Al-Qur'an Surah Al-An'am Verse 164

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Say, “Should I seek a lord other than Allah while He is the Lord of everything? And nobody does anything but to his own account, and no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return. Then He will let you know what you were disputing about.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Should I seek a lord other than Allah while He is the Lord of everything?” No one will reap except what they sow. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you of your differences.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Say [O Prophet], “Should I seek a lord other than Allah, when He is the Lord of everything?” Every soul will face the consequence of its actions. No bearer of burden will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.

A. J. Arberry

Say: 'Shall I seek after a Lord other than God, who is the Lord of all things?' Every soul earns only to its own account, no soul laden bears the load of another. Then to your Lord shall you return, and He will tell you of that whereon you were at variance.

Abdul Haleem

Say, ‘Should I seek a Lord other than God, when He is the Lord of all things?’ Each soul is responsible for its own actions; no soul will bear the burden of another. You will all return to your Lord in the end, and He will tell you the truth about your differences.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Say thou: shall seek a Lord other than Allah, while He is the Lord of everything? And no person earneth aught save against himself, and no bearer of burden shall bear anot her's burden. Thereafter Unto your Lord shall be your return, and He will declare unto you that wherein ye have been disputing.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Say; "Shall I seek for (my) Cherisher other than Allah, when He is the Cherisher of all things (that exist)? Every soul draws the meed of its acts on none but itself; no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Your goal in the end is towards Allah; He will tell you the truth of the things wherein ye disputed."

Abul Ala Maududi

Say: 'Shall I seek someone other than Allah as Lord when He is the Lord of everything?' Everyone will bear the consequence of what he does, and no one shall bear the burden of another. Thereafter, your return will be to your Lord, whereupon He will let you know what you disagreed about.

Ahmed Ali

Say: "Shall I search for another lord apart from God when He is the only Lord of all and everything?" Each soul earns (what it earns) for itself, and no man shall bear another's burden. You have to go back to your Lord in the end when He will tell you about the things you disputed.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Say, “Shall I seek a Lord other than Allah, whereas He is Lord of all things?” And whatever a soul earns is itself responsible for it; and no load bearing soul will bear anyone else’s load; then towards your Lord you have to return and He will inform you about the matters you differed.

Ali Quli Qarai

Say, ‘Shall I seek a Lord other than Allah, while He is the Lord of all things?’ No soul does evil except against itself, and no bearer shall bear another’s burden; then to your Lord will be your return, whereat He will inform you concerning that about which you used to differ.

Ali Ünal

Say: "Am I, then, to seek after someone other than God as Lord when He is the Lord of everything?" Every soul earns only to its own account; and no soul, as bearer of burden, bears and is made to bear the burden of another. Then, to your Lord is the return of all of you, and He will then make you understand (the truth) concerning all that on which you have differed.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Say, `Shall I seek a Lord other than Allâh whilst He is the Lord of all things?´ And no soul does anything (evil) but only against itself; no soul that bears a burden shall bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return and He will fully inform you about that (truth) wherein you have been disagreeing.

English Literal

Say: "Is other than God I desire (as) a Lord, and He is Lord (of) every thing, and every self does not earn/gather except on it, and no sinner/burdener carries/bears (the) load/weight (of) another, then to your Lord (is) your return, so He informs you with what you were in it differing/disagreeing ."

Faridul Haque

Say, “Shall I seek a Lord other than Allah, whereas He is Lord of all things?” And whatever a soul earns is itself responsible for it; and no load bearing soul will bear anyone else’s load; then towards your Lord you have to return and He will inform you about the matters you differed.

Hamid S. Aziz

Say, "Shall I crave for other than Allah for Lord, when He is Lord of all?" But each soul earns only on its own account, nor does any laden soul bear the burden of another. Then unto your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that wherein you differ.

Hilali & Khan

Say: "Shall I seek a lord other than Allah, while He is the Lord of all things? No person earns any (sin) except against himself (only), and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. Then unto your Lord is your return, so He will tell you that wherein you have been differing."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

No associate has He. And this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who submit.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Say: What! shall I seek a Lord other than Allah? And He is the Lord of all things; and no soul earns (evil) but against itself, and no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another; then to your Lord is your return, so He will inform you of that in which you differed.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Say: Shall I seek another than Allah for Lord, when He is Lord of all things? Each soul earneth only on its own account, nor doth any laden bear another's load. Then unto your Lord is your return and He will tell you that wherein ye differed.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Muhammad), tell them, "Should I take a lord besides God when He is the Lord of all things?" All one's evil deeds are against one's own soul. No one will be considered responsible for another's sins. You will all be returned to your Lord who will tell you what is right and wrong in disputed matters among you.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Say: 'Should I seek a lord other than Allah, who is the Lord of all things? Every soul earns only to its account no soul shall bear another's burden. Then to your Lord you shall be returned, and He will inform you about that in which you differed'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Say: "Shall I seek a lord other than Allah, while He is the Lord of all things No person earns any (sin) except against himself (only), and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. Then unto your Lord is your return, so He will tell you that wherein you have been differing."

Wahiduddin Khan

Say, "Shall I seek a lord other than God, while He is the Lord of all things?" Everyone must bear the consequence of what he does, and no bearer of a burden can bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord you will return, and He will inform you of what you used to dispute about.

Talal Itani

Say, “Am I to seek a Lord other than God, when He is the Lord of all things?” No soul gets except what it is due, and no soul bears the burdens of another. Then to your Lord is your return, then He will inform you regarding your disputes.

Tafsir jalalayn

Say; `Shall I seek any other than God for a lord, for a god, in other words, I shall not seek any other than Him, when He is the Lord, the Possessor, of all things?' Every soul earns, of sin, only against itself; and no burdened, [no] sinful, soul shall bear the burden of another, soul. Then to your Lord shall you return, and He will inform you of that over which you differed.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Command to Sincerely Trust in Allah

Allah said,

قُلْ

Say,

O Muhammad, to those idolators, about worshipping Allah alone and trusting in Him,

أَغَيْرَ اللّهِ أَبْغِي رَبًّا

Shall I seek a lord other than Allah...,

وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ

while He is the Lord of all things.

and Who protects and saves me and governs all my affairs But, I only trust in Him and go back to Him, because He is the Lord of everything, Owner of all things and His is the creation and the decision.

This Ayah commands sincerely trusting Allah, while the Ayah before it commands sincerely worshipping Allah alone without partners. These two meanings are often mentioned together in the Qur'an. Allah directs His servants to proclaim,
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
(You (alone) we worship, and You (alone) we ask for help (for each and every thing). (1;5)

Allah said,

فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ

So worship Him and put your trust in Him. (11;123)

and,

قُلْ هُوَ الرَّحْمَـنُ ءَامَنَّا بِهِ وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا

Say;"He is the Most Gracious (Allah), in Him we believe, and in Him we put our trust". (67;29)

and,

رَّبُّ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لَا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ فَاتَّخِذْهُ وَكِيلً

Lord of the east and the west; none has the right to be worshipped but He. So take Him a guardian. (73;9)

There are similar Ayat on this subject.
Every Person Carries His Own Burden

Allah said,

وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلاَّ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى

No person earns any (sin) except against himself (only), and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another.

thus emphasizing Allah's reckoning, decision and justice that will occur on the Day of Resurrection. The souls will only be recompensed for their deeds, good for good and evil for evil. No person shall carry the burden of another person, a fact that indicates Allah's perfect justice.

Allah said in other Ayat,

وَإِن تَدْعُ مُثْقَلَةٌ إِلَى حِمْلِهَا لَا يُحْمَلْ مِنْهُ شَىْءٌ وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى

And if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin. (35;18)

and,

فَلَ يَخَافُ ظُلْماً وَلَا هَضْماً

Then he will have no fear of injustice, nor of any curtailment (of his reward). (20;112)

Scholars of Tafsir commented, "No person will be wronged by carrying the evil deeds of another person, nor will his own good deeds be curtailed or decreased."

Allah also said;

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ

إِلاَّ أَصْحَـبَ الْيَمِينِ

Every person is a pledge for what he has earned. Except those on the Right. (74;38-39)

meaning, every person will be tied to his evil deeds. But, for those on the right -- the believers -- the blessing of their good works will benefit their offspring and relatives, as well.

Allah said in Surah At-Tur,

وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُم بِإِيمَـنٍ أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَمَأ أَلَتْنَـهُمْ مِّنْ عَمَلِهِم مِّن شَىْءٍ

And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in faith, to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything. (52;21)

meaning, We shall elevate their offspring to their high grades in Paradise, even though the deeds of the offspring were less righteous, since they shared faith with them in its general form.

Allah says, We did not decrease the grades of these righteous believers so that those (their offspring and relatives) who have lesser grades, can share the same grades as them. Rather Allah elevated the lesser believers to the grades of their parents by the blessing of their parents' good works, by His favor and bounty. Allah said next (in Surah At-Tur),

كُلُّ امْرِىءٍ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهَينٌ

Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned. (52;21),

meaning, of evil.

Allah's statement here,

ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّيُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ



Then unto your Lord is your return, so He will tell you that wherein you have been differing.

means, work you (disbelievers), and we will also work. Surely, both you and us will be gathered to Allah and He will inform us of our deeds and your deeds and the decision on what we used to dispute about in the life of this world.

Allah said in other Ayat,

قُل لاَّ تُسْـَلُونَ عَمَّأ أَجْرَمْنَا وَلَا نُسْـَلُ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

قُلْ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا رَبُّنَا ثُمَّ يَفْتَحُ بَيْنَنَا بِالْحَقِّ وَهُوَ الْفَتَّاحُ الْعَلِيمُ

Say;"You will not be asked about our sins, nor shall we be asked of what you do."

Say;"Our Lord will assemble us all together, then He will judge between us with truth. And He is the Just Judge, the All-Knower of the true state of affairs." (34;25-26