Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Isra Verse 36

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And do not follow a thing about which you have no knowledge. Surely, the ear, the eye and the heart - each one of them shall be interrogated about.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Do not follow what you have no ˹sure˺ knowledge of. Indeed, all will be called to account for ˹their˺ hearing, sight, and intellect.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight, and the heart, all of them will be called to account.

A. J. Arberry

And pursue not that thou hast no knowledge of; the hearing, the sight, the heart -- all of those shall be questioned of.

Abdul Haleem

Do not follow blindly what you do not know to be true: ears, eyes, and heart, you will be questioned about all these.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And go not thou after that where of thou hast no knowledge verily the hearing and the sight and the heart, each of these shall be asked about.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And pursue not that of which thou hast no knowledge; for every act of hearing, or of seeing or of (feeling in) the heart will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning).

Abul Ala Maududi

(xiii) Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Surely the hearing, the sight, the heart - each of these shall be called to account.

Ahmed Ali

Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Verily the ear, the eye, the heart, each will be questioned.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And do not pursue the matter you do not have the knowledge of; indeed the ear, and the eye, and the heart – each of these will be questioned.

Ali Quli Qarai

Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed hearing, eyesight, and the heart—all of these are accountable.

Ali Ünal

Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge (whether it is good or bad), and refrain from groundless assertions and conjectures. Surely the hearing, the sight, and the heart – each of these is subject to questioning about it (you are answerable, and will be called to account, for each of these on the Day of Judgment).

Amatul Rahman Omar

And do not follow and utter that of which you have no knowledge. Surely, the ear and eye and the heart, all of these, shall be called upon to account (for it).

English Literal

And do not follow the tracks/accuse of evil deeds what knowledge is not for you with it (you have no knowledge of), that the hearing/listening, and the eye sight/knowledge, and the heart , all (of) those are/were about it questioned.

Faridul Haque

And do not pursue the matter you do not have the knowledge of; indeed the ear, and the eye, and the heart - each of these will be questioned.

Hamid S. Aziz

And follow (or pursue) not that of which you have no knowledge; verily, the hearing, the sight, and the heart, of all of these it shall be asked (to give an account).

Hilali & Khan

And follow not (O man i.e., say not, or do not or witness not, etc.) that of which you have no knowledge (e.g. one's saying: "I have seen," while in fact he has not seen, or "I have heard," while he has not heard). Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those you will be questioned (by Allah).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And give full measure when you measure out, and weigh with a true balance. This is fair and better in the end.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And follow not that of which you have not the knowledge; surely the hearing and the sight and the heart, all of these, shall be questioned about that.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

(O man), follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge. Lo! the hearing and the sight and the heart - of each of these it will be asked.

Muhammad Sarwar

Do not follow what you do not know; the ears, eyes, and hearts will all be held responsible for their deeds.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Do not follow what you do not know. The hearing, sight and heart about all these you shall be questioned.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And follow not that of which you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing, and the sight, and the heart of each of those ones will be questioned (by Allah).

Wahiduddin Khan

Do not follow what you do not know; for the ear and the eye and the heart shall all be called to account.

Talal Itani

And do not occupy yourself with what you have no knowledge of. The hearing, and the sight, and the brains—all these will be questioned.

Tafsir jalalayn

And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed the hearing and the sight and the heart -- of each of these it will be asked, of that person what he did with them.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Do not speak without Knowledge

Allah says;

وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُوَادَ

And follow not that of which you have no knowledge. Verily, the hearing, and the sight, and the heart of,

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said;

"(This means) do not say (anything of which you have no knowledge)."

Al-Awfi said;

"Do not accuse anyone of that of which you have no knowledge."

Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah said;

"It means bearing false witness."

Qatadah said;

"Do not say,

`I have seen', when you did not see anything, or

`I have heard', when you did not hear anything, or

`I know', when you do not know,

for Allah will ask you about all of that."

In conclusion, what they said means that Allah forbids speaking without knowledge and only on the basis of suspicion, which is mere imagination and illusions. As Allah says;

اجْتَنِبُواْ كَثِيراً مِّنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ

Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicions are sins. (49;12)

According to a Hadith;

إِيَّاكُمْ وَالظَّنَّنَفَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ أَكْذَبُ الْحَدِيث

Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the falsest of speech.

The following Hadith is found in Sunan Abu Dawud;

بِيْسَ مَطِيَّةُ الرَّجُلِ زَعَمُوا

What an evil habit it is for a man to say, `They claimed...'

According to another Hadith;

إِنَّ أَفْرَى الْفِرَى أَنْ يُرِيَ الرَّجُلُ عَيْنَيْهِ مَا لَمْ تَرَيَا


The worst of lies is for a man to claim to have seen something that he has not seen.

In the Sahih it says;

مَنْ تَحَلَّمَ حُلْمًا كُلِّفَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنْ يَعْقِدَ بَيْنَ شَعِيرَتَيْنِ وَلَيْسَ بِفَاعِل

Whoever claims to have seen a dream (when he has not seen) will be told on the Day of Resurrection to make a knot between two barley grains, and he will not be able to do it.

كُلُّ أُولـيِكَ

each of those ones,

means these faculties, hearing, sight and the heart,

كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْوُولاً



will be questioned.

means, the person will be asked about them on the Day of Resurrection, and they will be asked about him and what he did with them