Ash-Shuraa · Makki · ayah 41 of 53

Ash-Shuraa 42:41

وَلَمَنِ ٱنتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِۦ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِم مِّن سَبِيلٍ

“And whoever retaliates after having been wronged - those have not upon them any cause [for blame].”

Saheeh International

Essence

Whoever takes back exactly what was taken from them after being wronged has done no wrong; blame has no road to them.

A reflection

No shame in asking for what is yours

A woman's brother quietly kept her share of their late father's savings. After a year of hints, she asks for formal mediation. Her aunts are scandalised. A good Muslim would forgive, they say. She begins to wonder whether asking for her own share is itself a sin.

The ayah before praised pardon highly: whoever pardons and mends, his reward is with Allah (42:40). A reader might conclude that anyone who chooses justice instead has fallen short. This ayah closes that door firmly. Wa-la-mani intaṣara baʿda ẓulmihi fa-ulāʾika mā ʿalayhim min sabīl: whoever defends himself after being wronged, against those there is no way.

Two commentators explain the phrase mā ʿalayhim min sabīl. There is no way against them for anyone who would punish them. Nor, they add, for anyone who would reproach them or find fault. A later commentator draws out why the ayah was needed. The encouragement to pardon was guidance towards what is usually better. It was not a statement that the one who takes his due carries any blame, now or later.

That sentence matters for many people. Some communities treat every request for justice as a lack of piety. Victims are pressed to forgive quickly, and anyone who seeks redress is made to feel small. The ayah refuses that pressure. Pardon is higher, and freely chosen. Justice is lawful, and blameless.

One early commentator states the logic simply. Whoever takes his right from the one who owes it, without overstepping, has not done wrong. So there is no way against him.

The woman in mediation may still choose to pardon her brother later. If she does, it will be a gift, not a surrender. And if she takes her share, the aunts may disapprove. The ayah does not.

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.