وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ سَبِيلَنَا وَلْنَحْمِلْ خَطَـٰيَـٰكُمْ وَمَا هُم بِحَـٰمِلِينَ مِنْ خَطَـٰيَـٰهُم مِّن شَىْءٍ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ 12
Translations
And those who disbelieve say to those who believe, "Follow our way, and we will carry your sins." But they will not carry anything of their sins. Indeed, they are liars.
Transliteration
Wa qāla alladhīna kafarū lilladhīna āmanū ittabi'ū sabīlanā wa lnH̱mil khaTāyākum wa mā hum biH̱āmlīn min khaTāyāhum min shay'in innahum lakādhībūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
The disbelievers invite the believers to follow their path and falsely promise to bear their sins, but Allah declares this promise is a lie—no person can carry another's burden of sin on the Day of Judgment. Ibn Kathir explains this reflects the disbelievers' arrogance and deception, attempting to normalize their rejection of truth while Ibn Abbas notes they meant to share mutual responsibility for sins, yet this remains impossible before Allah. The ayah underscores personal accountability before Allah and the futility of worldly alliances that contradict Divine truth.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Mecca during the early Islamic period when the Quraysh intensely opposed the Muslims. This ayah addresses the persistent pressure disbelievers placed on new converts to abandon Islam, often using false promises and collective identity appeals. Within Surah Al-'Ankabut's theme of testing faith through trials, this verse illustrates how worldly temptations and peer pressure are spiritual tests believers must resist.
Related Hadiths
Surah Al-Isra' 17:15 complements this theme: 'No soul will bear the burden of another.' Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim (Book of Paradise) states that on the Day of Judgment, people will wish to distance themselves from their relatives due to their deeds, reflecting the principle of individual accountability established in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must recognize that no person, ideology, or social pressure can absolve them of their spiritual responsibility before Allah—each soul stands alone with its deeds on the Day of Judgment. This teaches discernment in rejecting false promises and worldly alliances that contradict faith, prioritizing eternal truth over temporary social acceptance.
Related Ayahs
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَنُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِمْ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَحْسَنَ ٱلَّذِى كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
And those who believe and do righteous deeds - We will surely remove from them their misdeeds and will surely reward them according to the best of what they used to do.
وَلَمَّا جَآءَتْ رُسُلُنَآ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ بِٱلْبُشْرَىٰ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مُهْلِكُوٓا۟ أَهْلِ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ۖ إِنَّ أَهْلَهَا كَانُوا۟ ظَـٰلِمِينَ
And when Our messengers [i.e., angels] came to Abraham with the good tidings, they said, "Indeed, we will destroy the people of that [i.e., Lot's] city. Indeed, its people have been wrongdoers."
وَقَالَ إِنَّمَا ٱتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْثَـٰنًا مَّوَدَّةَ بَيْنِكُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ ثُمَّ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ يَكْفُرُ بَعْضُكُم بِبَعْضٍ وَيَلْعَنُ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضًا وَمَأْوَىٰكُمُ ٱلنَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن نَّـٰصِرِينَ
And [Abraham] said, "You have only taken, other than Allāh, idols as [a bond of] affection among you in worldly life. Then on the Day of Resurrection you will deny one another and curse one another, and your refuge will be the Fire, and you will not have any helpers."
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُۥٓ ۚ أَلَيْسَ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَثْوًى لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allāh or denies the truth when it has come to him? Is there not in Hell a [sufficient] residence for the disbelievers?