Surah Maidah ayat 105 Tafsir Quran 5:105

﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۖ لَا يَضُرُّكُم مَّن ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ ۚ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾
[ المائدة: 105]

5:105 O you who have believed, upon you is [responsibility for] yourselves. Those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided. To Allah is you return all together; then He will inform you of what you used to do.

O you who believe you are responsible for your own souls in other words preserve them and do what is in their best interest; he who is astray cannot hurt you if you are rightly guided it is said that this means ‘None of those misguided ones from among the People of the Scripture can hurt you’; it is also said to mean others on the basis of the following hadīth of Abū Tha‘laba al-Khushanī ‘I asked the Messenger of God s about it this verse and he said “Enjoin one other to decency and forbid one another indecency and then if you see niggardliness being obeyed whims being followed this present world being preferred and every intelligent person proud of his own opinions then you are still responsible for looking after your own soul”’ as reported by al-Hākim and others. Unto God you shall return all together and He will inform you of what you used to do and requite you for it.

Begin with yourselves and invest your own souls with such religious and spiritual virtues as Allah has inclined you to propound and guard yourselves from being supposed, then no one who deviates in mind can possibly pervert you nor alienate you from Allah’s purpose, provided you lift to Him your inward sight and maintain His path of righteousness where Providence is the guide. You are all destined to go back to Allah Who shall inform you of all that your minds and your souls had impelled you to do

One is Required to Reform Himself First Allah commands His believing servants to reform themselves and to do as many righteous deeds as possible.
He also informs them that whoever reforms himself, he would not be affected by the wickedness of the wicked, whether they were his relatives or otherwise.
Imam Ahmad recorded that Qays said, "Abu Bakr As-Siddiq stood up, thanked Allah and praised Him and then said, `O people! You read this Ayah, يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لاَ يَضُرُّكُمْ مَّن ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ ( O you who believe! Take care of yourselves.
If you follow the right guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. ) You explain it the wrong way.
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say,
«إِنَّ النَّاسَ إِذَا رَأَوُا الْمُنْكَرَ وَلَا يُغَيِّرُونَهُ، يُوشِكُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَعُمَّهُمْ بِعِقَابِه»
( If the people witness evil and do not change it, then Allah is about to send His punishment to encompass them. ) I ( Qays ) also heard Abu Bakr say, `O people! Beware of lying, for lying contradicts faith."' يِـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ شَهَـدَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ حِينَ الْوَصِيَّةِ اثْنَانِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِّنْكُمْ أَوْ ءَاخَرَانِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ إِنْ أَنتُمْ ضَرَبْتُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَأَصَابَتْكُم مُّصِيبَةُ الْمَوْتِ تَحْبِسُونَهُمَا مِن بَعْدِ الصَّلوةِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِاللَّهِ إِنِ ارْتَبْتُمْ لاَ نَشْتَرِى بِهِ ثَمَناً وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى وَلاَ نَكْتُمُ شَهَـدَةَ اللَّهِ إِنَّآ إِذَاً لَّمِنَ الاٌّثِمِينَ - فَإِنْ عُثِرَ عَلَى أَنَّهُمَا اسْتَحَقَّآ إِثْماً فَآخَرَانِ يِقُومَانُ مَقَامَهُمَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الاٌّوْلَيَانِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِاللَّهِ لَشَهَـدَتُنَا أَحَقُّ مِن شَهَـدَتِهِمَا وَمَا اعْتَدَيْنَآ إِنَّا إِذاً لَّمِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ - ذلِكَ أَدْنَى أَن يَأْتُواْ بِالشَّهَـدَةِ عَلَى وَجْهِهَآ أَوْ يَخَـفُواْ أَن تُرَدَّ أَيْمَـنٌ بَعْدَ أَيْمَـنِهِمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْمَعُواْ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الْفَـسِقِينَ

(5:105) Believers! Take heed of your own selves. If you are rightly guided, the error of he who strays will not harm you. *119 To Allah will all of you return; then He will let all of you know what you did.

O you who have believed, upon you meaning

*119).
What is stressed here is that rather than occupying himself unduly with examining faults in the belief and conduct of others, a man should pay greater attention to a critical examination of his own conduct.
His primary concern should be with his own faith and conduct.
If a man is himself obedient to God, observes his duties to Him and to His creatures including his duty to promote what is good and forbid what is evil, and lives according to the dictates of righteousness and honesty, he has fulfilled his obligation and if others persist either in false beliefs or in moral corruption their errors cannot harm him.

This verse in no way means that a man should care only for his own salvation and should remain unconcerned with the reform of others.
Abu Bakr removed this misconception in one of his sermons when he remarked: 'You recite this verse but interpret it erroneously.
I have heard the Messenger of Allah ( peace be on him ) say that when people see corruption but do not try to change it; and when they see a wrong-doer commit wrong but do not prevent him from doing so, it is not unlikely that God's chastisement will seize them all.
By God, it is incumbent upon you that you bid what is good and forbid what is evil or else God will grant domination upon you to those who are the worst among you.
They will greatly chastise you and then when your righteous ones pray to God, their prayers will not be answered.'
 

One is Required to Reform Himself First Allah commands His believing servants to reform themselves and to do as many righteous deeds as possible.
He also informs them that whoever reforms himself, he would not be affected by the wickedness of the wicked, whether they were his relatives or otherwise.
Imam Ahmad recorded that Qays said, "Abu Bakr As-Siddiq stood up, thanked Allah and praised Him and then said, `O people! You read this Ayah, يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لاَ يَضُرُّكُمْ مَّن ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ ( O you who believe! Take care of yourselves.
If you follow the right guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. ) You explain it the wrong way.
I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, «إِنَّ النَّاسَ إِذَا رَأَوُا الْمُنْكَرَ وَلَا يُغَيِّرُونَهُ، يُوشِكُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَعُمَّهُمْ بِعِقَابِه» ( If the people witness evil and do not change it, then Allah is about to send His punishment to encompass them. ) I ( Qays ) also heard Abu Bakr say, `O people! Beware of lying, for lying contradicts faith."' يِـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ شَهَـدَةُ بَيْنِكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ حِينَ الْوَصِيَّةِ اثْنَانِ ذَوَا عَدْلٍ مِّنْكُمْ أَوْ ءَاخَرَانِ مِنْ غَيْرِكُمْ إِنْ أَنتُمْ ضَرَبْتُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَأَصَابَتْكُم مُّصِيبَةُ الْمَوْتِ تَحْبِسُونَهُمَا مِن بَعْدِ الصَّلوةِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِاللَّهِ إِنِ ارْتَبْتُمْ لاَ نَشْتَرِى بِهِ ثَمَناً وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى وَلاَ نَكْتُمُ شَهَـدَةَ اللَّهِ إِنَّآ إِذَاً لَّمِنَ الاٌّثِمِينَ - فَإِنْ عُثِرَ عَلَى أَنَّهُمَا اسْتَحَقَّآ إِثْماً فَآخَرَانِ يِقُومَانُ مَقَامَهُمَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَحَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الاٌّوْلَيَانِ فَيُقْسِمَانِ بِاللَّهِ لَشَهَـدَتُنَا أَحَقُّ مِن شَهَـدَتِهِمَا وَمَا اعْتَدَيْنَآ إِنَّا إِذاً لَّمِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ - ذلِكَ أَدْنَى أَن يَأْتُواْ بِالشَّهَـدَةِ عَلَى وَجْهِهَآ أَوْ يَخَـفُواْ أَن تُرَدَّ أَيْمَـنٌ بَعْدَ أَيْمَـنِهِمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْمَعُواْ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الْفَـسِقِينَ

( O ye who believe! Ye have charge of your own souls ) hasten to save your own persons. ( He who erreth ) the error of the one who errs ( cannot injure you if you are rightly guided ) to faith and further show their error. ( Unto Allah ye will all return ) after you die; ( and then He will inform you of what ye used to do ) and say of good and evil. This verse was revealed about the idolaters of Mecca when the Prophet ( pbuh ) accepted the capitation tax from the people of the Book and then refused to take it from them. This story has already been mentioned in surah al-Baqarah.

O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves, [do righteous deeds, fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. If you follow the right guidance and enjoin what is right (Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbid what is wrong (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden) no hurt can come to you from those who are in error. The return of you all is to Allah, then He will inform you about (all) that which you used to do.

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