Quran-8:20 Surah Al-anfal English Translation,Transliteration and Tafsir(Tafseer).

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَلَا تَوَلَّوۡاْ عَنۡهُ وَأَنتُمۡ تَسۡمَعُونَ

Transliteration:( Yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanoo atee'ul laaha wa Rasoolahoo wa laa tawallaw 'anhu wa antum tasma'oon )

20. O believers! Obey the command of Allah and His Messenger [43] and turn not away from him after hearing him [44]. (Kanzul Imaan Translation)

(20) O you who have believed, obey Allāh and His Messenger and do not turn from him while you hear [his order]. (Saheen International Translation)

Surah Al-Anfal Ayat 20 Tafsir (Commentry)



  • Tafseer-e-Naeemi (Ahmad Yaar Khan)
  • Ibn Kathir
  • Ala-Madudi
  • Shaheen International

43. It should be remembered that though obedience to Allah Almighty is obligatory, so is the obedience to the Holy Prophet and under the Holy viglancy of the Prophet's religious scholars as well. Obedience to the parents too is obligatory upon the children. However total emulation in action is obligatory only of the Holy Prophet Obedience is only in respect of command, and ie do what you see the Messenger of Allah is doing, because every tradition or Hadith cannot be literally followed. 

We cannot carry out those things which were the speciality of the holy prophet e.g. keeping. Obedience of a command is obligatory, but there is a choice in respect of consultation.

44. By this is meant from the Messenger of The personal pronoun is attached to the noun it describes which in this case is His Prophet. This tells us that disobedience to the Holy Prophet Allah is in reality disobedience to Allah Almighty. It is for this reason that the singular form of the pronoun is used in 'from him'. although prior to this, mention is being made of both Allah Almighty and His Beloved Rasool.

 

Ibn-Kathir

20. O you who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger, and turn not away from him while you are hearing. 21. And be not like those who say: “We have heard,” but they hear not. 22. Verily, the worst of living creatures with Allah are the deaf and the dumb (the disbelievers), who understand not. 23. Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen; and even if He had made them listen, they would but have turned away with aversion.


The Command to obey Allah and His Messenger

Allah commands His believing servants to obey Him and His Messenger and warns them against defying him and imitating the disbelievers who reject him. Allah said,

﴿وَلاَ تَوَلَّوْاْ عَنْهُ﴾

(and turn not away from him…), neither refrain from obeying him or following his commands nor indulge in what he forbade,

﴿وَأَنتُمْ تَسْمَعُونَ﴾

(while you are hearing.) after you gained knowledge of his Message,

﴿وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لاَ يَسْمَعُونَ ﴾

(And be not like those who say: “We have heard,” but they hear not.)

Ibn Ishaq said that this Ayah refers to the hypocrites, who pretend to hear and obey, while in fact they do neither. Allah declares that these are the most wicked creatures among the Children of Adam,

﴿إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِندَ اللَّهِ الصُّمُّ﴾

(Verily, the worst of living creatures with Allah are the deaf) who do not hear the truth,

﴿الْبُكْمُ﴾

(and the dumb) who cannot comprehend it,

﴿الَّذِينَ لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ﴾

(who understand not. ) These indeed are the most wicked creatures, for every creature except them abide by the way that Allah created in them. These people were created to worship Allah, but instead disbelieved. This is why Allah equated them to animals, when He said,

﴿وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِى يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لاَ يَسْمَعُ إِلاَّ دُعَآءً وَنِدَآءً﴾

(And the example of those who disbelieve is as that of him who shouts to those that hear nothing but calls and cries.) ﴿2:171﴾, and,

﴿أُوْلَـئِكَ كَالأَنْعَـمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْغَـفِلُونَ﴾

(They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones.) ﴿7:179﴾

It was also said that the Ayah (8:22) refers to some of the pagans of Quraysh from the tribe of Bani `Abd Ad-Dar, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Ibn Jarir. Muhammad bin Ishaq said that this Ayah refers to hypocrites, as we stated. There is no contradiction here, because both disbelievers and hypocrites are devoid of sound comprehension, in addition to having lost the intention to do good. Allah states here that such are those who neither have sound understanding nor good intentions, even if they have some type of reason,

﴿وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لأَسْمَعَهُمْ﴾

(Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen.)

He would have helped them understand. However, this did not happen because there is no goodness in such people, for Allah knows that,

﴿وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ﴾

(even if He had made them listen…) and allowed them to understand,

﴿لَتَوَلَّواْ﴾

(they would but have turned…), intentionally and out of stubbornness, even after they comprehend,

﴿وَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ﴾

(with aversion.), to the truth.

(8:20) Believers! Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not turn away from him after you hear his command.

Ala-Maududi

(8:20) Believers! Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not turn away from him after you hear his command.


There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

(20) O you who have believed, obey Allāh and His Messenger and do not turn from him while you hear [his order].

Surah Al-Anfal All Ayat (Verses)

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