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Surah Ibrahim, Verse 18

سورة ابراهيم، الآية ١٨

14:18 Juz 13 Hizb 26 Page 257 of the mushaf Meccan surah

Text of verse 14:18

مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِرَبِّهِمْ أَعْمَٰلُهُمْ كَرَمَادٍ ٱشْتَدَّتْ بِهِ ٱلرِّيحُ فِى يَوْمٍ عَاصِفٍ لَّا يَقْدِرُونَ مِمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلضَّلَٰلُ ٱلْبَعِيدُ ۝١٨

Transliteration

mathalu alladhīna kafarū birabbihim aʿmāluhum karamādin ish'taddat bihi l-rīḥu fī yawmin ʿāṣifin lā yaqdirūna mimmā kasabū ʿalā shayin dhālika huwa l-ḍalālu l-baʿīdu

Translation

The example of those who disbelieve in their Lord is [that] their deeds are like ashes which the wind blows forcefully on a stormy day; they are unable [to keep] from what they earned a [single] thing. That is what is extreme error.

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

Verse 18 of Surah Ibrahim (14:18), a Meccan surah, is in juz 13, on page 257 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.

Listen to verse 18 of Surah Ibrahim

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Tafsir of verse 18

Al-Mukhtasar

The righteous actions of the disbelievers, such as giving charity and having kindness and mercy towards a weak person, are like ashes on a windy day. They are carried away by the wind and scattered all over the place until no trace of them remains. Such are the deeds of the disbelievers, which are blown away by disbelief. These deeds will not benefit their owners on the Day of Judgement. Actions that are not based on faith are deviations that are far from the path of truth.

Tafsir of the whole Surah Ibrahim

Other translations of verse 18

The deeds of those who disbelieve7 in their Lord are like ashes that are blown away by the wind on a stormy day. They will gain nothing from what they did; that is the farthest misguidance.

Notes

[7] i.e., their good deeds, as they were not based on solid ground of faith.

The parable of those who disbelieved in their Lord is that their works are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously on a stormy day; they shall not be able to get aught of what they have earned. That is the straying, far away (from the Right Path).

A similitude of those who disbelieve in their Lord: Their works are as ashes which the wind bloweth hard upon a stormy day. They have no control of aught that they have earned. That is the extreme failure.

The parable of those who reject their Lord is that their works are as ashes, on which the wind blows furiously on a tempestuous day: No power have they over aught that they have earned: that is the straying far, far (from the goal).

The parable of those who disbelieve in their Lord: their actions are like ashes on which the wind blows hard on a stormy day; they shall not have power over any thing out of what they have earned; this is the great error.

(Such) is the likeness of the ones who have disbelieved in their Lord: their deeds are like ashes on which the wind blows severely upon a tempestuous day; they are unable (to do) anything with whatever they have earned. That is the far error itself.

Verse 18 word by word

  1. مَّثَلُ mathalu (The) example م ث ل
  2. ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna (of) those who
  3. كَفَرُوا۟ kafarū disbelieve ك ف ر
  4. بِرَبِّهِمْ birabbihim in their Lord ر ب ب
  5. أَعْمَٰلُهُمْ aʿmāluhum their deeds ع م ل
  6. كَرَمَادٍ karamādin (are) like ashes ر م د
  7. ٱشْتَدَّتْ ish'taddat blows furiously ش د د
  8. بِهِ bihi on it
  9. ٱلرِّيحُ l-rīḥu the wind ر و ح
  10. فِى fī in
  11. يَوْمٍ yawmin a day ي و م
  12. عَاصِفٍ ʿāṣifin stormy ع ص ف
  13. لَّا lā No
  14. يَقْدِرُونَ yaqdirūna control (they have) ق د ر
  15. مِمَّا mimmā of what
  16. كَسَبُوا۟ kasabū they have earned ك س ب
  17. عَلَىٰ ʿalā on
  18. شَىْءٍ shayin anything ش ي أ
  19. ذَٰلِكَ dhālika That
  20. هُوَ huwa [it]
  21. ٱلضَّلَٰلُ l-ḍalālu (is) the straying ض ل ل
  22. ٱلْبَعِيدُ l-baʿīdu far ب ع د

Verses related to verse 18

Cited by Ibn Kathir in his explanation of this verse

  • Fatir 35:36

    وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لَا يُقْضَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا۟ وَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُم مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى كُلَّ كَفُورٍ

    And for those who disbelieve will be the fire of Hell. [Death] is not decreed for them so they may die, nor will its torment be lightened for them. Thus do We recompense every ungrateful one.

  • As-Saffat 37:64–68

    إِنَّهَا شَجَرَةٌ تَخْرُجُ فِىٓ أَصْلِ ٱلْجَحِيمِ …

    Indeed, it is a tree issuing from the bottom of the Hellfire, …

  • Ar-Rahman 55:43–44

    هَٰذِهِۦ جَهَنَّمُ ٱلَّتِى يُكَذِّبُ بِهَا ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ …

    This is Hell, which the criminals deny. …

  • Ad-Dukhan 44:43–50

    إِنَّ شَجَرَتَ ٱلزَّقُّومِ …

    Indeed, the tree of zaqqūm …

  • Al-Waqi’ah 56:41–44

    وَأَصْحَٰبُ ٱلشِّمَالِ مَآ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلشِّمَالِ …

    And the companions of the left - what are the companions of the left? …

  • Sad 38:55–58

    هَٰذَا وَإِنَّ لِلطَّٰغِينَ لَشَرَّ مَـَٔابٍ …

    This [is so]. But indeed, for the transgressors is an evil place of return - …

Verses with similar wording

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

  • Al-Hajj 22:12

    يَدْعُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُۥ وَمَا لَا يَنفَعُهُۥ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلضَّلَٰلُ ٱلْبَعِيدُ

    He invokes instead of Allāh that which neither harms him nor benefits him. That is what is the extreme error.

All similar verses of Surah Ibrahim

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