إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَظَلَمُوا۟ لَمْ يَكُنِ ٱللَّهُ لِيَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ وَلَا لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ طَرِيقًا 168
Translations
Indeed, those who disbelieve and commit wrong [or injustice] - never will Allāh forgive them, nor will He guide them to a path,
Transliteration
Inna alladhina kafaroo wa dhalamoo lam yakun allahu liyaghfira lahum wa la liyahdiyahum tareequa
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that Allah will not forgive those who persist in disbelief (kufr) and oppression (dhulm), nor will He guide them to the straight path. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain that this refers to those who combine kufr with dhulm—particularly those who knowingly reject guidance after understanding it—and that Allah's refusal to guide them is a consequence of their choice to turn away from truth. Al-Tabari emphasizes that this is not arbitrary but rather a divine principle: those who willfully reject and wrong others place themselves beyond the sphere of divine mercy and guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Medinan period and is part of a broader section in Surah An-Nisa addressing the consequences of disbelief and transgression. The context relates to those among the People of the Book and idolaters who rejected the Prophet's message despite its clarity, combining their rejection with societal oppression and injustice. It serves as a warning about the spiritual consequences of simultaneous kufr and dhulm.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever dies while associating partners with Allah will enter the Fire,' (Sahih Muslim 93). Also relevant: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah, then to disobey parents, then to kill a soul,' which contextualizes the severity of kufr and dhulm (Sahih Bukhari).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that persistent rejection of truth combined with wrongdoing to others creates a spiritual barrier between the servant and divine guidance—a consequence of one's own choices rather than arbitrary divine punishment. It serves as a sobering reminder that we must actively seek guidance through sincere hearts and just conduct, lest our hearts become sealed from truth.
Related Ayahs
وَوُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَلَيْهَا غَبَرَةٌ
And [other] faces, that Day, will have upon them dust.
وَيَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْمَلُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّى عَـٰمِلٌ ۖ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَن يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ كَـٰذِبٌ ۖ وَٱرْتَقِبُوٓا۟ إِنِّى مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ
And O my people, work according to your position; indeed, I am working. You are going to know to whom will come a punishment that will disgrace him and who is a liar. So watch; indeed, I am with you a watcher, [awaiting the outcome]."
وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فَسَقُوا۟ فَمَأْوَىٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ ۖ كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُوٓا۟ أَن يَخْرُجُوا۟ مِنْهَآ أُعِيدُوا۟ فِيهَا وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ ذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ
But as for those who defiantly disobeyed, their refuge is the Fire. Every time they wish to emerge from it, they will be returned to it while it is said to them, "Taste the punishment of the Fire which you used to deny."
وَرَءَا ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ ٱلنَّارَ فَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُم مُّوَاقِعُوهَا وَلَمْ يَجِدُوا۟ عَنْهَا مَصْرِفًا
And the criminals will see the Fire and will be certain that they are to fall therein. And they will not find from it a way elsewhere.