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Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 188

سورة الأعراف، الآية ١٨٨

7:188 Juz 9 Hizb 18 Page 175 of the mushaf Meccan surah

Text of verse 7:188

قُل لَّآ أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِى نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ ٱلْغَيْبَ لَٱسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ ٱلْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِىَ ٱلسُّوٓءُ إِنْ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ۝١٨٨

Transliteration

qul lā amliku linafsī nafʿan walā ḍarran illā mā shāa l-lahu walaw kuntu aʿlamu l-ghayba la-is'takthartu mina l-khayri wamā massaniya l-sūu in anā illā nadhīrun wabashīrun liqawmin yu'minūna

Translation

Say, "I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allāh has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe."

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

Verse 188 of Surah Al-A’raf (7:188), a Meccan surah, is in juz 9, on page 175 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.

Listen to verse 188 of Surah Al-A’raf

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Tafsir of verse 188

Al-Mukhtasar

Say to them O Muhammad: 'I do not have the ability to bring good to myself, or to remove any harm from myself, except by Allah’s will. The dominion of these things belongs to Allah alone, and I only know what Allah taught me. I do not know the unseen, because if I did, I would have used what I know to serve my own interests, and to protect myself from misfortune, due to knowing about things before they happened. I am only a messenger from Allah, warning of a painful punishment, and bringing good news of Allah’s generous reward for a people who have faith, believing that I am a messenger from Him, and in what was revealed to me.'

Tafsir of the whole Surah Al-A’raf

Other translations of verse 188

Say, “I have no power to benefit or harm myself, except what Allah wills. If I had knowledge of the unseen, I would have acquired much good, and no evil would have touched me. I am only a warner and bearer of glad tidings for people who believe.”

Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): "I possess no power over benefit or harm to myself except as Allâh wills. If I had the knowledge of the Ghaib (Unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth, and no evil should have touched me. I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings unto people who believe."

Say: For myself I have no power to benefit, nor power to hurt, save that which Allah willeth. Had I knowledge of the Unseen, I should have abundance of wealth, and adversity would not touch me. I am but a warner, and a bearer of good tidings unto folk who believe.

Say: "I have no power over any good or harm to myself except as Allah willeth. If I had knowledge of the unseen, I should have multiplied all good, and no evil should have touched me: I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings to those who have faith."

Say: I do not control any benefit or harm for my own soul except as Allah please; and had I known the unseen I would have had much of good and no evil would have touched me; I am nothing but a warner and the giver of good news to a people who believe.

Say, "I do not possess (any) benefit or harm for myself, except what ever Allah decides; and if I had known the Unseen, I would indeed have got plenty of the most charitable things, and in no way would odious times have touched me. Decidedly I am nothing except a constant warner and a constant bearer of good tidings to a people who believe.".

Verse 188 word by word

  1. قُل qul Say ق و ل
  2. لَّآ lā Not
  3. أَمْلِكُ amliku I have power م ل ك
  4. لِنَفْسِى linafsī for myself ن ف س
  5. نَفْعًا nafʿan (to) benefit ن ف ع
  6. وَلَا walā and no
  7. ضَرًّا ḍarran (power to) harm ض ر ر
  8. إِلَّا illā except
  9. مَا mā what
  10. شَآءَ shāa wills ش ي أ
  11. ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah
  12. وَلَوْ walaw And if
  13. كُنتُ kuntu I would ك و ن
  14. أَعْلَمُ aʿlamu know ع ل م
  15. ٱلْغَيْبَ l-ghayba (of) the unseen غ ي ب
  16. لَٱسْتَكْثَرْتُ la-is'takthartu surely I could have multiplied ك ث ر
  17. مِنَ mina of
  18. ٱلْخَيْرِ l-khayri the good خ ي ر
  19. وَمَا wamā and not
  20. مَسَّنِىَ massaniya (could) have touched me م س س
  21. ٱلسُّوٓءُ l-sūu the evil س و أ
  22. إِنْ in Not
  23. أَنَا۠ anā (am) I
  24. إِلَّا illā except
  25. نَذِيرٌ nadhīrun a warner ن ذ ر
  26. وَبَشِيرٌ wabashīrun and a bearer of good tidings ب ش ر
  27. لِّقَوْمٍ liqawmin to a people ق و م
  28. يُؤْمِنُونَ yu'minūna who believe أ م ن

Verses related to verse 188

Cited by Ibn Kathir in his explanation of this verse

  • Al-Jinn 72:26–27

    عَٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَىٰ غَيْبِهِۦٓ أَحَدًا …

    [He is] Knower of the unseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyone …

Verses with similar wording

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

  • Ash-Shu’ara 26:115

    إِنْ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ

    I am only a clear warner."

  • Al-A’la 87:7

    إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ إِنَّهُۥ يَعْلَمُ ٱلْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَىٰ

    Except what Allāh should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden.

  • Yunus 10:49

    قُل لَّآ أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِى ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ إِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَلَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

    Say, "I possess not for myself any harm or benefit except what Allāh should will. For every nation is a [specified] term. When their time has come, then they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it]."

  • Al-An’am 6:128

    وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا يَٰمَعْشَرَ ٱلْجِنِّ قَدِ ٱسْتَكْثَرْتُم مِّنَ ٱلْإِنسِ وَقَالَ أَوْلِيَآؤُهُم مِّنَ ٱلْإِنسِ رَبَّنَا ٱسْتَمْتَعَ بَعْضُنَا بِبَعْضٍ وَبَلَغْنَآ أَجَلَنَا ٱلَّذِىٓ أَجَّلْتَ لَنَا قَالَ ٱلنَّارُ مَثْوَىٰكُمْ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ

    And [mention, O Muḥammad], the Day when He will gather them together [and say], "O company of jinn, you have [misled] many of mankind." And their allies among mankind will say, "Our Lord, some of us made use of others, and we have [now] reached our term which You appointed for us." He will say, "The Fire is your residence, wherein you will abide eternally, except for what Allāh wills. Indeed, your Lord is Wise and Knowing."

All similar verses of Surah Al-A’raf

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