وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا فِي اللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا ظُلِمُوا لَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَلَأَجْرُ الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۴۱﴾ الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ﴿۴۲﴾ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۴۳﴾ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالزُّبُرِ وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴿۴۴﴾

﴾41﴿ Wallazeena haajaroo fil laahi mim ba'di maa zulimoo lanubawwi' annahum fiddunyaa hasanatanw wa la ajrul Aakhirati akbar; law kaanoo ya'lamoon
﴾42﴿ Allazeena sabaroo wa 'alaa Rabbihim yatawak kaloon
﴾43﴿ Wa maaa arsalnaa min qablika illaa rijaalan nooheee ilaihim; fas'alooo ahlaz zikri in kuntum laa ta'lamoon
﴾44﴿ Bilbaiyinaati waz Zubur; wa anzalnaaa ilaikaz Zikra litubaiyina linnaasi maa nuzzila ilaihim wa la'allahum yatafakkaroon

﴾41﴿ And those who emigrated for the sake of Allah after they were wronged, We will surely settle them in a good place in this world, and indeed, the reward of the Hereafter is greater, if only they knew
﴾42﴿ They are those who remained patient and put their trust in their Lord
﴾43﴿ And We did not send before you except men to whom We revealed (Our message). So ask the people of knowledge if you do not know
﴾44﴿ (We sent them) with clear proofs and scriptures. And We revealed to you this Quran so that you may explain to the people what has been sent down to them, and so that they may reflect

[41] In this verse, there is encouragement to perform Hijrah (migration) and glad tidings for those who migrate—mentioned after the description of the oppression of the wrongdoers. That is, whoever migrates to escape the injustice of tyrants is being addressed here. This is how the verse connects to the previous one. The meaning of "حَسَنَةً" here includes: – Lawful sustenance (رزق حلال) – A good reputation among later generations – The help and support of Allah the Exalted (نصرت اللّه) The phrase "لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ" contains an implicit rebuke or hint toward those who did not migrate, as if to say: If only they had known the reward and benefit, they too would have migrated.
[42] In this verse, two actions are mentioned—patience (صبر) and trust in Allah (توکل)—both of which are essential for migration (هجرت). The intended meaning of patience here is the endurance shown by the monotheists in the face of the harm caused by the polytheists. After enduring such hardships, they rely on Allah and migrate. Note: This verse contains an allusion to the Hijrah to Abyssinia (حبشه), where some of the noble Companions first migrated from Makkah. In Abyssinia, they found support from the king, Negus (النجاشي – أصحمه). Later, they migrated to Madinah, and eventually, the Muslims gained dominance over many lands.
[43] In this verse, the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) is affirmed, and it is a refutation of the third belief of the disbelievers—namely, their denial of prophethood. It also addresses the objection raised by the deniers of Prophethood, who argued that a human being could not be a messenger of Allah. This verse responds to that doubt, affirming that Prophets have always been human. The phrase "أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ" refers to the scholars of the revealed scriptures and Sunnah—those who hold firmly to it and act upon it. That is why the verse does not say “people of knowledge” (أهل العلم) but rather “people of remembrance” (أهل الذكر)—to emphasize their connection to divine revelation and practice. In Tafsir al-Qurtubi, it is written under the explanation of this verse that all prophets were human beings, and this same point is also mentioned in verse (7) of Surah Al-Anbiya: "وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِمْ" — We sent no messengers before you except men to whom We revealed.
Note: This verse proves that when one lacks knowledge, it is obligatory to ask the people of knowledge, because if an action is obligatory, then acquiring knowledge of it is also obligatory. However, using this verse as evidence to justify rigid or blind imitation (تقلید جامد) or personal attachment to a single scholar (تقلید شخصی) is not valid.
Reason 1: The meaning of "الذِّكْر" is revelation (وحي)—so the command is to ask those who will respond with evidence from revelation (Qur'an and Sunnah). Following clear evidence is not called taqlīd.
Reason 2: There are two levels of ignorance:
1. Not knowing the ruling itself.
2. Not knowing the evidence for that ruling. Both levels require seeking knowledge. Once the person learns the evidence, their following is no longer considered taqlīd.
Reason 3: Allah mentioned "the people of dhikr" in a general way. But in rigid madhhab-based taqlīd, for example, a strict Ḥanafī will not ask a Shāfiʿī scholar, and may even consider it invalid to pray behind him. This contradicts the generality of the verse.
Reason 4: Even if we accept by way of concession (ṭarīq al-tanazzul) that this verse supports taqlīd for the unlearned (the layman), then once that person learns an authentic ḥadīth that contradicts the earlier view, he must abandon the earlier opinion and act upon the ḥadīth. An example of this is mentioned by al-Shāmī from ʿAllāmah al-Bīrī in (vol. 1, p. 46), where a person was first justified in taqlīd, but once he knew the ḥadīth, his continued taqlīd became blameworthy. So it becomes clear: the initial taqlīd was praiseworthy, but if someone insists on following a madhhab even when it contradicts a clear and authentic ḥadīth, then that taqlīd becomes blameworthy and forbidden.
[44] This verse is also connected to the previous one, and it contains encouragement to the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) to convey the Qur'an—following the affirmation of his truthfulness. The phrase "بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ" (with clear proofs) may relate to the implied phrase "We sent them" (أرسلناهم), or it may relate to "you do not know" (لا تعلمون). In this verse, one responsibility of the Prophet is mentioned: – To explain and clarify the Qur'an (لتبيّن للناس ما نُزِّل إليهم) This affirms that the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is the explanation and interpretation of the Qur'an, and he was sent specifically for this purpose. This is a clear refutation of the deniers of Hadith. Note: This verse hints at the three recognized sources of Islamic legal evidence (أدلة شرعية):
1. The Qur'an – referred to by the word "الذِّكْر"
2. The Sunnah of the Prophet – referred to by "لتبيّن"
3. Ijtihād (scholarly reasoning) by the qualified jurists (mujtahidīn): – If agreed upon by consensus, it is called ijmāʿ, which is a valid and binding proof, on condition that its foundation lies in the Qur'an and Sunnah and it does not contradict clear textual evidence. – If it is the opinion of some jurists, it is known as qiyās (analogy), which is not a definitive proof on its own but serves as a clarifier and explanatory tool.