Al-Qur'an Surah Ibrahim Verse 18

Mufti Taqi Usmani

The deeds of those who refuse to believe in their Lord are like ashes blown away by the wind on a stormy day. They will not be able to gain anything out of what they did. That is the farthest point of straying away from the right path.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

The parable of the deeds of those who disbelieve in their Lord is that of ashes fiercely blown away by wind on a stormy day. They will gain nothing from what they have earned. That is ˹truly˺ the farthest one can stray.

Ruwwad Translation Center

The deeds of those who disbelieve in their Lord are like ashes which are blown away by wind on a stormy day. They will gain nothing from what they did; that is the farthest misguidance.

A. J. Arberry

The likeness of those who disbelieve in their Lord: their works are as ashes, whereon the wind blows strong upon a tempestuous day; they have no power over that they have earned - that is the far error!

Abdul Haleem

The deeds of those who reject their Lord are like ashes that the wind blows furiously on a stormy day: they have no power over anything they have gained. This is to stray far, far away.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

The likeness of those who disbelieve in their Lord: their works are like ashes upon which the wind bloweth hard on a stormy day: they shall not be able to get aught of that which they have earned. That! that is the straying far-off

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The parable of those who reject their Lord is that their works are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously on a tempestuous day; No power have they over aught that they have earned; that is the straying far, far (from the goal).

Abul Ala Maududi

This is the example of those who disbelieve in their Lord: their works are like ashes upon which the wind blows fiercely on a tempestuous day. They shall find no reward for their deeds. That indeed is the farthest point in straying.

Ahmed Ali

Like ashes are the deeds of those who deny their Lord, which the wind blows away on a windy day. They shall have no power over what they earned. This is the farthest limit of going astray.

Ahmed Raza Khan

The state of those who disbelieve in their Lord is that their deeds are like ashes which the strong wind blew away on a stormy day; they got nothing from all that they earned; this is the extreme error.

Ali Quli Qarai

A parable of those who defy their Lord: their deeds are like ashes over which the wind blows hard on a tempestuous day: they have no power over anything they have earned. That is extreme error.

Ali Ünal

An exemplary likeness of those who disbelieve in their Lord: all their works are as ashes on which the wind blows fiercely on a stormy day (and so scatters). They have no control of anything that they have earned (to benefit from). That indeed is utmost error and failure.

Amatul Rahman Omar

The works of those who disbelieve in (the Messages and blessings of) their Lord, are like ashes on which the wind blows violently on a tempestuous day. They shall have no power to reap the fruit of their deeds. That is indeed an extremely ruinous error.

English Literal

(The) example/proverb (of) those who disbelieved with their Lord, their deeds (are) like ashes, the wind strengthened in a stormy/violent day, they do (can) not be capable/able on a thing from what they gained/acquired , that (is) the misguidance , the distant/far.

Faridul Haque

The state of those who disbelieve in their Lord is that their deeds are like ashes which the strong wind blew away on a stormy day; they got nothing from all that they earned; this is the extreme error.

Hamid S. Aziz

This is the likeness (parable, similitude) of those who disbelieve in their Lord - their works are as ashes whereon the wind blows fiercely on a stormy day. They have no control of aught that they have earned - That is the extreme failure (or far straying).

Hilali & Khan

The parable of those who disbelieve in their Lord is that their works are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously on a stormy day, they shall not be able to get aught of what they have earned. That is the straying, far away (from the Right Path).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

He drinks it little by little and is not able to swallow it; and death comes to him from every quarter, yet he dies not. And before him is vehement chastisement.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

The parable of those who disbelieve in their Lord: their actions are like ashes on which the wind blows hard on a stormy day; they shall not have power over any thing out of what they have earned; this is the great error.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

A similitude of those who disbelieve in their Lord: Their works are as ashes which the wind bloweth hard upon a stormy day. They have no control of aught that they have earned. That is the extreme failure.

Muhammad Sarwar

The deeds of those who deny the existence of their Lord are like ashes blown about by a strong wind on a stormy day. They will achieve nothing from their deeds. (What they have done) is a manifest error.

Qaribullah & Darwish

As for the likeness of those who disbelieve in their Lord, their works are like ashes which a strong wind scatters on a stormy day; they are powerless over that they have earned; that is the far error.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

The parable of those who disbelieved in their Lord is that their works are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously on a stormy day; they shall not be able to get aught of what they have earned. That is the straying, far away (from the right path).

Wahiduddin Khan

The works of those who deny their Lord are like ashes which the wind scatters on a stormy day: they shall gain nothing from what they do. To act thus is to stray far into error.

Talal Itani

The likeness of those who disbelieve in their Lord: their works are like ashes, in a fierce wind, on a stormy day. They have no control over anything they have earned. That is the utmost misguidance.

Tafsir jalalayn

The likeness, the description, of those who disbelieve in their Lord (alladhna kafar bi-rabbihim; the subject, substituted by [the following, a`mluhum,]); their works, the righteous ones, such as kindness [to kin] or an act of charity -- in the way that no benefit can be derived from them [it is because these works] -- are as ashes over which the wind blows hard on a tempestuous day, one in which the winds blow violently, making them as scattered dust, over which none can have power (the genitive [clause beginning with ka-ramdin, `as ashes'] constitutes the predicate of the [above-mentioned] subject); they, that is, the disbelievers, have no power over anything that they have earned, [anything] that they had done in [their] life on earth, in other words, they shall find no reward for it, since this was never a precondition. That is extreme error, [extreme] perdition!

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

A Parable for the Deeds of the Disbelievers

This is a parable that Allah has given for the deeds and actions of the disbelievers who worshipped others besides Him and rejected His Messengers, thus building their acts on groundless basis. Their actions vanished from them when they were most in need of their rewards.

Allah said,

مَّثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِرَبِّهِمْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ

The parable of those who disbelieved in their Lord is that their works,

on the Day of Judgment, when they will seek their rewards from Allah the Exalted. They used to think that they had something, but they will find nothing, except what remains of ashes when a strong wind blows on it,

كَرَمَادٍ اشْتَدَّتْ بِهِ الرِّيحُ

are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously,

فِي يَوْمٍ عَاصِفٍ

on a stormy day;

لااَّ يَقْدِرُونَ مِمَّا كَسَبُواْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ

they shall not be able to get aught of what they have earned.

They will not earn rewards for any of the good works they performed during this life, except what they can preserve of ashes during a day of strong wind.

Allah said in other Ayat,

وَقَدِمْنَأ إِلَى مَا عَمِلُواْ مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَأءً مَّنثُوراً

And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did, and We shall make such deeds as scattered floating particles of dust. (25;23)

and,

مَثَلُ مَا يُنْفِقُونَ فِى هِـذِهِ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَـكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

The parable of what they spend in this world is that of a wind which is extremely cold; it struck the harvest of a people who did wrong against themselves and destroyed it. Allah wronged them not, but they wronged themselves. (3;117)

and,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاأَ تُبْطِلُواْ صَدَقَـتِكُم بِالْمَنِّ وَالاأٌّذَى كَالَّذِى يُنفِقُ مَالَهُ رِيَأءَ النَّاسِ وَلاأَ يُوْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الاأٌّخِرِ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ صَفْوَانٍ عَلَيْهِ تُرَابٌ فَأَصَابَهُ وَابِلٌ فَتَرَكَهُ صَلْدًا لاأَّ يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَىْءٍ مِّمَّا كَسَبُواْ وَاللَّهُ لاأَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَـفِرِينَ

O you who believe!

Do not render in vain your Sadaqah (charity) by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like him who spends his wealth to be seen of men, and he does not believe in Allah, nor in the Last Day. His parable is that of a smooth rock on which is a little dust; on it falls heavy rain which leaves it bare. They are not able to do anything with what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people. (2;264)

Allah said in this Ayah,

ذَلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلَلُ الْبَعِيدُ



That is the straying, far away from the right path.

meaning, their work and deeds were not based on firm, correct grounds, and thus, they lost their rewards when they needed them the most,
ذَلِكَ هُوَ الضَّلَلُ الْبَعِيدُ
(That is the straying, far away from the right path)