Al-Qur'an Surah Al-An'am Verse 88

Mufti Taqi Usmani

That is Allah’s guidance. He guides with it whomsoever He wills from among His servants. Had they associated partners with Him, all they did would have been nullified for them.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

This is Allah’s guidance with which He guides whoever He wills of His servants. Had they associated others with Him ˹in worship˺, their ˹good˺ deeds would have been wasted.

Ruwwad Translation Center

This is Allah’s guidance with which He guides whom He wills of His slaves. If they were to associate others with Him, all their deeds would have been nullified.

A. J. Arberry

That is God's guidance; He guides by it whom He will of His servants; had they been idolaters, it would have failed them, the things they did.

Abdul Haleem

Such is God’s guidance, with which He guides whichever of His servants He will. If they had associated other gods with Him, all their deeds would have come to nothing.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

This is the guidance of Allah whereby He guideth whomsoever of His bondmen He listeth. And if they had associated, to naught would have come all that they were wont to work.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This is the guidance of Allah; He giveth that guidance to whom He pleaseth, of His worshippers. If they were to join other gods with Him, all that they did would be vain for them.

Abul Ala Maududi

That is Allah's guidance wherewith He guides those of His servants whom He wills. But if they ever associated others with Allah in His divinity, then all that they had done would have gone to waste.

Ahmed Ali

This is God's guidance: He gives among His creatures whom He will. If they had associated others with Him, surely vain would have been all they did.

Ahmed Raza Khan

This is the guidance of Allah, which He may give to whomever He wills among His bondmen; and had they ascribed partners (to Allah), their deeds would have been wasted.

Ali Quli Qarai

That is Allah’s guidance: with it, He guides whomever He wishes of His servants. But were they to ascribe any partners [to Allah], what they used to do would not avail them.

Ali Ünal

That is God’s guidance with which He guides whomever He wills of His servants. And had they (the ones mentioned above) associated partners with God, then all that they did (of good and the recompense they had earned) would have gone to waste.

Amatul Rahman Omar

That is the guidance of Allâh, He guides by it such of His servants as He will. But if they has associated partners (with Him in their worship), surely all their deeds would have gone in vain.

English Literal

That (is) God`s guidance, He guides with it whom He wills/wants from His worshippers/slaves, and if they shared/made partners (with God), what they were making/doing/working would have been wasted/invalidated from them.

Faridul Haque

This is the guidance of Allah, which He may give to whomever He wills among His bondmen; and had they ascribed partners (to Allah), their deeds would have been wasted.

Hamid S. Aziz

Such is the Guidance of Allah wherewith He guides those whom He will of His servants; and if they associate (for worship) anything with Him, their works would have been in vain.

Hilali & Khan

This is the Guidance of Allah with which He guides whomsoever He will of His slaves. But if they had joined in worship others with Allah, all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And some of their fathers and their descendants and their brethren. And We chose them and guided them to the right way.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

This is Allah's guidance, He guides thereby whom He pleases of His servants; and if they had set up others (with Him), certainly what they did would have become ineffectual for them.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Such is the guidance of Allah wherewith He guideth whom He will of His bondmen. But if they had set up (for worship) aught beside Him, (all) that they did would have been vain.

Muhammad Sarwar

Such is the guidance of God by which He guides whichever of His servants He wants. If people worship idols, their deeds will be turned devoid of all virtue.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Such is the guidance of Allah by it He guides whom He will of His worshipers. Had they associated (others with Him), their labors would have indeed been annulled.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

This is the guidance of Allah with which He guides whomsoever He wills of His servants. But if they had joined in worship others with Allah, all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them.

Wahiduddin Khan

This is the guidance of God: He gives that guidance to whichever of His servants He pleases. If they had associated other deities with Him, surely all they did would have been of no avail.

Talal Itani

Such is God’s guidance. He guides with it whomever He wills of His servants. Had they associated, their deeds would have gone in vain.

Tafsir jalalayn

That, religion to which they were guided, is God's guidance wherewith He guides whom He will of His servants; had they, hypothetically speaking, been idolaters, all that they did would have been in vain.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

ذَلِكَ هُدَى اللّهِ يَهْدِي بِهِ مَن يَشَاء مِنْ عِبَادِهِ



This is the guidance of Allah with which He guides whomsoever He wills of His servants.

meaning, this occurred to them by Allah's leave and because He directed them to guidance.

Allah said;

وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُواْ لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ



But if they had joined in worship others with Allah, all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them.

This magnifies the serious danger of Shirk and the gravity of committing it.

In another Ayah, Allah said;

وَلَقَدْ أُوْحِىَ إِلَيْكَ وَإِلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكَ لَيِنْ أَشْرَكْتَ لَيَحْبَطَنَّ عَمَلُكَ

And indeed it has been revealed to you, as it was to those (Allah's Messengers) before you;"If you join others in worship with Allah, surely your deeds will be in vain." (39;65)

`If' here does not mean that this would ever occur, as is similar in Allah's statement;

قُلْ إِن كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَـنِ وَلَدٌ فَأَنَاْ أَوَّلُ الْعَـبِدِينَ

Say;"If the Most Beneficent had a son, then I am the first of Allah's worshippers." (43;81)

and,

لَوْ أَرَدْنَأ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ لَهْواً لاَّتَّخَذْنَـهُ مِن لَّدُنَّأ إِن كُنَّا فَـعِلِينَ

If We intended to take a pastime (a wife or a son, etc.) We could surely have taken it from Us, if We were going to do (that). (21;17)

and,

لَّوْ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَداً لاَّصْطَفَى مِمَّا يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَأءُ سُبْحَـنَهُ هُوَ اللَّهُ الْوَحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ

If Allah willed to take a son, He could have chosen whom He pleased out of those whom He created. But glory be to Him! He is Allah, the One, the Compelling. (39;4)

Allah said