Al-Qur'an Surah Al-An'am Verse 165

Mufti Taqi Usmani

It is He who made you the vicegerents of the earth and raised some of you in ranks over others, so that He may test you in what He has given you. Surely, your Lord is swift in punishing, and surely He is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

He is the One Who has placed you as successors on earth and elevated some of you in rank over others, so He may test you with what He has given you. Surely your Lord is swift in punishment, but He is certainly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Ruwwad Translation Center

It is He Who has made you successors on earth and raised some of you over others in ranks, so that He may test you with that which He has given you. Your Lord is swift in punishment, and He is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

A. J. Arberry

It is He who has appointed you viceroys in the earth, and has raised some of you in rank above others, that He may try you in what He has given you. Surely thy Lord is swift in retribution; and surely He is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.

Abdul Haleem

It is He who made you successors on the earth and raises some of you above others in rank, to test you through what He gives you. [Prophet], your Lord is swift in punishment, yet He is most forgiving and merciful.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And He it is Who hath made you successors in the earth, and hath raised some of you over others in degrees, that he might prove you by that which He hath vouchsafed unto you. Verily thy Lord is swift in chastising, and verily He is Forgiving, Merciful.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

It is He Who hath made you (His) agents, inheritors of the earth; He hath raised you in ranks, some above others; that He may try you in the gifts He hath given you; for thy Lord is quick in punishment; yet He is indeed Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.

Abul Ala Maududi

For He it is Who has appointed you vicegerent over the earth, and has exalted some of you over others in rank that He may try you in what He has bestowed is upon you. Indeed your Lord is swift in retribution, and He is certainly AllForgiving, All-Compassionate.

Ahmed Ali

It is He who made you trustees on the earth, and exalted some in rank over others in order to try you by what He has given you. Indeed your Lord's retribution is swift, yet He is forgiving and kind.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And it is He who made you caliphs (viceroys) in the earth and ranked some of you high above others, in order that He may test you with what He has bestowed upon you; indeed it does not take time for your Lord to mete out punishment; and indeed, surely, He is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Ali Quli Qarai

It is He who has made you successors on the earth, and raised some of you in rank above others so that He may test you in respect to what He has given you. Indeed your Lord is swift in retribution, and indeed, He is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

Ali Ünal

He it is Who has appointed you vicegerents over the earth (to improve it and rule over it according to God’s commandments), and has exalted some of you over others in degrees (of intelligence, capacity, and then wealth and status): thus He tries you in what He has granted you. (Always remember that) your Lord is the most swift in retribution (when it is due), and assuredly, He is the All-Forgiving, the All-Compassionate (especially toward those who turn to Him in repentance as His believing servants).

Amatul Rahman Omar

And He it is Who has made you successors (of others and rulers) of the land, and He has exalted some of you over the others in degrees (of rank) so that He may try you by that which He has given you. Surely, your Lord is Quick at retribution; and He is all the same, Great Protector, Ever Merciful.

English Literal

And He is who made/created you the earth`s/Planet Earth`s successors and replacers/leaders , and He rose some of you above/over some (by) steps/stages/degrees, to test you in what He gave you, that your Lord (is) quick (in) the punishment, and that He (is) forgiving (E), merciful.93

Faridul Haque

And it is He who made you caliphs (viceroys) in the earth and ranked some of you high above others, in order that He may test you with what He has bestowed upon you; indeed it does not take time for your Lord to mete out punishment; and indeed, surely, He is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Hamid S. Aziz

He it is who made you Vicegerents (Agents, Successors, Inheritors) of the earth, and raised some of you above others in degree (or rank, virtue, power, wealth, ability etc.), to try you by that which he has given you; Verily, your Lord is swift to punish, but, verily, He is Forgiving and Merciful.

Hilali & Khan

And it is He Who has made you generations coming after generations, replacing each other on the earth. And He has raised you in ranks, some above others that He may try you in that which He has bestowed on you. Surely your Lord is Swift in retribution, and certainly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Say: Shall I seek a Lord other than Allah, while He is the Lord of all things? And no soul earns (evil) but against itself. Nor does a bearer of burden bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, so He will inform you of that in which you differed.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And He it is Who has made you successors in the land and raised some of you above others by (various) grades, that He might try you by what He has given you; surely your Lord is quick to requite (evil), and He is most surely the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

He it is Who hath placed you as viceroys of the earth and hath exalted some of you in rank above others, that He may try you by (the test of) that which He hath given you. Lo! Thy Lord is swift in prosecution, and Lo! He verily is Forgiving, Merciful.

Muhammad Sarwar

On earth, We have made each of your generations the successors of their predecessors; We have made some of you do good deeds of a higher degree than others. He will test you in this way through what He has revealed to you. Your Lord's retribution is swift and He is certainly All-forgiving and All-merciful.

Qaribullah & Darwish

It is He who has made you caliphs in the earth and raised some of you in rank above others, so that He might try you in what He has given you. Swift is your Lord in retribution; yet He is Forgiving, Merciful.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And it is He Who has made you generations coming after generations, replacing each other on the earth. And He has raised you in ranks, some above others that He may try you in that which He has bestowed on you. Surely, your Lord is Swift in retribution, and certainly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Wahiduddin Khan

It is He who has made you successors [of others] on the earth and has exalted some of you over the others in degrees of rank, so that He may test you by that which He has given you. Your Lord is swift in punishment; yet surely He is forgiving, and merciful.

Talal Itani

It is He who made you successors on the earth, and raised some of you in ranks over others, in order to test you through what He has given you. Your Lord is Quick in retribution, and He is Forgiving and Merciful.

Tafsir jalalayn

And He it is Who has made you successors (khal'if is the plural of khalfa), in other words, [He has made you] to succeed one another therein, in the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees, through wealth and status and otherwise, so that He may try you, that He may test you, in what He has given you, in order to manifest the obedient among you and the disobedient. Surely your Lord is swift in punishment, of those who disobey Him; and surely He is Forgiving, to believers, Merciful, to them. Meccan, except for verses 163-170 inclusive, which are Medinese; it consists of 205 or 206 verses, and was revealed after [srat] Sd.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Allah Made Mankind Dwellers on the earth, Generation After Generation, of Various Grades, in order to Test Them

Allah said,

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَيِفَ الَارْضِ

And it is He Who has made you generations coming after generations, replacing each other on the earth.

According to Ibn Zayd and others,

meaning, He made you dwell on the earth generation after generation, century after century and offspring after forefathers.

Allah also said,

وَلَوْ نَشَأءُ لَجَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ مَّلَـيِكَةً فِى الاٌّرْضِ يَخْلُفُونَ

And if it were Our will, We would have made angels to replace you on the earth! (43;60)

and,

وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ حُلَفَأءَ الاٌّرْضِ

And makes you inheritors of the Earth, generations after generations. (27;62)

and,

إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِى الَارْضِ خَلِيفَةً

Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth. (2;30)

and,

عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُهْلِكَ عَدُوَّكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفَكُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَيَنظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ

It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you successors on the earth, so that He may see how you act. (7;129)

Allah's statement,

وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ

And He has raised you in ranks, some above others,

means, He has made you different from each other with regards to provision, conduct, qualities, evilness, shapes, color of skin, and so forth, and He has the perfect wisdom in all this.

Allah said in other Ayat,

نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ مَّعِيشَتَهُمْ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَـتٍ لِّيَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضاً سُخْرِيّاً


It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in this world, and We raised some of them above others in ranks, so that some may employ others in their work. (43;32)

and,

انظُرْ كَيْفَ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَلَلٌّخِرَةُ أَكْبَرُ دَرَجَـتٍ وَأَكْبَرُ تَفْضِيلً

See how We prefer one above another (in this world), and verily, the Hereafter will be greater in degrees and greater in preferment. (17;21)

Allah's statement,

لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا اتَاكُمْ

that He may try you in that which He has bestowed on you.

means, so that He tests you in what He has granted you, for Allah tries the rich concerning his wealth and will ask him about how he appreciated it. He also tries the poor concerning his poverty and will ask him about his patience with it.

Muslim recorded that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said that the Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّ الدُّنْيَا حُلْوَةٌ خَضِرَةٌ وَإِنَّ اللهَ مُسْتَخْلِفُكُمْ فِيهَا فَنَاظِرٌ مَاذَا تَعْمَلُونَ فَاتَّقُوا الدُّنْيَا وَاتَّقُوا النِّسَاءَ فَإِنَّ أَوَّلَ فِتْنَةِ بَنِي إِسْرَايِيلَ كَانَتْ فِي النِّسَاء


Verily, this life is beautiful and green, and Allah made you dwell in it generation after generation so that He sees what you will do. Therefore, beware of this life and beware of women, for the first trial that the Children of Israel suffered from was with women.

Allah's statement,

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ



Surely, your Lord is swift in retribution, and certainly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

this is both discouragement and encouragement, by reminding the believers that Allah is swift in reckoning and punishment with those who disobey Him and defy His Messengers.

وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ


And certainly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

for those who take Him as protector and follow His Messengers in the news and commandments they conveyed. Allah often mentions these two attributes together in the Qur'an.

Allah said,

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِمْ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

But verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind in spite of their wrongdoing. And verily, your Lord is (also) severe in punishment. (13;6)

and,

نَبِّىءْ عِبَادِى أَنِّى أَنَا الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ وَأَنَّ عَذَابِى هُوَ الْعَذَابُ الاٌّلِيمُ

Declare unto My servants, that truly, I am the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. And that My torment is indeed the most painful torment. (15;49-50)

There are similar Ayat that contain encouragement and discouragement.

Sometimes Allah calls His servants to Him with encouragement, describing Paradise and making them eager for what He has with Him. Sometimes, He calls His servants with discouragement, mentioning the Fire and its torment and punishment, as well as, the Day of Resurrection and its horrors.

Sometimes Allah mentions both so that each person is affected by it according to his or her qualities.

We ask Allah that He makes us among those who obey what He has commanded, avoid what He has prohibited, and believe in Him as He has informed. Certainly, He is Near, hears and answers the supplication, and He is the Most Kind, Generous and Bestowing.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

لَوْ يَعْلَمُ الْمُوْمِنُ مَا عِنْدَ اللهِ مِنَ الْعُقُوبَةِ مَا طَمِعَ بِجَنَّتِهِ أَحَدٌ وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُ الْكَافِرُ مَااِعنْدَ اللهِ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ مَا قَنَطَ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ

If the believer knew Allah's punishment, no one will hope in entering His Paradise. And if the disbeliever knew Allah's mercy, no one will feel hopeless of acquiring Paradise.

خَلَقَ اللهُ مِايَةَ رَحْمَةٍ فَوَضَعَ وَاحِدَةً بَيْنَ خَلْقِهِ يَتَرَاحَمُونَ بِهَا وَعِنْدَ اللهِ تِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُون

Allah created a hundred kinds of mercy. He sent down one of them to His creation, and they are merciful to each other on that account. With Allah, there remains ninety-nine kinds of mercy.

Muslim and At-Tirmidhi also recorded this Hadith, At-Tirmidhi said "Hasan".

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,

لَمَّا خَلَقَ اللهُ الْخَلْقَ كَتَبَ فِي كِتَابٍ فَهُوَ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي تَغْلِبُ غَضَبِي

When Allah created the creation, He wrote in a Book, and this Book is with Him above the Throne;`My mercy overcomes My anger.'

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Al-An`am, all the thanks and appreciation for Allah.


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