Tafseer of The Jinn · Al-Jinn · 72:11
And among us are the righteous, and among us are [others] not so; we were [of] divided ways.
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 His words, the Exalted: وَأَنَّا مِنَّا الصَّالِحُونَ وَمِنَّا دُونَ ذَلِكَ كُنَّا طَرَائِقَ قِدَدًا ("And that among us are the righteous, and among us are those who are otherwise than that; we were upon divergent paths").
He, exalted is His mention, says — reporting about their utterance: وَأَنَّا مِنَّا الصَّالِحُونَ ("And that among us are the righteous") — and these are the Muslims who act in obedience to Allah — وَمِنَّا دُونَ ذَلِكَ ("and among us are those who are otherwise than that"). He says: and among us are those who stand below the righteous. كُنَّا طَرَائِقَ قِدَدًا ("we were upon divergent paths"). He says: and we were of divergent inclinations and differing factions; among us is the believer and the unbeliever. Al-ṭarāʾiq is the plural of ṭarīqa, and that is the path and the direction of a man. And al-qidad is the plural of qidda, and these are the differing kinds and categories.
And in agreement with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn Ḥumayd al-Rāzī related to us, he said: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, on the authority of Yazīd, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning His words: طَرَائِقَ قِدَدًا ("divergent paths"), he says: differing inclinations.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His words: وَأَنَّا مِنَّا الصَّالِحُونَ وَمِنَّا دُونَ ذَلِكَ كُنَّا طَرَائِقَ قِدَدًا ("And that among us are the righteous, and among us are those who are otherwise than that; we were upon divergent paths"), he says: differing inclinations; among us is the Muslim and among us is the one who ascribes partners to Allah (al-mushrik).
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: كُنَّا طَرَائِقَ قِدَدًا ("we were upon divergent paths"): the people were of differing inclinations.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: طَرَائِقَ قِدَدًا ("divergent paths"), he said: inclinations.
Ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning His words: كُنَّا طَرَائِقَ قِدَدًا ("we were upon divergent paths"), he said: Muslims and unbelievers.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān: كُنَّا طَرَائِقَ قِدَدًا ("we were upon divergent paths"), he said: differing, believer and unbeliever.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His words: كُنَّا طَرَائِقَ قِدَدًا ("we were upon divergent paths"), he said: righteous and unbeliever; and he recited the words of Allah: وَأَنَّا مِنَّا الصَّالِحُونَ وَمِنَّا دُونَ ذَلِكَ ("And that among us are the righteous, and among us are those who are otherwise than that").
