سُوْرَةُ فُصِّلَتۡ
Surah Fussilat (41) — Ayah 23
وَذَٰلِكُمْ ظَنُّكُمُ ٱلَّذِى ظَنَنتُم بِرَبِّكُمْ أَرْدَىٰكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم مِّنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ ﴿23﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And that thought of yours which you thought about your Lord, has brought you to destruction; and you have become (this Day) of those utterly lost!
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَذَٰلِكُمْ
wadhālikum
And that
ظَنُّكُمُ
ẓannukumu
(was) your assumption
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
which
ظَنَنتُم
ẓanantum
you assumed
بِرَبِّكُمْ
birabbikum
about your Lord
أَرْدَىٰكُمْ
ardākum
It has ruined you
فَأَصْبَحْتُم
fa-aṣbaḥtum
and you have become
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
l-khāsirīna
the losers
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.
23. And this assumption that you held about your Lord has ruined you [28], and so you have become among the losers.
[28]
Allah Will Deal With the Servant According to the Assumption He Holds About Him:
Your knowledge about Allah remained so weak and doubtful that you never even tried to refrain from sins, and even more than that, you neither believed in the Day of Resurrection nor were you afraid of being held accountable before Allah. As a result, you became emboldened in committing sins and spent your entire life in sin. This very uncertainty about your Lord became the cause of your destruction. From this, it becomes clear that the kind of recognition a person has regarding his Lord, his entire life is molded in that manner and form. If the recognition of Allah is correct, then his entire conduct will remain correct and its results will also be correct, and if the recognition itself is doubtful or incorrect, then its worldly or Hereafter results will also be the same. Thus, the following Hadith Qudsi clarifies this reality: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah Almighty says: «أنا عند ظن عبدي بي» [بخاري۔ كتاب التوحيد۔ باب قوله تعالىٰ __QUR_0__] That is, as My servant thinks of Me, so shall his affair with Me be, and I will treat him according to his assumption. This is further clarified by the following hadith: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: There was a man among the Children of Israel who had never done any good deed in his life. At the time of his death, he made a will that his body be burnt, half of his ashes be thrown into the river and half scattered in the air. By Allah! If He seizes me, He will punish me with a punishment that has never been given to anyone else in all the worlds. Allah commanded the river and the air, and all his parts were gathered together. Then He presented him before Himself and asked: Why did you do such a thing? He replied: "O Allah, You know that I did this out of fear of You." Then Allah forgave him. [بخاري۔ كتاب التوحيد۔ باب قوله تعالىٰ __QUR_1__]
[28]
Allah Will Deal With the Servant According to the Assumption He Holds About Him:
Your knowledge about Allah remained so weak and doubtful that you never even tried to refrain from sins, and even more than that, you neither believed in the Day of Resurrection nor were you afraid of being held accountable before Allah. As a result, you became emboldened in committing sins and spent your entire life in sin. This very uncertainty about your Lord became the cause of your destruction. From this, it becomes clear that the kind of recognition a person has regarding his Lord, his entire life is molded in that manner and form. If the recognition of Allah is correct, then his entire conduct will remain correct and its results will also be correct, and if the recognition itself is doubtful or incorrect, then its worldly or Hereafter results will also be the same. Thus, the following Hadith Qudsi clarifies this reality: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah Almighty says: «أنا عند ظن عبدي بي» [بخاري۔ كتاب التوحيد۔ باب قوله تعالىٰ __QUR_0__] That is, as My servant thinks of Me, so shall his affair with Me be, and I will treat him according to his assumption. This is further clarified by the following hadith: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: There was a man among the Children of Israel who had never done any good deed in his life. At the time of his death, he made a will that his body be burnt, half of his ashes be thrown into the river and half scattered in the air. By Allah! If He seizes me, He will punish me with a punishment that has never been given to anyone else in all the worlds. Allah commanded the river and the air, and all his parts were gathered together. Then He presented him before Himself and asked: Why did you do such a thing? He replied: "O Allah, You know that I did this out of fear of You." Then Allah forgave him. [بخاري۔ كتاب التوحيد۔ باب قوله تعالىٰ __QUR_1__]
