Tafseer of The Bee · An-Nahl · 16:125
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.
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.
Allah, the Exalted, says to His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: ادْعُ — call, O Muhammad, those to whom your Lord has sent you, to call them to His obedience. إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ — Allah says: to the law of your Lord which He has prescribed for His creation, and that is Islam. بِالْحِكْمَةِ — Allah says: with the revelation of Allah which He reveals to you and His Book which He sends down to you. وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ — Allah says: and with the good admonitions which Allah has set as a proof against them in His Book and with which He has reminded them in His revelation — such as those which He has enumerated for them in this sūra of His proofs, and by which He reminded them of what He reminded them of His blessings. وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ — Allah says: and dispute with them by means of the method of contention which is better than another, namely that you overlook the insult they have done to your honor, and that you do not disobey Him in fulfilling what is obligatory upon you of conveying to them the message of your Lord.
The explanation which we have given is also the opinion of the exegetes.
Those who said that:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah: وَجَادِلْهُمْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ : overlook their insult against you.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, something similar.
His word إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ — Allah, the Exalted, says to His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: Truly, your Lord, O Muhammad, knows best who among His creation has strayed from the straight way — among those who differed concerning the Sabbath and others, and who opposed Allah. And He knows best who among them walked the straight way and the straight path. He will requite them all with their requital when they come to Him.
