وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓا۟ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ حُنَفَآءَ وَيُقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ ٱلْقَيِّمَةِ 5
Translations
And they were not commanded except to worship Allāh, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakāh. And that is the correct religion.
Transliteration
Wa mā umirū illā liyaʿbudū Allāha mukhliṣīna lahū ad-dīna ḥunafāʾa wa yuqīmū aṣ-ṣalāta wa yuʾtū az-zakāta wa dhālik dīn al-qayyimah
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah encapsulates the essence of the divine message: humanity has been commanded to worship Allah alone with sincere devotion, establishing prayer and giving zakat, which constitute the straight and upright religion. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this verse summarizes the entire purpose of revelation—the perfection of tawhīd (monotheism) combined with righteous deeds. Al-Qurtubi notes that 'ad-dīn al-qayyimah' (the upright religion) refers to Islam as the eternally true path that stands firm against all falsehoods.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Bayyinah was revealed in Medina during the later Meccan/early Medinan period, addressing both believers and those of the People of the Book (Christians and Jews) who rejected the Prophet Muhammad's message. This ayah comes at the conclusion of the surah, serving as a definitive statement of Islam's core pillars and the unified message of all prophets.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger, establishing prayer, paying zakat, fasting Ramadan, and performing Hajj' (Sahih Bukhari 8). Additionally, Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh reported that the Prophet said: 'The best of deeds is faith in Allah and His Messenger, and the worst of deeds is associating partners with Allah' (Musnad Ahmad).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true worship requires both internal sincerity (ikhlāṣ) toward Allah and external manifestation through righteous acts—prayer and charitable giving—demonstrating that Islam is a holistic way of life balancing spiritual devotion with social responsibility. For believers today, it serves as a reminder that our purpose is singular: to worship Allah with complete devotion while fulfilling our obligations to both Creator and creation.