فَمَن يُرِدِ ٱللَّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُۥ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُۥ لِلْإِسْلَـٰمِ ۖ وَمَن يُرِدْ أَن يُضِلَّهُۥ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُۥ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَجْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلرِّجْسَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ 125
Translations
So whoever Allāh wants to guide - He expands his breast to [contain] Islām; and whoever He wants to send astray - He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky. Thus does Allāh place defilement upon those who do not believe.
Transliteration
Faman yurid-illahu an yahdiyahu yashrah sadruhu lil-islam wa man yurid an yudilluhu yaj'al sadruhu dayyiqan harajak annamaa yassaw'adu fi as-sama'. Kadhalika yaj'al-illahu ar-rijsa 'ala alladhina la yu'minun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the spiritual states of those whom Allah wills to guide versus those He wills to leave astray. For the guided, Allah expands their hearts (yashrah sadruhu) with ease, clarity, and receptiveness to Islam, while for the misguided, He narrows and constricts their hearts with difficulty and burden—comparable to the crushing pressure one experiences ascending to the heavens. Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize this describes the natural psychological and spiritual consequence of one's choices: those who seek guidance find their hearts opened to faith, while those who resist find their hearts increasingly hardened and closed off from truth.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Mecca, this ayah addresses the polytheists' persistent rejection of the Prophet's message despite clear signs. The context of Surah Al-An'am centers on monotheism and refuting idolatry, and this verse explains the spiritual mechanism behind why some accept guidance while others remain in disbelief—not due to lack of evidence, but due to the state of their hearts which Allah seals based on their own choices and attitudes.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Verily, when a slave commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart, and when he repents and gives it up, his heart is polished clean; but if he returns to the sin, the blackening increases.' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2501). Also relevant: 'The heart becomes hardened by two things: playing and lying.' (at-Tirmidhi)
Themes
Key Lesson
Our spiritual state is not arbitrary but is directly connected to our choices and attitudes toward truth; when we sincerely seek guidance and remain humble, Allah opens our hearts to understanding and belief, while arrogance and rejection progressively harden the heart. This teaches accountability: we must guard our hearts through righteous deeds and constant seeking of knowledge, knowing that our persistent choices shape our spiritual trajectory.
Related Ayahs
وَهُمْ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ وَيَنْـَٔوْنَ عَنْهُ ۖ وَإِن يُهْلِكُونَ إِلَّآ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ
And they prevent [others] from him and are [themselves] remote from him. And they do not destroy except themselves, but they perceive [it] not.
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ ۖ وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا ۚ وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ كُلَّ ءَايَةٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِهَا ۚ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوكَ يُجَـٰدِلُونَكَ يَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَـٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
And among them are those who listen to you, but We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And if they should see every sign, they will not believe in it. Even when they come to you arguing with you, those who disbelieve say, "This is not but legends of the former peoples."
وَمِنَ ٱلْإِبِلِ ٱثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ ٱلْبَقَرِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۗ قُلْ ءَآلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا ٱشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ ۖ أَمْ كُنتُمْ شُهَدَآءَ إِذْ وَصَّىٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِهَـٰذَا ۚ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا لِّيُضِلَّ ٱلنَّاسَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
And of the camels, two and of the cattle, two. Say, "Is it the two males He has forbidden or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Or were you witnesses when Allāh charged you with this? Then who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allāh to mislead the people by [something] other than knowledge? Indeed, Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people."
قُلْ هُوَ ٱلْقَادِرُ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابًا مِّن فَوْقِكُمْ أَوْ مِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِكُمْ أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُمْ شِيَعًا وَيُذِيقَ بَعْضَكُم بَأْسَ بَعْضٍ ۗ ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَفْقَهُونَ
Say, "He is the [one] Able to send upon you affliction from above you or from beneath your feet or to confuse you [so you become] sects and make you taste the violence of one another." Look how We diversify the signs that they might understand.