Ayah
Word by Word
وَمَا
And not
كَانَ
is
لِنَفۡسٍ
for a soul
أَن
to
تُؤۡمِنَ
believe
إِلَّا
except
بِإِذۡنِ
by (the) permission
ٱللَّهِۚ
(of) Allah
وَيَجۡعَلُ
And He will place
ٱلرِّجۡسَ
the wrath
عَلَى
on
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
لَا
(do) not
يَعۡقِلُونَ
use reason
وَمَا
And not
كَانَ
is
لِنَفۡسٍ
for a soul
أَن
to
تُؤۡمِنَ
believe
إِلَّا
except
بِإِذۡنِ
by (the) permission
ٱللَّهِۚ
(of) Allah
وَيَجۡعَلُ
And He will place
ٱلرِّجۡسَ
the wrath
عَلَى
on
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
لَا
(do) not
يَعۡقِلُونَ
use reason
Translation
No soul can believe, except by the will of Allah, and He will place doubt (or obscurity) on those who will not understand.
Tafsir
And it is not for any soul to believe save by the permission of God, by His will, and He causes abomination, chastisement, to fall upon those who have no understanding, [those who do not] reflect upon God's signs.
"It is not Part of Allah's Decree to compel Belief
Allah said:
وَلَوۡ شَاء رَبُّكَ
And had your Lord willed,
meaning `O Muhammad, if it had been the will of your Lord, He would make all the people of the earth believe in what you have brought to them. But Allah has wisdom in what He does.'
لاامَنَ مَن فِي الَارۡضِ كُلُّهُمۡ جَمِيعًا
those on earth would have believed, all of them together.
Similarly, Allah said:
وَلَوۡ شَأءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخۡتَلِفِينَ
إِلاَّ مَن رَّحِمَ رَبُّكَ وَلِذلِكَ خَلَقَهُمۡ وَتَمَّتۡ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لاّمۡلّنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الۡجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجۡمَعِينَ
And if your Lord had so willed, He could surely have made mankind one Ummah, but they will not cease to disagree. Except him on whom your Lord has bestowed His mercy and for that did He create them. And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled (His saying):""Surely, I shall fill Hell with Jinn and men all together."" (11:118-119)
He also said,
أَفَلَمۡ يَاۡيۡـَسِ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواۡ أَن لَّوۡ يَشَأءُ اللَّهُ لَهَدَى النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا
Have not then those who believed yet known that had Allah willed, He could have guided all mankind. (13:31)
Therefore, Allah said:
أَفَأَنتَ تُكۡرِهُ النَّاسَ
So, will you then compel mankind,
and force them to believe.
حَتَّى يَكُونُواۡ مُوۡمِنِينَ
until they become believers.
meaning, it is not for you to do that. You are not commanded to do that either.
It is Allah Who
يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَأءُ وَيَهۡدِى مَن يَشَأءُ
sends astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. (35:8)
فَلَ تَذۡهَبۡ نَفۡسُكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ حَسَرَتٍ
So do not destroy yourself in sorrow for them. (35:8)
لَّيۡسَ عَلَيۡكَ هُدَاهُمۡ وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهۡدِى مَن يَشَأءُ
It is not up to you to guide them, but Allah guides whom He wills. (2:272)
لَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفۡسَكَ أَلاَّ يَكُونُواۡ مُوۡمِنِينَ
It may be that you would kill yourself with grief because they are not believers. (26:3)
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهۡدِى مَنۡ أَحۡبَبۡتَ
you guide not who you like.. (28:56)
فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيۡكَ الۡبَلَـغُ وَعَلَيۡنَا الۡحِسَابُ
Your duty is only to convey, and it is up to Us to reckon. (13:40)
فَذَكِّرۡ إِنَّمَأ أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ
لَّسۡتَ عَلَيۡهِم بِمُسَيۡطِرٍ
So remind, you are only one who reminds. You are not a dictator over them. (88:21-22)
There are other Ayat besides these which prove that Allah is the doer of what He wants, guiding whom He wills, leading whom He wills to stray, all out of His knowledge, wisdom, and justice.
Similarly, He said
وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفۡسٍ أَن تُوۡمِنَ إِلاَّ بِإِذۡنِ اللّهِ وَيَجۡعَلُ الرِّجۡسَ
It is not for any person to believe, except by the leave of Allah, and He will put the Rijs,
That is, disorder and misguidance,
عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يَعۡقِلُونَ
upon those who do not reason.
meaning, Allah's proofs and evidences, and He is the Just in all matters, guiding whom He wills to guide, and leading whom He wills astray."
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