Surah 35. Fatir, Ayah 18
| وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ وَإِنْ تَدْعُ مُثْقَلَةٌ إِلَىٰ حِمْلِهَا لَا يُحْمَلْ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَىٰ ۗ إِنَّمَا تُنْذِرُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَيْبِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ ۚ وَمَنْ تَزَكَّىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَتَزَكَّىٰ لِنَفْسِهِ ۚ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- laa tazir waazirah wizr 'ukhraa wa- 'in tadcu muthqalah 'ilaa h.iml -haa laa yuh.mal min -hu shay' wa- law kaana dhaa qurbaa 'inna-maa tundhir 'alladhena yakhshawn rabb -hum bi- al- ghayb wa- aqaamo as.- s.alaah wa- man tazakkaa fa- 'inna-maa yatazakkaa li- nafs -hi wa- 'ilaa 'allaah al- mas.er |
| Pickthall | : | And no burdened soul can bear another's burden, and if one heavy laden crieth for (help with) his load, naught of it will be lifted even though he (unto whom he crieth) be of kin. Thou warnest only those who fear their Lord in secret, and have established worship. He who groweth (in goodness), groweth only for himself, (he cannot by his merit redeem others). Unto Allah is the journeying. |
| Asad | : | AND NO BEARER of burdens shall be made to hear another's burden;15 and if one weighed down by his load calls upon [another] to help him carry it, nothing thereof may be carried [by that other], even if it be one's near of kin.16 Hence, thou canst [truly] warn only those who stand in awe of their Sustainer although He is beyond the reach of their perception,17 and are constant in prayer, and [know that] whoever grows in purity, attains to purity but for the good of his own self, and [that] with God is all journeys' end. |
| Malik | : | No bearer of a burden will bear another's burden, and if a heavy laden person cries out for help, none will come forward to share the least of his burden, even though he be a close relative. O Prophet! You can only admonish those who fear their Rabb - though they cannot see Him - and establish Salah. He that purifies himself does so for his own good. To Allah is the destination of all. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Nor can a bearer of burdens bear another's burden. If one heavily laden should call another to (bear) his load not the least portion of it can be carried (by the other) even though he be nearly related. Thou canst but admonish such as fear their Lord unseen and establish regular Prayer and whoever purifies himself does so for the benefit of his own soul; and the destination (of all) is to Allah. 3900 3901 3902 3903 |
Note - 15I.e., on Judgment Day - for "whatever [wrong] any human
being commits rests upon him alone" (6:164, which is
followed by a sentence identical with the one above).
|
Note - 16Thus, any transfer of moral responsibility from one
person to another is shown to be impossible. Whereas the
first part of the above statement implies a negation of
the Christian doctrine of "original sin" with which
mankind is supposedly burdened, the second part
categorically refutes the doctrine of the "vicarious
atonement" of that sin by Jesus. (See also 53:38 and
the corresponding note [31].)
|
Note - 17For an explanation of this rendering of bi'l-ghayb, see
surah {2}, note [3]. The meaning is that only those "who
believe in the existence of that which is beyond the
reach of human perception" can really benefit by the
"warning" inherent in the preceding statement. (See also
{27:8-81} and {30:52-53}.)
|
Note - 3900Bearer: hamilatun: feminine in Arabic, as referring to
the soul (nafs), as in vi. 164.
|
Note - 3901Natural relationship may be considered as a reasonable
cause or opportunity for bearing each other's burdens.
For example, a mother or a father might offer to die for
her or his child, and vice versa. But this does not apply
to spiritual matters. There the responsibility is
strictly personal and cannot be transferred to another.
In xxix. 13 we are told that the misleaders "will bear
other burdens along with their own"; but the context
shows that the "other" burdens are the burdens of
deluding others with their falsehoods. Both sins are
their own, viz., their original sin, and the sin of
deluding the others. But the responsibility will be
doubled.
|
Note - 3902Bil-gaibi: unseen in the adverbial sense. The man, who,
though he does not see Allah, so realises Allah's
Presence in himself as if he saw Him, is the man of
genuine Faith, and for him Allah's Revelation comes
through many channels and is always fruitful.
|
Note - 3903Prayer is one of the means of purifying ourselves of
lower motives in life, for in prayer we seek the Presence
of Allah. But the purity which we seek is for our own
souls: we confer no favour on Allah or on any Power in
the spiritual world, as some imagine who make "gifts" to
Allah. In any case the destination of all is to Allah.
|
Share your thoughts about this with others by posting a comment. Visit our FAQ for some ideas.
Filter Comments 
 |
I.e., on Judgment Day - for "whatever [wrong] any human being commits rests upon him alone" (6:164, which is followed by a sentence identical with the one above). |
| |
Thus, any transfer of moral responsibility from one person to another is shown to be impossible. Whereas the first part of the above statement implies a negation of the Christian doctrine of "original sin" with which mankind is supposedly burdened, the second part categorically refutes the doctrine of the "vicarious atonement" of that sin by Jesus. (See also 53:38 and the corresponding note [31].) |
| |
For an explanation of this rendering of bi'l-ghayb, see surah {2}, note [3]. The meaning is that only those "who believe in the existence of that which is beyond the reach of human perception" can really benefit by the "warning" inherent in the preceding statement. (See also {27:8-81} and {30:52-53}.) |
| |
Bearer: hamilatun: feminine in Arabic, as referring to the soul (nafs), as in vi. 164. |
| |
Natural relationship may be considered as a reasonable cause or opportunity for bearing each other's burdens. For example, a mother or a father might offer to die for her or his child, and vice versa. But this does not apply to spiritual matters. There the responsibility is strictly personal and cannot be transferred to another. In xxix. 13 we are told that the misleaders "will bear other burdens along with their own"; but the context shows that the "other" burdens are the burdens of deluding others with their falsehoods. Both sins are their own, viz., their original sin, and the sin of deluding the others. But the responsibility will be doubled. |
| |
Bil-gaibi: unseen in the adverbial sense. The man, who, though he does not see Allah, so realises Allah's Presence in himself as if he saw Him, is the man of genuine Faith, and for him Allah's Revelation comes through many channels and is always fruitful. |
| |
Prayer is one of the means of purifying ourselves of lower motives in life, for in prayer we seek the Presence of Allah. But the purity which we seek is for our own souls: we confer no favour on Allah or on any Power in the spiritual world, as some imagine who make "gifts" to Allah. In any case the destination of all is to Allah. |
