It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allāh and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allāh and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.
Verse 36 of Surah Al-Ahzab (33:36), a Medinan surah, is in juz 22, on page 423 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.
Listen to verse 36 of Surah Al-Ahzab
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Tafsir of verse 36
Al-Mukhtasar
It is not correct for a believing man or woman when Allah and His Messenger decide a matter for them that they have a choice in accepting or rejecting it. Whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has clearly deviated from the straight path.
It is not for a believing man or woman – when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter – to have any other choice in their matter29. Whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has clearly gone astray.
Notes
[29] i.e., to seek judgment from anyone else, or to have a choice to accept or reject it.
It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allâh and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error.
And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest.
It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.
And it behoves not a believing man and a believing woman that they should have any choice in their matter when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter; and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he surely strays off a manifest straying.
And in no way should a male believer or a female believer, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a Command, have the choice in their Command. Whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, then he has readily erred away into evident error.
But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muḥammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.
Do not make [your] calling of the Messenger among yourselves as the call of one of you to another. Already Allāh knows those of you who slip away, concealed by others. So let those beware who dissent from his [i.e., the Prophet's] order, lest fitnah strike them or a painful punishment.
Verses with similar wording
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
And whoever disobeys Allāh and His Messenger and transgresses His limits - He will put him into the Fire to abide eternally therein, and he will have a humiliating punishment.
But [I have for you] only notification from Allāh, and His messages." And whoever disobeys Allāh and His Messenger - then indeed, for him is the fire of Hell; they will abide therein forever.
