتُوا الزَّكَاةَ

So perform the Salah, give Zakah,

means, respond to this great blessing with gratitude by fulfilling your duties towards Allah, doing that which He has enjoined upon you and avoiding that which He had forbidden.

Among the most important duties are establishing regular prayer and giving Zakah.
Zakah is a form of beneficence towards Allah's creatures, whereby He has enjoined upon the rich to give a little of their wealth to the poor each year, to help the weak and needy. We have already mentioned its explanation in the Ayah of Zakah in Surah At-Tawbah (9;5).

وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِاللَّهِ

and hold fast to Allah.

means, seek the help and support of Allah and put your trust in Him, and get strength from Him.

هُوَ مَوْلَاكُمْ

He is your Mawla,

meaning, He is your Protector and your Helper, He is the One Who will cause you to prevail against your enemies.

فَنِعْمَ الْمَوْلَى وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ



what an Excellent Mawla and what an Excellent Helper!

He is the best Mawla and the best Helper against your enemies.

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Al-Hajj. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and Companions, and grant them peace; may Allah honor and be pleased with the Companions and those who follow them in truth until the Day of Resurrection