Al-Qur'an Surah Al-'Ankabut Verse 21

Mufti Taqi Usmani

He punishes whom He wills and has mercy on whom He wills. And to Him you are to be turned back.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

He punishes whoever He wills, and shows mercy to whoever He wills. And you will ˹all˺ be returned to Him.

Ruwwad Translation Center

He punishes whom He wills and shows mercy to whom He wills, and to Him you will all be returned.

A. J. Arberry

chastising whom He will, and having mercy on whomsoever He will, and unto Him you shall be turned.

Abdul Haleem

He punishes whoever He will and shows mercy to whoever He will. You will all be returned to Him.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

He shall torment whomsoever He Will, and shall show mercy unto whomsoever He Will, and unto Him ye shall be returned.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"He punishes whom He pleases, and He grants Mercy to whom He pleases, and towards Him are ye turned.

Abul Ala Maududi

He chastises whom He will and forgives whom He will. To Him all of you will be sent back.

Ahmed Ali

Punish whom He will, and have mercy on whom He please. And to Him will you be brought back in the end.

Ahmed Raza Khan

He punishes whomever He wills and has mercy upon whomever He wills; and towards Him only you are to return.

Ali Quli Qarai

He will punish whomever He wishes and have mercy on whomever He wishes, and to Him you will be returned.

Ali Ünal

(He will bring forth the Hereafter, where) He punishes whom He wills and has mercy on whom He wills. To Him you are being returned.

Amatul Rahman Omar

`He punishes whom He will (of the guilty) and shows mercy to whom He will and to Him you shall have to be turned back.

English Literal

He tortures whom He wills/wants, and He has mercy (upon) whom He wills/wants, and to Him you are being turned/returned .

Faridul Haque

He punishes whomever He wills and has mercy upon whomever He wills; and towards Him only you are to return.

Hamid S. Aziz

Say, "Travel you in the earth, and behold how Allah originated creation; so will He produce a later creation. Verily, Allah has power over all things."

Hilali & Khan

He punishes whom He will, and shows mercy to whom He will, and to Him you will be returned.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

See they not how Allah originates the creation, the reproduces it? Surely that is easy to Allah.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

He punishes whom He pleases and has mercy on whom He pleases, and to Him you shall be turned back.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

He punisheth whom He will and showeth mercy unto whom He will, and unto Him ye will be turned.

Muhammad Sarwar

He punishes or grants mercy to whomever He wants and to Him you will all return.

Qaribullah & Darwish

He punishes whom He will and has mercy to whom He will. To Him you shall be turned.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

He punishes whom He wills, and shows mercy to whom He wills; and to Him you will be returned.

Wahiduddin Khan

He punishes whom He will and shows mercy to whom He pleases. And to Him you shall be returned.

Talal Itani

He punishes whom He wills, and He grants mercy to whom He wills, and to Him you will be restored.

Tafsir jalalayn

He chastises whomever He will, to chastise, and has mercy on whomever He will, to have mercy, and to Him you shall be returned.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

يُعَذِّبُُ مَن يَشَاء وَيَرْحَمُ مَن يَشَاء

He punishes whom He wills, and shows mercy to whom He wills;

He is the Ruler Who is in control, Who does as He wishes and judges as He wants, and there is none who can put back His judgement. None can question Him about what He does; rather it is they who will be questioned, for His is the power to create and to command, and whatever He decides is fair and just, for He is the sovereign who cannot be unjust in the slightest.

According to a Hadith recorded by the Sunan compilers;

إِنَّ اللهَ لَوْ عَذَّبَ أَهْلَ سَمَاوَاتِهِ وَأَهْلَ أَرْضِهِ لَعَذَّبَهُمْ وَهُوَ غَيْرُ ظَالِم لَهُم

If Allah willed to punish the dwellers of His heavens and His earth, He would do so, while He would not be unjust to them.

Allah says;

يُعَذِّبُُ مَن يَشَاء وَيَرْحَمُ مَن يَشَاء وَإِلَيْهِ تُقْلَبُونَ



He punishes whom He wills, and shows mercy to whom He wills; and to Him you will be returned.

You will return to Him on the Day of Resurrection