Al-Qur'an Surah Ali 'Imran Verse 164

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Allah has surely conferred favor on the believers when He raised in their midst a messenger from among themselves who recites to them His verses and makes them pure and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom, while earlier, they were in open error.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Indeed, Allah has done the believers a ˹great˺ favour by raising a messenger from among them—reciting to them His revelations, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom. For indeed they had previously been clearly astray.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Allah has conferred favor on the believers when He sent them a messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and Wisdom, although before that they were clearly misguided.

A. J. Arberry

Truly God was gracious to the believers when He raised up among them a Messenger from themselves, to recite to them His signs and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom, though before they were in manifest error.

Abdul Haleem

God has been truly gracious to the believers in sending them a Messenger from among their own, to recite His revelations to them, to make them grow in purity, and to teach them the Scripture and wisdom- before that they were clearly astray.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Assuredly Allah hath conferred a benefit on the believers when He raised up unto them an apostle from amongst themselves, he rehearseth unto them His revelations and purifieth them and teacheth them the Book and wisdom, and afore they were in an error manifest.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah did confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error.

Abul Ala Maududi

Surely Allah conferred a great favour on the believers when He raised from among them a Messenger to recite to them His signs, and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and Wisdom. For before that they were in manifest error.

Ahmed Ali

God has favoured the faithful by sending an apostle to them from among themselves, who recites to them His messages, and reforms and teaches them the Law and the judgement, for they were clearly in error before.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Allah has indeed bestowed a great favour upon the Muslims, in that He sent to them a Noble Messenger (Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) from among them, who recites to them His verses, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom; and before it, they were definitely in open error. (The Holy Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him – is one of Allah’s greatest favours to mankind.)

Ali Quli Qarai

Allah certainly favoured the faithful when He raised up among them an apostle from among themselves to recite to them His signs and to purify them and teach them the Book and wisdom, and earlier they had indeed been in manifest error.

Ali Ünal

Assuredly, God has done the believers a great kindness by raising among them a Messenger of their own, reciting to them His Revelations, and purifying them (of false beliefs and doctrines, and sins, and all kinds of uncleanness), and instructing them in the Book and the Wisdom. Whereas, before that, they were lost in obvious error.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Verily, Allâh has bestowed a favour on the believers when He has raised amongst them a great Messenger from amongst themselves who recites to them His Messages, and purifies them and teaches them the Book and the wisdom; although before this, they were steeped in flagrant error.

English Literal

God had blessed on the believers, when He sent in them a messenger from themselves, he reads/recites on them His verses/evidences and he purifies/corrects them, and he teaches/instructs them The Book ,and the wisdom , and if they were from before in (E) a clear/evident misguidance.

Faridul Haque

Allah has indeed bestowed a great favour upon the Muslims, in that He sent to them a Noble Messenger (Prophet Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon him) from among them, who recites to them His verses, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom; and before it, they were definitely in open error. (The Holy Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him – is one of Allah’s greatest favours to mankind.)

Hamid S. Aziz

What! When a small disaster befalls you, though you have smitten them with twice as much, do you say, "How is this?" Say, "It is from yourselves. Verily, Allah has Power over all things."

Hilali & Khan

Indeed Allah conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad SAW) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Quran), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Quran) and Al-Hikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW (i.e. his legal ways, statements, acts of worship, etc.)], while before that they had been in manifest error.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

There are grades with Allah. And Allah is Seer of what they do.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Certainly Allah conferred a benefit upon the believers when He raised among them an Apostle from among themselves, reciting to them His communications and purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the wisdom, although before that they were surely in manifest error.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Allah verily hath shown grace to the believers by sending unto them a messenger of their own who reciteth unto them His revelations, and causeth them to grow, and teacheth them the Scripture and wisdom; although before (he came to them) they were in flagrant error.

Muhammad Sarwar

God granted a great favor to the believers by sending a Messenger from their own people to recite to them God's revelations, to purify them of moral defects, to teach them the Book, and to give them wisdom. Before this they had lived in manifest error.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Allah has surely been gracious to the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves to recite to them His verses, to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom (prophetic sayings), though before that they were in clear error.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Indeed, Allah conferred a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves, reciting unto them His verses (the Qur'an), and purifying them, and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur'an) and Al-Hikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah], while before that they had been in manifest error.

Wahiduddin Khan

Indeed, God has conferred a great favour on the believers in sending a Messenger from among themselves, to recite His revelations to them, and purify them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, for, before that they were surely in manifest error.

Talal Itani

God has blessed the believers, as He raised up among them a messenger from among themselves, who recites to them His revelations, and purifies them, and teaches them the Scripture and wisdom; although before that they were in evident error.

Tafsir jalalayn

Truly God was gracious to the believers when He sent to them a messenger from among their own, that is to say, an Arab like them, not an angel or a non-Arab, so that they can understand what he says and feel honoured thereby, to recite to them His verses, the Qur'n, and to purify them, to cleanse them of sins, and to teach them the Book, the Qur'n, wisdom, the Sunna, though (in, is softened [in place of inna], that is, innahum, `though they...') before, that is, before he was sent, they were in clear error.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللّهُ عَلَى الْمُومِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ

Indeed Allah conferred a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves,

Meaning, from their own kind, so that it is possible for them to speak with him, ask him questions, associate with him, and benefit from him. Just as Allah said;

وَمِنْ ءايَـتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَجاً لِّتَسْكُنُواْ إِلَيْهَا

And among His signs is that he created for them mates, that they may find rest in.

Meaning; of their own kind. (30;21)

And Allah said;

قُلْ إِنَّمَأ أَنَاْ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَى إِلَىَّ أَنَّمَأ إِلَـهُكُمْ إِلَـهٌ وَاحِدٌ

Say;"I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me that your God is One God." (18;110)

وَمَأ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلاَّ إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِى الاٌّسْوَاقِ

And We never sent before you any of the Messengers but verily, they ate food and walked in the markets. (25;20)

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)

and,

يَـمَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالاِنْسِ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنْكُمْ

O you assembly of Jinn and mankind! "Did not there come to you Messengers from among you..." (6;130)

Allah's favor is perfected when His Messenger to the people is from their own kind, so that they are able to talk to him and inquire about the meanings of Allah's Word.

This is why Allah said,

يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ ايَاتِهِ

reciting unto them His verses,

the Qur'an.

وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ

and purifying them,

commanding them to do righteous works and forbidding them from committing evil. This is how their hearts will be purified and cleansed of the sin and evil that used to fill them when they were disbelievers and ignorant.

وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ

and instructing them (in) the Book and the Hikmah,

the Qur'an and the Sunnah,

وَإِن كَانُواْ مِن قَبْلُ

while before that they had been,

before sending this Prophet, Muhammad,

لَفِي ضَللٍ مُّبِينٍ



in manifest error.

indulging in plain and unequivocal error and ignorance that are clear to everyone