Ali 'Imran · Madani · ayah 176 of 200

Ali 'Imran 3:176

وَلَا يَحْزُنكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُسَـٰرِعُونَ فِى ٱلْكُفْرِ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ لَن يَضُرُّوا۟ ٱللَّهَ شَيْـًٔا ۗ يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَلَّا يَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ حَظًّا فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

“And do not be grieved, [O Muḥammad], by those who hasten into disbelief. Indeed, they will never harm Allāh at all. Allāh intends that He should give them no share in the Hereafter, and for them is a great punishment.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Those racing away from faith take nothing from Allah; the only thing they damage is their own share, and your grief cannot be their rescue.

A reflection

The wagon that uncoupled itself

In a goods yard a wagon is uncoupled and shunted into a siding. Whatever the reason, the effect is the same. The train is made up again, the brake test is done, and at ten past four it leaves. Down the siding the wagon keeps its position for a year. Its protest is complete, and entirely private.

Lan yaḍurrū llāha shayʾan. They will never harm Allah in the least. Not dent, not delay, not diminish.

Sahih Muslim records a hadith qudsi from Abu Dharr that puts the arithmetic beyond argument. Suppose the first of you and the last of you, your humans and your jinn. Suppose they were all upon the most wicked heart of any one man. That would not decrease My dominion at all. And suppose every one of you stood in one place and asked. Suppose each was given his request. Nothing would be taken from what is with Me. It would be like a needle dipped into the sea.

Sit with how little room that leaves for pride. Two opposite kinds of self-importance die in the same sentence. One is the quiet vanity of the religious person who suspects that his obedience is holding something up. The other is the harder arrogance of the man who leaves, convinced his departure is an event.

Someone will ask the fair question. If none of it can touch Him, why does He mind at all. The ayah answers in the clause that follows. He minds about the share, and the share is yours. The One who cannot be damaged has nothing at all to defend. That is exactly why His warnings can be trusted. A man who gains nothing from your choice is the only honest adviser you will ever have.

And the sources read the wording as a dignity given to the believers. The harm aimed at them is spoken of as harm aimed at Allah. The wagon in the siding was never a threat to the railway. It was only ever a loss to itself.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.