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Surah Al-A'raf, Ayah 188 (7:188)

ٱلْأَعْرَاف

قُل لَّآ أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِى نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ …

Quran 7:188 is ayah 188 of Surah Al-A'raf (“The Heights”), a Meccan surah of 206 ayahs. It is in Juz 9, on page 175 of the Madani Mushaf.

7:188
قُللَّآأَمْلِكُلِنَفْسِىنَفْعًاوَلَاضَرًّاإِلَّامَاشَآءَٱللَّهُ ۚوَلَوْكُنتُأَعْلَمُٱلْغَيْبَلَٱسْتَكْثَرْتُمِنَٱلْخَيْرِوَمَامَسَّنِىَٱلسُّوٓءُ ۚإِنْأَنَا۠إِلَّانَذِيرٌوَبَشِيرٌلِّقَوْمٍيُؤْمِنُونَ١٨٨
qul lā amliku linafsī nafʿan walā ḍarran illā mā shāa l-lahu walaw kuntu aʿlamu l-ghayba la-is'takthartu mina l-khayri wamā massaniya l-sūu in anā illā nadhīrun wabashīrun liqawmin yu'minūna

Say, "I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allāh has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe."(188)

Word by word

  1. قُلqulSay
  2. لَّآlāNot
  3. أَمْلِكُamlikuI have power
  4. لِنَفْسِىlinafsīfor myself
  5. نَفْعًاnafʿan(to) benefit
  6. وَلَاwalāand no
  7. ضَرًّاḍarran(power to) harm
  8. إِلَّاillāexcept
  9. مَاmāwhat
  10. شَآءَshāawills
  11. ٱللَّهُ ۚl-lahuAllah
  12. وَلَوْwalawAnd if
  13. كُنتُkuntuI would
  14. أَعْلَمُaʿlamuknow
  15. ٱلْغَيْبَl-ghayba(of) the unseen
  16. لَٱسْتَكْثَرْتُla-is'takthartusurely I could have multiplied
  17. مِنَminaof
  18. ٱلْخَيْرِl-khayrithe good
  19. وَمَاwamāand not
  20. مَسَّنِىَmassaniya(could) have touched me
  21. ٱلسُّوٓءُ ۚl-sūuthe evil
  22. إِنْinNot
  23. أَنَا۠anā(am) I
  24. إِلَّاillāexcept
  25. نَذِيرٌnadhīruna warner
  26. وَبَشِيرٌwabashīrunand a bearer of good tidings
  27. لِّقَوْمٍliqawminto a people
  28. يُؤْمِنُونَyu'minūnawho believe

Tafsir (commentary) of 7:188

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English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Messenger does not know the Unseen, and He cannot bring Benefit or Harm even to Himself

Allah commanded His Prophet to entrust all matters to Him and to inform, about himself, that he does not know the unseen future, but he knows of it only what Allah informs him. Allah said in another Ayah,

عَـلِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلاَ يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَداً

((He Alone is) the All-Knower of the Ghayb (Unseen), and He reveals to none His Ghayb.) 72:26 Ad-Dahhak reported that Ibn `Abbas said that,

وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لاَسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ

(If I had the knowledge of the Ghayb (Unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth.) refers to money. In another narration, Ibn `Abbas commented, "I would have knowledge of how much profit I would make with what I buy, and I would always sell what I would make profit from,

وَمَا مَسَّنِىَ السُّوءُ

("and no evil should have touched me.") and poverty would never touch me." Ibn Jarir said, "And others said, `This means that if I know the Unseen then I would prepare for the years of famine during the prosperous years, and in the time of high cost, I would have prepared for it."' `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam also commented on this Ayah;

وَمَا مَسَّنِىَ السُّوءُ

("and no evil should have touched me. "), "I would have avoided and saved myself from any type of harm before it comes." Allah then stated that the Prophet is a warner and bearer of good news. He warns against the torment and brings good news of Paradise for the believers,

فَإِنَّمَا يَسَّرْنَـهُ بِلَسَانِكَ لِتُبَشِّرَ بِهِ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَتُنْذِرَ بِهِ قَوْماً لُّدّاً

(So We have made this (the Qur'an) easy on your tongue, only that you may give glad tidings to the pious, and warn with it the most quarrelsome of people.) 19:97

هُوَ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّاهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلاً خَفِيفًا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِ فَلَمَّآ أَثْقَلَت دَّعَوَا اللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ ءَاتَيْتَنَا صَـلِحاً لَّنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّـكِرِينَ

Read the full Surah Al-A'raf