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Surah Ali ’Imran, Verse 117

سورة آل عمران، الآية ١١٧

3:117 Juz 4 Hizb 7 Page 65 of the mushaf Medinan surah

Text of verse 3:117

مَثَلُ مَا يُنفِقُونَ فِى هَٰذِهِ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَٰكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ۝١١٧

Transliteration

mathalu mā yunfiqūna fī hādhihi l-ḥayati l-dun'yā kamathali rīḥin fīhā ṣirrun aṣābat ḥartha qawmin ẓalamū anfusahum fa-ahlakathu wamā ẓalamahumu l-lahu walākin anfusahum yaẓlimūna

Translation

The example of what they spend in this worldly life is like that of a wind containing frost which strikes the harvest of a people who have wronged themselves [i.e., sinned] and destroys it. And Allāh has not wronged them, but they wrong themselves.

Translation in another language
Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary Read in the surah

Verse 117 of Surah Ali ’Imran (3:117), a Medinan surah, is in juz 4, on page 65 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 71 reciters.

Listen to verse 117 of Surah Ali ’Imran

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Tafsir of verse 117

Al-Mukhtasar

The example of what disbelievers spend in charity, and what they expect to receive of rewards, is like a wind which is extremely cold that hits the crops of a people who wronged themselves by not doing as they were instructed, ruining their crops when they had expected to have a good harvest. Disbelief also ruins the rewards of good deeds. Allah does not wrong them for He is far above any injustice, rather, they wrong themselves through their disbelief in Allah and His prophets.

Tafsir of the whole Surah Ali ’Imran

Other translations of verse 117

The similitude of what they spend in the life of this world is like that of a frosty wind that strikes and destroys the harvest of a people who have wronged themselves. It is not Allah Who wronged them, but they wronged themselves.

The likeness of what they spend in this world is the likeness of a wind which is extremely cold; it struck the harvest of a people who did wrong against themselves and destroyed it, (i.e. the good deed of a person is only accepted if he is a monotheist and believes in all the Prophets of Allâh, including the Christ عليه السلام and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم). Allâh wronged them not, but they wronged themselves.

The likeness of that which they spend in this life of the world is as the likeness of a biting, icy wind which smiteth the harvest of a people who have wronged themselves, and devastateth it. Allah wronged them not, but they do wrong themselves.

What they spend in the life of this (material) world May be likened to a wind which brings a nipping frost: It strikes and destroys the harvest of men who have wronged their own souls: it is not Allah that hath wronged them, but they wrong themselves.

The likeness of what they spend in the life of this world is as the likeness of wind in which is intense cold (that) smites the seed produce of a people who haw done injustice to their souls and destroys it; and Allah is not unjust to them, but they are unjust to themselves.

The likeness of whatever they expend in this present life (Literally: the lowly "life", i.e., the life of this world) is as the likeness of a wind wherein there is clamoring cold that afflicted the tillage of a people who did injustice to themselves, and so it did cause it to perish. And in no way did Allah do any injustice to them but they did injustice to themselves.

Verse 117 word by word

  1. مَثَلُ mathalu Example م ث ل
  2. مَا mā (of) what
  3. يُنفِقُونَ yunfiqūna they spend ن ف ق
  4. فِى fī in
  5. هَٰذِهِ hādhihi this
  6. ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ l-ḥayati [the] life ح ي ي
  7. ٱلدُّنْيَا l-dun'yā (of) the world د ن و
  8. كَمَثَلِ kamathali (is) like (the) example م ث ل
  9. رِيحٍ rīḥin (of) a wind ر و ح
  10. فِيهَا fīhā in it
  11. صِرٌّ ṣirrun (is) frost ص ر ر
  12. أَصَابَتْ aṣābat it struck ص و ب
  13. حَرْثَ ḥartha (the) harvest ح ر ث
  14. قَوْمٍ qawmin (of) a people ق و م
  15. ظَلَمُوٓا۟ ẓalamū who wronged ظ ل م
  16. أَنفُسَهُمْ anfusahum themselves ن ف س
  17. فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ fa-ahlakathu then destroyed it ه ل ك
  18. وَمَا wamā And not
  19. ظَلَمَهُمُ ẓalamahumu (has) wronged them ظ ل م
  20. ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah
  21. وَلَٰكِنْ walākin [and] but
  22. أَنفُسَهُمْ anfusahum themselves ن ف س
  23. يَظْلِمُونَ yaẓlimūna they wronged ظ ل م

Verses related to verse 117

Verses with similar wording

They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.

  • An-Nahl 16:33

    هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ كَذَٰلِكَ فَعَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

    Do they [i.e., the disbelievers] await except that the angels should come to them or there comes the command of your Lord? Thus did those do before them. And Allāh wronged them not, but they had been wronging themselves.

All similar verses of Surah Ali ’Imran

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