قُل لَّا تُسْـَٔلُونَ عَمَّآ أَجْرَمْنَا وَلَا نُسْـَٔلُ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ 25
Translations
Say, "You will not be asked about what we committed, and we will not be asked about what you do."
Transliteration
Qul lā tusjālūna ʿammā ajramnā wa lā nusʾal ʿammā taʿmalūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is commanded to tell the disbelievers that they will not be questioned about the sins of the Muslims, nor will the Muslims be questioned about the disbelievers' deeds on the Day of Judgment. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this verse emphasizes the principle that each person bears responsibility only for their own actions, refuting the pagan Arabs' attempt to hold the Prophet accountable for their own transgressions and establishing that divine justice operates on individual accountability.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Saba, a Meccan surah revealed during the period when the Prophet faced intense opposition from Quraysh. The verse is part of a broader context addressing the arguments and accusations leveled against the Prophet by disbelievers who attempted to deflect responsibility for their own rejection of faith.
Related Hadiths
The principle is supported by Quranic elaboration in Surah Al-Isra (17:15): 'There is no burden on any soul except that which it bears' (Sahih Muslim 2577). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Bukhari (3318) emphasizes personal accountability: 'Each of you is a guardian and each of you will be asked about those in his custody.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that we are solely responsible for our own actions and beliefs before Allah, and cannot be held accountable for others' sins, nor can we blame others for our own choices. It encourages believers to focus on personal righteousness rather than judging or being preoccupied with others' spiritual states.
Related Ayahs
أَفَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ إِن نَّشَأْ نَخْسِفْ بِهِمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ أَوْ نُسْقِطْ عَلَيْهِمْ كِسَفًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةً لِّكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مُّنِيبٍ
Then, do they not look at what is before them and what is behind them of the heaven and earth? If We should will, We could cause the earth to swallow them or [could] let fall upon them fragments from the sky. Indeed in that is a sign for every servant turning back [to Allāh].
أَنِ ٱعْمَلْ سَـٰبِغَـٰتٍ وَقَدِّرْ فِى ٱلسَّرْدِ ۖ وَٱعْمَلُوا۟ صَـٰلِحًا ۖ إِنِّى بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
[Commanding him], "Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work [all of you] righteousness. Indeed I, of what you do, am Seeing."
وَمَآ أَمْوَٰلُكُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَـٰدُكُم بِٱلَّتِى تُقَرِّبُكُمْ عِندَنَا زُلْفَىٰٓ إِلَّا مَنْ ءَامَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَـٰلِحًا فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ جَزَآءُ ٱلضِّعْفِ بِمَا عَمِلُوا۟ وَهُمْ فِى ٱلْغُرُفَـٰتِ ءَامِنُونَ
And it is not your wealth or your children that bring you nearer to Us in position, but it is [by being] one who has believed and done righteousness. For them there will be the double reward for what they did, and they will be in the upper chambers [of Paradise], safe [and secure].
۞ وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُۥدَ مِنَّا فَضْلًا ۖ يَـٰجِبَالُ أَوِّبِى مَعَهُۥ وَٱلطَّيْرَ ۖ وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ ٱلْحَدِيدَ
And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. [We said], "O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well]." And We made pliable for him iron,