Tafseer of Joseph · Yusuf · 12:108
Say, "This is my way; I invite to Allah with insight, I and those who follow me. And exalted is Allah; and I am not of those who associate others with Him."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the word of Allah, the Exalted: قُلْ هَذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (108)
Abū Jaʿfar said: the Exalted says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: say, O Muḥammad, this call to which I summon and the path which I tread, of the call to the oneness of Allah and the sincere worship of Him instead of idols and statues, and the following of obedience to Him and the abandonment of disobedience to Him — سبيلي — that is my path, my method, and my call; أدعو إلى الله — alone, with no partner for Him; على بصيرة — with knowledge of it and certainty that I myself have of it; and whoever has followed me and affirmed me and believed in me likewise calls to it out of knowledge; وسبحان الله — the Exalted says to him: and say: I glorify Allah and hold Him in awe above His having a partner in His dominion, or one worshipped alongside Him in His authority; وما أنا من المشركين — He says: and I am free of the people who assign partners; I am not of them and they are not of me.
In a sense similar to what we have said about this, the exegetes spoke.
*Mention of who said that:*
19981 — al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq informed us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ ibn Anas, concerning His word: قل هذه سبيلي أدعو إلى الله على بصيرة — he said: this is my call.
19982 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: قل هذه سبيلي أدعو إلى الله على بصيرة — he said: "this is my path, my custom, and my method"; أدعو إلى الله على بصيرة أنا ومن اتبعني — he said: "it is, by Allah, indeed the duty of whoever follows him to call to what he called to, and to remind of the Qurʾān and the admonition, and to forbid what Allah has forbidden."
19983 — al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Abū Jaʿfar, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ ibn Anas, concerning His word: قل هذه سبيلي — this is my call.
19984 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of Abū Jaʿfar, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: قل هذه سبيلي — he said: this is my call.
