Join over 4 million Quran learners from more than 180 countries
Ayah
Word by Word
مَّثَلُ
(The) example
ٱلَّذِينَ
(of) those who
كَفَرُواْ
disbelieve
بِرَبِّهِمۡۖ
in their Lord
أَعۡمَٰلُهُمۡ
their deeds
كَرَمَادٍ
(are) like ashes
ٱشۡتَدَّتۡ
blows furiously
بِهِ
on it
ٱلرِّيحُ
the wind
فِي
in
يَوۡمٍ
a day
عَاصِفٖۖ
stormy
لَّا
No
يَقۡدِرُونَ
control (they have)
مِمَّا
of what
كَسَبُواْ
they have earned
عَلَىٰ
on
شَيۡءٖۚ
anything
ذَٰلِكَ
That
هُوَ
[it]
ٱلضَّلَٰلُ
(is) the straying
ٱلۡبَعِيدُ
far
مَّثَلُ
(The) example
ٱلَّذِينَ
(of) those who
كَفَرُواْ
disbelieve
بِرَبِّهِمۡۖ
in their Lord
أَعۡمَٰلُهُمۡ
their deeds
كَرَمَادٍ
(are) like ashes
ٱشۡتَدَّتۡ
blows furiously
بِهِ
on it
ٱلرِّيحُ
the wind
فِي
in
يَوۡمٍ
a day
عَاصِفٖۖ
stormy
لَّا
No
يَقۡدِرُونَ
control (they have)
مِمَّا
of what
كَسَبُواْ
they have earned
عَلَىٰ
on
شَيۡءٖۚ
anything
ذَٰلِكَ
That
هُوَ
[it]
ٱلضَّلَٰلُ
(is) the straying
ٱلۡبَعِيدُ
far
Translation
The example of those who disbelieve in their Lord is [that] their deeds are like ashes which the wind blows forcefully on a stormy day; they are unable [to keep] from what they earned a [single] thing. That is what is extreme error.
Tafsir
The likeness, the description, of those who disbelieve in their Lord (alladheena kafaroo bi-rabbihim: the subject, substituted by [the following, a'maaluhum,]): their works, the righteous ones, such as kindness [to kin] or an act of charity - in the way that no benefit can be derived from them [it is because these works] - are as ashes over which the wind blows hard on a tempestuous day, one in which the winds blow violently, making them as scattered dust, over which none can have power (the genitive [clause beginning with ka-ramaadin, 'as ashes'] constitutes the predicate of the [above-mentioned] subject); they, that is, the disbelievers, have no power over anything that they have earned, [anything] that they had done in [their] life on earth, in other words, they shall find no reward for it, since this was never a precondition. That is extreme error, [extreme] perdition!
A Parable for the Deeds of the Disbelievers
This is a parable that Allah has given for the deeds and actions of the disbelievers who worshipped others besides Him and rejected His Messengers, thus building their acts on groundless basis. Their actions vanished from them when they were most in need of their rewards.
Allah said,
مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِرَبِّهِمْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ
The parable of those who disbelieved in their Lord is that their works,
on the Day of Judgment, when they will seek their rewards from Allah the Exalted. They used to think that they had something, but they will find nothing, except what remains of ashes when a strong wind blows on it,
كَرَمَادٍ اشْتَدَّتْ بِهِ الرِّيحُ
are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously,
فِي يَوْمٍ عَاصِفٍ
on a stormy day;
لااَّ يَقْدِرُونَ مِمَّا كَسَبُواْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ
they shall not be able to get aught of what they have earned.
They will not earn rewards for any of the good works they performed during this life, except what they can preserve of ashes during a day of strong wind.
Allah said in other Ayat,
وَقَدِمْنَأ إِلَى مَا عَمِلُواْ مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَأءً مَّنثُوراً
And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust. (25:23)
and,
مَثَلُ مَا يُنْفِقُونَ فِى هِـذِهِ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَـكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
The parable of what they spend in this world is that of a wind which is extremely cold; it struck the harvest of a people who did wrong against themselves and destroyed it. Allah wronged them not, but they wronged themselves. (3:117)
and,
يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاأَ تُبْطِلُواْ صَدَقَـتِكُم بِالْمَنِّ وَالاأٌّذَى كَالَّذِى يُنفِقُ مَالَهُ رِيَأءَ النَّاسِ وَلاأَ يُوْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الاأٌّخِرِ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ صَفْوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ تُرَابٌ فَأَصَابَهُ وَابِلٌ فَتَرَكَهُ صَلْدًا لاأَّ يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَىْءٍ مِّمَّا كَسَبُواْ وَاللَّهُ لاأَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَـفِرِينَ
O you who believe!
Do not render in vain your Sadaqah (charity) by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he does not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day. His parable is that of a smooth rock on which is a little dust; on it falls heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people. (2:264)
Allah said in this Ayah,
ذَلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلَلُ الْبَعِيدُ
That is the straying, far away from the right path.
meaning, their work and deeds were not based on firm, correct grounds, and thus, they lost their rewards when they needed them the most,
ذَلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلَلُ الْبَعِيدُ
(That is the straying, far away from the right path)
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
