Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Furqan Verse 20

Mufti Taqi Usmani

We did not send any messengers before you (O prophet,) but all of them used to eat food and walk in the markets. And We have made some of you a test for some others. Would you observe patience? And your Lord is Ever-seeing.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

We never sent any messenger before you ˹O Prophet˺, who did not eat food and go about in market-places. We have made some of you a trial for others. Will you ˹not then˺ be patient? And your Lord is All-Seeing.

Ruwwad Translation Center

We did not send any messengers before you [O Prophet] except that they ate food and walked in the markets. We have made some of you as a trial for others. Will you have patience? For your Lord is All-Seeing.

A. J. Arberry

And We sent not before thee any Envoys, but that they ate food, and went in the markets; and We appointed some of you to be a trial for others: 'Will you endure?' Thy Lord is ever All-seeing.

Abdul Haleem

No messenger have We sent before you [Muhammad] who did not eat food and walk about in the marketplace. But We have made some of you a means of testing others- will you stand fast? Your Lord is always watching.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And We have not sent before thee ony of the sent ones but verily they ate food and walked about in the market places. And We have made some of you unto some others a temptation; will ye have patience! And thy Lord is ever a Beholder. pART XIX

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And the messengers whom We sent before thee were all (men) who ate food and walked through the streets; We have made some of you as a trial for others; will ye have patience? for Allah is One Who sees (all things).

Abul Ala Maududi

O Muhammad,, all the Messengers whom We sent before you also ate food and moved about in the streets. In fact, We have made you all a means of test for one another. Will you show patience? for your Lord sees everything.

Ahmed Ali

We never sent before you apostles who did not eat food and walk the market places. We make some of you the means of trying the others. So will you persevere? Your Lord is always watching.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And all the Noble Messengers We sent before you were like this – eating food and walking in the markets; and We have made some of you a test for others; so will you, O people, patiently endure? And O dear Prophet, your Lord is All Seeing.

Ali Quli Qarai

We did not send any apostles before you but that they indeed ate food and walked in marketplaces. We have made you a [means of] test for one another, [to see] if you will be patient and steadfast, and your Lord is all-seeing.

Ali Ünal

(O Messenger!) We never sent any Messengers before you but they surely ate food and went about in the market-places (to meet their needs). We cause you (O humankind) to be a means of testing for one another. Will you show good patience and perseverance (in the face of Our decrees and remain steadfast in Our way)? Your Lord is All-Seeing.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And We sent no Messengers before you but they surely ate food and walked in the market-places (and were human models for you to follow in every walk of life). And We try you one with another (to show) if you will (then) patiently persevere. And your Lord is ever All-Seeing.

English Literal

And We did not send from before you from the messengers except that they truly eat (E) the food and they walk in the markets, and We made/put some of you to some (as) a test/seduction , would you be patient? And your Lord was/is seeing/knowing .

Faridul Haque

And all the Noble Messengers We sent before you were like this – eating food and walking in the markets; and We have made some of you a test for others; so will you, O people, patiently endure? And O dear Prophet, your Lord is All Seeing.

Hamid S. Aziz

And thus have they proved you liars for what you say, and you cannot avert or obtain help. And he among you who does wrong, We will make him taste great torment.

Hilali & Khan

And We never sent before you (O Muhammad SAW) any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets. And We have made some of you as a trial for others: will you have patience? And your Lord is Ever All-Seer (of everything).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

So they will give you the lie in what you say, then you can neither ward off (evil), nor (obtain) help. And whoever among you does wrong, We shall make him taste a great chastisement.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And We have not sent before you any apostles but they most surely ate food and went about in the markets; and We have made some of you a trial for others; will you bear patiently? And your Lord is ever Seeing.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

We never sent before thee any messengers but lo! they verily ate food and walked in the markets. And We have appointed some of you a test for others: Will ye be steadfast? And thy Lord is ever Seer.

Muhammad Sarwar

All the Messengerss whom We sent before, certainly, ate food and walked through the streets. We have made some of you (people) a trial for the others. Would you then exercise patience? Your Lord is All-aware.

Qaribullah & Darwish

We did not send Messengers before you but that they ate food and walked about in the markets, We have appointed some of you to be a trial for others. Will you endure? Your Lord is the Seer.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And We never sent before you any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets. And We have made some of you as a trial for others; will you have patience And your Lord is Ever All-Seer.

Wahiduddin Khan

We never sent any messengers before you who did not eat food and walk in the market-place. We make some of you a means of trial for others, to see whether you are steadfast. Your Lord is all seeing.

Talal Itani

We never sent any messengers before you, but they ate food and walked in the marketplaces. And We made some of you tempters for one another—will you be patient? Your Lord is always Observing.

Tafsir jalalayn

And We did not send before you any messengers but that they ate food and walked in the marketplaces, and so you are like them in this respect, and truly what was said to them is being said to you. And We have made some of you a trial for others;, a test, trying the rich with the poor, the healthy with the sick, the honourable with the vulgar, in each case the latter would say, `Why can I not be like the other person?' Will you be steadfast?, [and endure] what you hear from those with whom you are tried? (the interrogative is meant as an imperative, in other words, `Be steadfast!'. And your Lord is ever Watchful, of those who remain steadfast and those who become miserable.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

All of the Previous Messengers were Human

Allah tells;

وَما أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّا إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِي الاَْسْوَاقِ

And We never sent before you any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets.

Allah tells us about the previous Messengers He sent;

they all used to eat food needing the nourishment in it. They used to go around in the marketplaces seeking to engage in trade and earn a livelihood. This should not, however, affect their status as Messengers, for Allah gave them good characteristics and caused them to speak fine words and do noble deeds, and gave them miracles and clear proofs, from which any person with sound insight may see the confirmation that what they brought from Allah was true.

This Ayah is similar to the Ayat;

وَمَأ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلاَّ رِجَالاً نُّوحِى إِلَيْهِمْ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى

And We sent not before you any but men unto whom We revealed, from among the people of townships. (12;109)

وَمَا جَعَلْنَـهُمْ جَسَداً لاَّ يَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ

And We did not create them bodies that ate not food. (21;8)

وَجَعَلْنَا بَعْضَكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ فِتْنَةً أَتَصْبِرُونَ

And We have made some of you as a trial for others; will you have patience,

means, `We test some of you by means of others, so that We may see who will be obedient and who will be disobedient.'

Allah says;

أَتَصْبِرُونَ وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ بَصِيرًا



will you have patience! And your Lord is Ever All-Seer.

meaning, He knows who deserves to receive revelation, as Allah says elsewhere;

اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ

Allah knows best with whom to place His Message. (6;124)

And He knows who deserves to be guided to the Message with which He sent them, and who does not deserve to be guided.

وَجَعَلْنَا بَعْضَكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ فِتْنَةً أَتَصْبِرُونَ

And We have made some of you as a trial for others. Will you have patience.

Muhammad bin Ishaq said;

Allah is saying, "If I had willed that the world be such that no one would oppose My Messengers, I could have made it so, but I wanted to test My servants by means of them."

In Sahih Muslim it is narrated from Iyad bin Himar that the Messenger of Allah said;

يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالى إِنِّي مُبْتَلِيكَ وَمُبْتَلٍ بِك

Allah says;"I will test you and test others by means of you."

In the Sahih it is recorded that he was given the choice between being a Prophet and king, or being a servant and Messenger, and he chose to be a servant and Messenger