فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لَكَ فَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ ۚ وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ 50
Translations
But if they do not respond to you - then know that they only follow their [own] desires. And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allāh? Indeed, Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Transliteration
Fa-in lam yastajiboo laka fa'alam annamaa yattabi'oon ahwaa'ahum wa man adalla mimman ittaba'a hawahu bighayri hudan min-Allah. Inna-Allah la yahdee al-qawm adh-dhalimeen.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) regarding those who reject his message, stating that their refusal stems from following their desires rather than divine guidance. The verse poses a rhetorical question emphasizing that no one is more misguided than those who abandon God's guidance to pursue their whims, concluding that Allah does not guide those who willfully commit injustice (dhulm) by rejecting truth. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize this reflects the principle of divine justice: those who deliberately turn away from guidance through arrogance and desire are abandoned to their misguidance as a consequence of their own choice.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Qasas, a Meccan surah addressing the early Muslim community facing rejection from the Quraysh. It contextualizes the response to the pagans' refusal to accept the Quranic message, emphasizing that such rejection results from preferring worldly desires over divine truth. The surah uses historical narratives to illustrate the consequences of following desires versus following prophetic guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who have the best character/manners' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3662), relating to choosing guidance over desires. Additionally, 'Whoever follows their desires instead of knowledge will be misguided' reflects the theme found in various collections of prophetic traditions addressing this principle.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that misguidance is often a consequence of choosing personal desires over objective truth—a lesson relevant to modern believers who face countless temptations. It reminds us that sincere seeking of knowledge and willingness to submit to divine guidance are prerequisites for spiritual success, while arrogance and attachment to desires create barriers that even divine signs cannot penetrate.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِى مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
Indeed, [O Muḥammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allāh guides whom He wills. And He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.
فَلَمَّآ أَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَبْطِشَ بِٱلَّذِى هُوَ عَدُوٌّ لَّهُمَا قَالَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ أَتُرِيدُ أَن تَقْتُلَنِى كَمَا قَتَلْتَ نَفْسًۢا بِٱلْأَمْسِ ۖ إِن تُرِيدُ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ جَبَّارًا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا تُرِيدُ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُصْلِحِينَ
And when he wanted to strike the one who was an enemy to both of them, he said, "O Moses, do you intend to kill me as you killed someone yesterday? You only want to be a tyrant in the land and do not want to be of the amenders."
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍۭ بَطِرَتْ مَعِيشَتَهَا ۖ فَتِلْكَ مَسَـٰكِنُهُمْ لَمْ تُسْكَن مِّنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ۖ وَكُنَّا نَحْنُ ٱلْوَٰرِثِينَ
And how many a city have We destroyed that was insolent in its [way of] living, and those are their dwellings which have not been inhabited after them except briefly. And it is We who were the inheritors.
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ سَرْمَدًا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مَنْ إِلَـٰهٌ غَيْرُ ٱللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِضِيَآءٍ ۖ أَفَلَا تَسْمَعُونَ
Say, "Have you considered: if Allāh should make for you the night continuous until the Day of Resurrection, what deity other than Allāh could bring you light? Then will you not hear?"