وَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقُل لِّى عَمَلِى وَلَكُمْ عَمَلُكُمْ ۖ أَنتُم بَرِيٓـُٔونَ مِمَّآ أَعْمَلُ وَأَنَا۠ بَرِىٓءٌ مِّمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ 41
Translations
And if they deny you, [O Muḥammad], then say, "For me are my deeds, and for you are your deeds. You are disassociated from what I do, and I am disassociated from what you do."
Transliteration
Wa-in kadhdhabūka faqul lī 'amalī wa-lakum 'amalukum. Antum barī'ūna mimmā a'mal wa-anā barī'un mimmā ta'malūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah instructs the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to respond to those who reject him by clearly establishing the separation of responsibility between himself and his rejectors. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, the Prophet is commanded to declare that he bears no responsibility for their disbelief, just as they bear no responsibility for his faith and righteous deeds. This establishes the principle that each soul is accountable only for its own actions before Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs in Surah Yunus, a Meccan surah addressing the early Muslim community facing widespread rejection and mockery from the Quraysh. The context deals with the Prophet's response to persistent denial of his message, emphasizing that his duty is only to convey, not to compel belief. This reflects the Meccan period's focus on the inevitability of individual choice and divine will.
Related Hadiths
Related to Surah Al-Ghashiyah 88:21-22: 'So remind, [O Muhammad], you are only a reminder. You are not over them a controller.' (Sahih Muslim). Also relevant is the hadith: 'The best of jihad is a word of truth before a tyrannical ruler' (Sunan Ibn Majah) - emphasizing the Prophet's responsibility to convey truthfully without coercing acceptance.
Themes
Key Lesson
Each person bears responsibility only for their own choices and actions; believers should not feel burdened by others' rejection of truth, knowing they have fulfilled their duty by conveying the message clearly. This teaches us that our spiritual success lies in sincere effort, not in controlling others' outcomes.
Related Ayahs
أَلَّا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ
That no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another
وَبَـٰرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَىٰٓ إِسْحَـٰقَ ۚ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِمَا مُحْسِنٌ وَظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ مُبِينٌ
And We blessed him and Isaac. But among their descendants is the doer of good and the clearly unjust to himself [i.e., sinner].
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُم بِإِيمَـٰنٍ أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَمَآ أَلَتْنَـٰهُم مِّنْ عَمَلِهِم مِّن شَىْءٍ ۚ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٌ
And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith - We will join with them their descendants, and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds. Every person, for what he earned, is retained.
تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ ۖ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ ۖ وَلَا تُسْـَٔلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
That is a nation which has passed on. It will have [the consequence of] what it earned, and you will have what you have earned. And you will not be asked about what they used to do.