Surah 98
Surah Al-Bayyinah (The Clear Proof)
البينة
Also written: Bayyinah
Surah Al-Bayyinah (البينة) is surah 98 of the 114 surahs of the Quran. It has 8 ayahs, was revealed in Medina (Medinan), and its name means “The Clear Proof”.
- Number
- 98
- Ayahs
- 8
- Revelation
- Medinan
- Meaning
- The Clear Proof
Names, meaning and Meccan/Medinan classification as listed in the quran-json dataset.
About Surah Al-Bayyinah
Al-Bayyinah, “The Clear Proof”, speaks about the People of the Book and the idolaters of Arabia, and the clear evidence that came to them in the form of a Messenger reciting purified pages. It sums up what every prophet’s religion asked of people — sincere worship of God, prayer and charity — and describes the best and worst of creatures.
Structure
- The clear evidence (98:1–3): a Messenger from God reciting pure pages containing upright writings.
- Division after knowledge (98:4): those given scripture split only after the clear proof reached them.
- The core of religion (98:5): they were commanded only to worship God sincerely, turning away from falsehood, to establish prayer and give zakah — and that is the upright religion.
- Two outcomes (98:6–8): those who rejected it are called the worst of creatures; those who believe and do good are the best of creatures, rewarded with eternal gardens. God is pleased with them and they with Him.
The surah and Ubayy ibn Ka’b
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim relate that the Prophet told the companion Ubayy ibn Ka’b that God had commanded him to recite this surah to him. Ubayy asked whether God had mentioned him by name, and when told yes, he wept. The story is often cited to show the honour of those devoted to the Quran.
Meccan or Medinan?
The dataset used on this site lists Al-Bayyinah as Medinan, which is the view of most scholars, matching its discussion of the People of the Book and of zakah. Some considered it Meccan.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the 'clear proof' in Surah Al-Bayyinah?
- The surah explains it as a Messenger from God reciting purified scriptures (verses 1-3).
- How many verses are in Surah Al-Bayyinah?
- 8.
- Is Surah Al-Bayyinah Meccan or Medinan?
- Most scholars, and the dataset used on this site, classify it as Medinan; some considered it Meccan.
- How many ayahs are in Surah Al-Bayyinah?
- Surah Al-Bayyinah has 8 ayahs. It is surah number 98 in the Quran and is Medinan.
- Can I read Surah Al-Bayyinah in English or save it as a PDF?
- Yes. This page shows the Arabic text of every ayah with the Saheeh International English meaning under it. Use “Print / Save as PDF” for a clean printable copy that you can save as a PDF file from your browser.
- Is Surah Al-Bayyinah the same as Surah Bayyinah?
- Yes. Bayyinah and Al-Bayyinah are different English spellings of the same surah name, البينة.
Summaries describe the surah’s content and commonly cited reports for general readers; they are not a tafsir or a religious ruling.
Making a video of Surah Al-Bayyinah
With 8 ayahs, Surah Al-Bayyinah is short enough for a single vertical video. Select all ayahs on the new-project page, load a recitation, and use “Highlight current ayah” to keep the whole surah on screen while each ayah is emphasised as it is recited.
In the editor, the Online Recitations tab lists the reciters Quran Foundation provides for this surah. See how to create a Quran video for the full steps.
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Surah Al-Bayyinah in Arabic with English meaning
Arabic: Uthmani script from The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia (quranenc.com), Uthmani script, via quran-json (CC-BY-SA 4.0), shown as in the verified dataset; open-tanween marks use the equivalent codepoints this font draws, as in the editor. English meaning: Saheeh International (tanzil.net). A translation conveys the meaning; it is not the Quran itself.
لَمۡ يَكُنِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنۡ أَهۡلِ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ مُنفَكِّينَ حَتَّىٰ تَأۡتِيَهُمُ ٱلۡبَيِّنَةُ ١
98:1Those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists were not to be parted [from misbelief] until there came to them clear evidence
رَسُولࣱ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ يَتۡلُواْ صُحُفࣰا مُّطَهَّرَةࣰ ٢
98:2A Messenger from Allah, reciting purified scriptures
فِيهَا كُتُبࣱ قَيِّمَةࣱ ٣
98:3Within which are correct writings
وَمَا تَفَرَّقَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَآءَتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَيِّنَةُ ٤
98:4Nor did those who were given the Scripture become divided until after there had come to them clear evidence
وَمَآ أُمِرُوٓاْ إِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مُخۡلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ حُنَفَآءَ وَيُقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤۡتُواْ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَۚ وَذَٰلِكَ دِينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمَةِ ٥
98:5And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakah. And that is the correct religion
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنۡ أَهۡلِ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآۚ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ هُمۡ شَرُّ ٱلۡبَرِيَّةِ ٦
98:6Indeed, they who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture and the polytheists will be in the fire of Hell, abiding eternally therein. Those are the worst of creatures
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ هُمۡ خَيۡرُ ٱلۡبَرِيَّةِ ٧
98:7Indeed, they who have believed and done righteous deeds - those are the best of creatures
جَزَآؤُهُمۡ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡ جَنَّـٰتُ عَدۡنࣲ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدࣰاۖ رَّضِيَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَرَضُواْ عَنۡهُۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنۡ خَشِيَ رَبَّهُۥ ٨
98:8Their reward with Allah will be gardens of perpetual residence beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleased with them and they with Him. That is for whoever has feared his Lord