سُوْرَةُ اٰلِ عِمْرٰنَ
Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 117
مَثَلُ مَا يُنفِقُونَ فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ ۚ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَـٰكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ﴿117﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
The likeness of what they spend in this world is the likeness of a wind which is extremely cold; it struck the harvest of a people who did wrong against themselves and destroyed it, (i.e. the good deed of a person is only accepted if he is a monotheist and believes in all the Prophets of Allâh, including the Christ عليه السلام and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم). Allâh wronged them not, but they wronged themselves.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
مَثَلُ
mathalu
Example
مَا
mā
(of) what
يُنفِقُونَ
yunfiqūna
they spend
فِى
fī
in
هَـٰذِهِ
hādhihi
this
ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ
l-ḥayati
[the] life
ٱلدُّنْيَا
l-dun'yā
(of) the world
كَمَثَلِ
kamathali
(is) like (the) example
رِيحٍۢ
rīḥin
(of) a wind
فِيهَا
fīhā
in it
صِرٌّ
ṣirrun
(is) frost
أَصَابَتْ
aṣābat
it struck
حَرْثَ
ḥartha
(the) harvest
قَوْمٍۢ
qawmin
(of) a people
ظَلَمُوٓا۟
ẓalamū
who wronged
أَنفُسَهُمْ
anfusahum
themselves
فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ ۚ
fa-ahlakathu
then destroyed it
وَمَا
wamā
And not
ظَلَمَهُمُ
ẓalamahumu
(has) wronged them
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
وَلَـٰكِنْ
walākin
[and] but
أَنفُسَهُمْ
anfusahum
themselves
يَظْلِمُونَ
yaẓlimūna
they wronged
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
117. The example of what these disbelievers spend in this worldly life (charity, donations, etc.) is like a biting wind containing frost that strikes the harvest of people who have wronged themselves and destroys it [105]. Allah does not wrong them, but they wrong themselves.
[105] This world is the abode of action, and the Hereafter is the abode of recompense. Whatever a person sows in this world, he will reap in the Hereafter. However, for the crop sown in this world to bear fruit, there are a few conditions. If these conditions are not observed, the crop will never be fruitful, and those conditions are: faith in Allah and the Day of the Hereafter; sincerity of intention, meaning there should not be even a trace of ostentation in it, and whatever is done should be done purely for the pleasure of Allah; and thirdly, following the Book and Sunnah, meaning the deed or charity should be done according to the guidance prescribed by the Shariah. If any of these is missing, nothing will be attained in the Hereafter. Why are the good deeds of the disbelievers also wasted? In this verse, regarding those disbelievers about whom it is said that they wronged themselves, all three of these conditions are missing. Disbelievers are called so because they do not believe in Allah and the Day of the Hereafter, and this is the greatest wrong they do to themselves. Or, even if according to their own thinking they believe, it is not accepted by Allah, and since they do not believe in the Day of the Hereafter, whatever they spend is merely for show and for their own praise, and the question of following the guidance of the Shariah of Muhammad ﷺ does not even arise here. So then, what reward can they expect for such deeds in the Hereafter? The mist of their disbelief has destroyed the crop of their good deeds, so what reward will they get in the Hereafter? In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 263, the example of one who spends for show is given as: like a smooth rock on which there is a little dust, and someone sows a seed in that dust, then a heavy rain comes and washes away the seed and the dust, leaving the rock as smooth as before. And here, the example is given that the crop did grow, but then a severe cold wind blew and burned the crop to ashes. The essence of both examples is the same: such disbelievers and those who show off will receive no reward in the Hereafter for their charity and good deeds, because their crop has already been destroyed in this world, and how can they be rewarded for something they never did for the Hereafter?
[105] This world is the abode of action, and the Hereafter is the abode of recompense. Whatever a person sows in this world, he will reap in the Hereafter. However, for the crop sown in this world to bear fruit, there are a few conditions. If these conditions are not observed, the crop will never be fruitful, and those conditions are: faith in Allah and the Day of the Hereafter; sincerity of intention, meaning there should not be even a trace of ostentation in it, and whatever is done should be done purely for the pleasure of Allah; and thirdly, following the Book and Sunnah, meaning the deed or charity should be done according to the guidance prescribed by the Shariah. If any of these is missing, nothing will be attained in the Hereafter. Why are the good deeds of the disbelievers also wasted? In this verse, regarding those disbelievers about whom it is said that they wronged themselves, all three of these conditions are missing. Disbelievers are called so because they do not believe in Allah and the Day of the Hereafter, and this is the greatest wrong they do to themselves. Or, even if according to their own thinking they believe, it is not accepted by Allah, and since they do not believe in the Day of the Hereafter, whatever they spend is merely for show and for their own praise, and the question of following the guidance of the Shariah of Muhammad ﷺ does not even arise here. So then, what reward can they expect for such deeds in the Hereafter? The mist of their disbelief has destroyed the crop of their good deeds, so what reward will they get in the Hereafter? In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 263, the example of one who spends for show is given as: like a smooth rock on which there is a little dust, and someone sows a seed in that dust, then a heavy rain comes and washes away the seed and the dust, leaving the rock as smooth as before. And here, the example is given that the crop did grow, but then a severe cold wind blew and burned the crop to ashes. The essence of both examples is the same: such disbelievers and those who show off will receive no reward in the Hereafter for their charity and good deeds, because their crop has already been destroyed in this world, and how can they be rewarded for something they never did for the Hereafter?
