بَلِ ٱتَّبَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَهْوَآءَهُم بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۖ فَمَن يَهْدِى مَنْ أَضَلَّ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّـٰصِرِينَ 29
Translations
But those who wrong follow their [own] desires without knowledge. Then who can guide one whom Allāh has sent astray? And for them there are no helpers.
Transliteration
Bal ittaba'a alladhīna ẓalamū ahwāʾahum bighayri ʿilmin famman yahdī man aḍalla allāhu wamā lahum min nāṣirīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns those who follow their desires and whims without knowledge, emphasizing that such deviation is a consequence of their own wrongdoing. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the ayah teaches that once Allah allows someone to go astray due to their rejection of truth and pursuit of falsehood, no one can guide them back—highlighting the severe consequences of willful ignorance and stubbornness in rejecting divine guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Ar-Rum's discussion of the straight path (fitrah) upon which Allah has created all creation. The surah addresses the Meccan polytheists who abandoned the natural inclination toward monotheism in favor of their ancestral customs and desires. This ayah specifically rebukes those who prioritize personal whims over revealed knowledge.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever Allah wishes to guide, He opens his chest to Islam; and whoever He wishes to leave astray, He makes his chest tight and constricted' (Sahih Muslim 2644). Also related is the hadith about following desires: 'Do not follow desires, for it will lead you astray from the path of Allah' (Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that mere desire and emotion, without grounding in knowledge and truth, lead to spiritual ruin and abandonment by Allah. It emphasizes the critical importance of seeking knowledge ('ilm) and submitting to divine guidance rather than following one's passions, as the latter path offers no protection or salvation.
Related Ayahs
فِى بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ لِلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِنۢ بَعْدُ ۚ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ
Within three to nine years. To Allāh belongs the command [i.e., decree] before and after. And that day the believers will rejoice
ظَهَرَ ٱلْفَسَادُ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِى ٱلنَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى عَمِلُوا۟ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
Corruption has appeared throughout the land and sea by [reason of] what the hands of people have earned so He [i.e., Allāh] may let them taste part of [the consequence of] what they have done that perhaps they will return [to righteousness].
ثُمَّ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسَـٰٓـُٔوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓأَىٰٓ أَن كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَكَانُوا۟ بِهَا يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
Then the end of those who did evil was the worst [consequence] because they denied the signs of Allāh and used to ridicule them.
وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ لَا يُخْلِفُ ٱللَّهُ وَعْدَهُۥ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
[It is] the promise of Allāh. Allāh does not fail in His promise, but most of the people do not know.