وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـٰهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوا۟ هُمُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ 76
Translations
And We did not wrong them, but it was they who were the wrongdoers.
Transliteration
Wa mā ẓalamnaāhum wa lākin kānū hum aẓ-ẓālimīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that Allah did not wrong the inhabitants of Hell; rather, they wronged themselves through their disbelief and rejection of the truth. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that Allah's punishment is always just and proportionate, and those in Hell will have no excuse before Allah on the Day of Judgment, as they themselves chose the path of injustice and transgression.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Az-Zukhruf's discussion of the Day of Judgment and the fate of disbelievers. It reinforces the broader Quranic theme that Allah's judgment is perfectly just and that the inhabitants of Hell are punished only for their own deliberate choices and actions in rejecting guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'Everyone will find easy what he was created for' (Sahih Muslim 2647), emphasizing that people freely choose their spiritual direction. Additionally, Surah Al-Anfal 51 contains the related principle that Allah does not change the condition of people until they change what is in themselves.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah is perfectly just and does not punish anyone unjustly; we alone are responsible for our choices and their consequences. It calls believers to examine their own actions and choices, knowing that we cannot blame external circumstances or Allah for our spiritual failures.
Related Ayahs
إِلَّا عِبَادَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْمُخْلَصِينَ
Except the chosen servants of Allāh [who do not share in that sin].
وَلَن يَنفَعَكُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ إِذ ظَّلَمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ مُشْتَرِكُونَ
And never will it benefit you that Day, when you have wronged, that you are [all] sharing in the punishment.
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."
قُلْ أَتُحَآجُّونَنَا فِى ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ وَلَنَآ أَعْمَـٰلُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَـٰلُكُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُۥ مُخْلِصُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Do you argue with us about Allāh while He is our Lord and your Lord? For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. And we are sincere [in deed and intention] to Him."