Al-Qur'an Surah Al-An'am Verse 125

Mufti Taqi Usmani

So, whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He makes his heart wide open for Islam, and whomsoever He wills to let go astray, He makes his heart strait and constricted, (and he feels embracing Islam as difficult) as if he were climbing to the sky. In this way, Allah lays abomination on those who do not believe.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Whoever Allah wills to guide, He opens their heart to Islam.[[ Islam literally means ‘submission to the Will of Allah.’]] But whoever He wills to leave astray, He makes their chest tight and constricted as if they were climbing up into the sky. This is how Allah dooms those who disbelieve.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Whoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his heart to Islam; and whoever He wills to lead astray, He make his heart tight and constricted, as if he were climbing up into the sky. This is how Allah punishes those who do not believe.

A. J. Arberry

Whomsoever God desires to guide, He expands his breast to Islam; whomsoever He desires to lead astray, He makes his breast narrow, tight, as if he were climbing to heaven. So God lays abomination upon those who believe not.

Abdul Haleem

When God wishes to guide someone, He opens their breast to islam; when He wishes to lead them astray, He closes and constricts their breast as if they were climbing up to the skies. That is how God makes the foulness of those who do not believe rebound against them.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

So whomsoever Allah willeth that he shall guide, He expoundeth his breast for Islam; and whomsoever He willeth that he shall send astray, He maketh his breast strait, narrow, as if he were mounting up into the sky, thus Allah layeth the abomination on those who believe not.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Those whom Allah (in His plan) willeth to guide,- He openeth their breast to Islam; those whom He willeth to leave straying,- He maketh their breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies; thus doth Allah (heap) the penalty on those who refuse to believe.

Abul Ala Maududi

Thus, (it is a fact that) whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast for Islam; and whomsoever He wills to let go astray, He causes his breast to become strait and constricted, as if he were climbing towards the heaven. Thus Allah lays the abomination (of flight from and hatred of Islam) on those who do not believe

Ahmed Ali

Thus God guides whomsoever He please by opening wide his breast to surrender; and Straitens the breasts of those He allows to go astray, (who feel suffocated) as if they were ascending the skies. Thus will God punish those who do not believe.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And whomever Allah wills to guide, He opens his bosom for Islam; and whomever He wills to send astray, He makes his bosom narrow and firmly bound as if he were being forced by someone to climb the skies; this is how Allah places the punishment on those who do not believe.

Ali Quli Qarai

Whomever Allah desires to guide, He opens his breast to Islam, and whomever He desires to lead astray, He makes his breast narrow and straitened as if he were climbing to a height. Thus does Allah lay [spiritual] defilement on those who do not have faith.

Ali Ünal

Thus, whomever God wills to guide, He expands his breast to Islam, and whomever He wills to lead astray, He causes his breast to become tight and constricted, as if he were climbing towards the heaven. Thus God lays ignominy upon those who do not believe (despite many signs and evidences).

Amatul Rahman Omar

But as to whom Allâh intends to guide He opens his bosom to Islam and as to him whom He allows to go astray He makes his bosom close and constricted, so that he feels as though he were climbing up the heights. Just as Allâh does this He lays ignominy on those who do not believe.

English Literal

So who God wants/wills that He guides him, He expands his chest to the Islam/submission (to God), and who He wants/wills that He misguides him, He makes his chest narrow/tight , a tightness/strain/sin , as if (he) ascends in the sky/space, like that God makes/puts the obscenity/punishment and torture on those who do not believe.

Faridul Haque

And whomever Allah wills to guide, He opens his bosom for Islam; and whomever He wills to send astray, He makes his bosom narrow and firmly bound as if he were being forced by someone to climb the skies; this is how Allah places the punishment on those who do not believe.

Hamid S. Aziz

Whomever Allah wishes to guide, He expands His breast unto the Surrender (Islam); but whomever He wishes to lead astray, He tightens and constricts his breast as though he were climbing steeply into heaven. Thus does Allah set dishonour on those who do not believe.

Hilali & Khan

And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam, and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky. Thus Allah puts the wrath on those who believe not.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when a message comes to them they say: We will not believe till we are given the like of that which Allah’s messengers are given. Allah best knows where to place His message. Humiliation from Allah and severe chastisement will surely befall the guilty for their planning.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Therefore (for) whomsoever Allah intends that He would guide him aright, He expands his breast for Islam, and (for) whomsoever He intends that He should cause him to err, He makes his breast strait and narrow as though he were ascending upwards; thus does Allah lay uncleanness on those who do not believe.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And whomsoever it is Allah's will to guide, He expandeth his bosom unto the Surrender, and whomsoever it is His Will to send astray, He maketh his bosom close and narrow as if he were engaged in sheer ascent. Thus Allah layeth ignominy upon those who believe not.

Muhammad Sarwar

God will open the hearts of whomever He wants to guide to Islam, but He will tighten the chest of one whom He has led astray, as though he was climbing high up into the sky. Thus, God places wickedness on those who do not accept the faith.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Whomsoever Allah desires to guide, He expands his chest to Islam (submission). Whomsoever He desires to lead astray, He makes his chest narrow, tight, as though he were climbing to heaven. As such Allah lays the scourge on the unbelievers.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky. Thus Allah puts the wrath on those who believe not.

Wahiduddin Khan

When God desires to guide someone, He opens his breast to Islam; and whoever He wills to let go astray, He causes his breast to be constricted as if he had to climb up to the skies. That is how God heaps ignominy upon those who refuse to believe.

Talal Itani

Whomever God desires to guide, He spreads open his heart to Islam; and whomever He desires to misguide, He makes his heart narrow, constricted, as though he were climbing up the sky. God thus lays defilement upon those who do not believe.

Tafsir jalalayn

Whomever God desires to guide, He expands his breast to Islam, by casting into his heart a light which it [the heart] expands for and accepts, as reported in a hadth; and whomever He, God, desires to send astray, He makes his breast narrow (read dayqan or dayyiqan), [unable] to accept it, and constricted, extremely tight (read harijan, `constricted', as an adjective, or harajan as a verbal noun, by which it [the heart of the misguided one] is described hyperbolically) as if he were engaged in ascent (yassa``ad, is also read as yass`ad; in both [forms] the original t' has been assimilated with the sd; a third [variant reading] has yas`ad) to the heaven, when he is charged with [the obligations of] the faith, because of the hardship for him therein. So, like this making [of the breast narrow], God casts ignominy, chastisement, or [He casts] Satan, that is, He gives him authority, over those who do not believe.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Allah said,

فَمَن يُرِدِ اللّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلِسْلَمِ

And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam;

He makes Islam easy for him and strengthens his resolve to embrace it, and these are good signs.

Allah said in other Ayat,

أَفَمَن شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَهُ لِلِسْلَـمِ فَهُوَ عَلَى نُورٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ

Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from His Lord (as he who is a non-Muslim). (39;22)

and,

وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الايمَـنَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُوْلَـيِكَ هُمُ الرَشِدُونَ

But Allah has endeared the faith to you and has beautified it in your hearts, and has made disbelief, wickedness and disobedience hated by you. Such are they who are the rightly guided. (49;7)

Ibn Abbas commented on Allah's statement,
فَمَن يُرِدِ اللّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلِسْلَمِ
(And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam),

"Allah says that He will open his heart to Tawhid and faith in Him."

This is the same as was reported from Abu Malik and several others, and it is sound.

Allah's statement,
فَمَن يُرِدِ اللّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلِسْلَمِ
(and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted),

refers to inability to accept guidance, thus being deprived of beneficial faith.

وَمَن يُرِدْ أَن يُضِلَّهُ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا

and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted,

كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاء
as if he is climbing up to the sky.

because of the heaviness of faith on him.

Sa`id bin Jubayr commented that in this case,

"(Islam) finds every path in his heart impassable."

Al-Hakam bin Aban said that Ikrimah narrated from Ibn Abbas that he commented on;
كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاء
(...as if he is climbing up to the sky),

"Just as the Son of Adam cannot climb up to the sky, Tawhid and faith will not be able to enter his heart, until Allah decides to allow it into his heart."

Imam Abu Jafar bin Jarir commented;

"This is a parable that Allah has given for the heart of the disbeliever, which is completely impassable and closed to faith. Allah says, the example of the disbeliever's inability to accept faith in his heart and that it is too small to accommodate it, is the example of his inability to climb up to the sky, which is beyond his capability and power."

He also commented on Allah's statement,

كَذَلِكَ يَجْعَلُ اللّهُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يُوْمِنُونَ



Thus Allah puts the Rijs (wrath) on those who believe not.

"Allah says that just as He makes the heart of whomever He decides to misguide, closed and constricted, He also appoints Shaytan for him and for his likes, those who refused to believe in Allah and His Messenger. Consequently, Shaytan lures and hinders them from the path of Allah."

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said that,
Rijs, refers to Shaytan,

Mujahid said that;
Rijs,refers to all that does not contain goodness.

Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said that,
Rijs, means, `torment'