Surah Al Imran ayat 116 Tafsir Quran 3:116

﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَن تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۚ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ﴾
[ آل عمران: 116]

3:116 Indeed, those who disbelieve - never will their wealth or their children avail them against Allah at all, and those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.

As for the disbelievers their riches shall not avail protect them neither their children against God that is against His chastisement these two are singled out for mention because a person usually avails himself either by paying a ransom or by resorting to the help of his children; those are the inhabitants of the Fire abiding therein.

Indeed those who denied Allah were born to be losers; neither their wealth nor their progeny shall profit them or afford them help nor be beneficially effective against what Allah has for them in store. These are the inmates of hell to endure for that vast forever

Virtues of the People of the Scriptures Who Embrace Islam Muhammad bin Ishaq and others, including Al-Awfi who reported it from Ibn Abbas, said;"These Ayat were revealed about the clergy of the People of the Scriptures who embraced the faith.
For instance, there is Abdullah bin Salam, Asad bin Ubayd, Tha`labah bin Sa`yah, Usayd bin Sa`yah, and so forth. This Ayah means that those among the People of the Book whom Allah rebuked earlier are not at all the same as those among them who embraced Islam.Hence Allah's statement, لَيْسُواْ سَوَاء ... Not all of them are alike."Therefore, these two types of people are not equal, and indeed, there are believers and also criminals among the People of the Book, just as Allah said, ...
مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَآئِمَةٌ ... a party of the People of the Scripture stand for the right,for they implement the Book of Allah, adhere to His Law and follow His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Therefore, this type is on the straight path, ...
يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللّهِ آنَاء اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ they recite the verses of Allah during the hours of the night, prostrating themselves in prayer.They often stand in prayer at night for Tahajjud, and recite the Qur'an in their prayer. يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ They believe in Allah and the Last Day; they enjoin Al-Ma`ruf and forbid Al-Munkar; and they hasten in ( all ) good works; and they are among the righteous.
( 3: 114 )This is the same type of people mentioned at the end of the Surah; وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَمَن يُؤْمِنُ بِاللّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَاشِعِينَ لِلّهِ And there are, certainly, among the People of the Scripture ( Jews and Christians ), those who believe in Allah and in that which has been revealed to you, and in that which has been revealed to them, humbling themselves before Allah.
( 3:199 )Allah said here, وَمَا يَفْعَلُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلَن يُكْفَرُوْهُ ... And whatever good they do, nothing will be rejected of them;meaning, their good deeds will not be lost with Allah.
Rather, He will award them the best rewards. ...
وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالْمُتَّقِينَ for Allah knows well the Muttaqin ( the pious ).for no deed performed by any person ever escapes His knowledge, nor is any reward for those who do good deeds ever lost with Him. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ... Surely, those who disbelieve,Allah mentions the disbelieving polytheists: ...
لَن تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلاَدُهُم مِّنَ اللّهِ شَيْئًا ... neither their properties nor their offspring will avail them against Allah,meaning, nothing can avert Allah's torment and punishment from striking them. ...
وَأُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ They are the dwellers of the Fire, therein they will abide. The Parable of What the Disbelievers Spend in This Life Allah gave a parable for what the disbelievers spend in this life, as Mujahid, Al-Hasan and As-Suddi said. مَثَلُ مَا يُنْفِقُونَ فِى هِـذِهِ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ ( The likeness of what they spend in this world is the likeness of a wind of Sir; ) a frigid wind, as Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and others have said.
`Ata' said that Sir, means, `cold and snow.' Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid are also reported to have said that Sir means, `fire'.
This latter meaning does not contradict the meanings we mentioned above, because extreme cold weather, especially when accompanied by snow, burns plants and produce, and has the same effect fire has on such growth. أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ ( It struck the harvest of a people who did wrong against themselves and destroyed it ) 3:117, by burning.
This Ayah mentions a calamity that strikes produce that is ready to harvest, destroying it by burning and depriving its owner of it when he needs it the most.
Such is the case with the disbelievers, for Allah destroys the rewards for their good deeds in this life, just as He destroyed the produce of the sinner because of his sins.
Both types did not build their work on firm foundations, وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَـكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ( And Allah wronged them not, but they wronged themselves. )

Virtues of the People of the Scriptures Who Embrace Islam Muhammad bin Ishaq and others, including Al-Awfi who reported it from Ibn Abbas, said;"These Ayat were revealed about the clergy of the People of the Scriptures who embraced the faith.
For instance, there is Abdullah bin Salam, Asad bin Ubayd, Tha`labah bin Sa`yah, Usayd bin Sa`yah, and so forth. This Ayah means that those among the People of the Book whom Allah rebuked earlier are not at all the same as those among them who embraced Islam.Hence Allah's statement, لَيْسُواْ سَوَاء ... Not all of them are alike."Therefore, these two types of people are not equal, and indeed, there are believers and also criminals among the People of the Book, just as Allah said, ...
مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَآئِمَةٌ ... a party of the People of the Scripture stand for the right,for they implement the Book of Allah, adhere to His Law and follow His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Therefore, this type is on the straight path, ...
يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللّهِ آنَاء اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ they recite the verses of Allah during the hours of the night, prostrating themselves in prayer.They often stand in prayer at night for Tahajjud, and recite the Qur'an in their prayer. يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ They believe in Allah and the Last Day; they enjoin Al-Ma`ruf and forbid Al-Munkar; and they hasten in ( all ) good works; and they are among the righteous.
( 3: 114 )This is the same type of people mentioned at the end of the Surah; وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَمَن يُؤْمِنُ بِاللّهِ وَمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَاشِعِينَ لِلّهِ And there are, certainly, among the People of the Scripture ( Jews and Christians ), those who believe in Allah and in that which has been revealed to you, and in that which has been revealed to them, humbling themselves before Allah.
( 3:199 )Allah said here, وَمَا يَفْعَلُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلَن يُكْفَرُوْهُ ... And whatever good they do, nothing will be rejected of them;meaning, their good deeds will not be lost with Allah.
Rather, He will award them the best rewards. ...
وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالْمُتَّقِينَ for Allah knows well the Muttaqin ( the pious ).for no deed performed by any person ever escapes His knowledge, nor is any reward for those who do good deeds ever lost with Him. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ... Surely, those who disbelieve,Allah mentions the disbelieving polytheists: ...
لَن تُغْنِيَ عَنْهُمْ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلاَدُهُم مِّنَ اللّهِ شَيْئًا ... neither their properties nor their offspring will avail them against Allah,meaning, nothing can avert Allah's torment and punishment from striking them. ...
وَأُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ They are the dwellers of the Fire, therein they will abide. The Parable of What the Disbelievers Spend in This Life Allah gave a parable for what the disbelievers spend in this life, as Mujahid, Al-Hasan and As-Suddi said. مَثَلُ مَا يُنْفِقُونَ فِى هِـذِهِ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ ( The likeness of what they spend in this world is the likeness of a wind of Sir; ) a frigid wind, as Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas and others have said.
`Ata' said that Sir, means, `cold and snow.' Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid are also reported to have said that Sir means, `fire'.
This latter meaning does not contradict the meanings we mentioned above, because extreme cold weather, especially when accompanied by snow, burns plants and produce, and has the same effect fire has on such growth. أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ ( It struck the harvest of a people who did wrong against themselves and destroyed it ) 3:117, by burning.
This Ayah mentions a calamity that strikes produce that is ready to harvest, destroying it by burning and depriving its owner of it when he needs it the most.
Such is the case with the disbelievers, for Allah destroys the rewards for their good deeds in this life, just as He destroyed the produce of the sinner because of his sins.
Both types did not build their work on firm foundations, وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَـكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ( And Allah wronged them not, but they wronged themselves. )

( Lo! the riches ) the abundance of riches ( and the progeny ) and the abundance of progeny ( of those who disbelieve ) in Muhammad and in the Qur’an, i.e. Ka’b [ Ibn al-Ashraf ] and his followers ( will not avail them aught against Allah ) will not avail them against the punishment of Allah; ( and such are rightful owners of the Fire ) the dwellers of hell. ( They will abide therein ) for ever.

Surely, those who reject Faith (disbelieve in Muhammad SAW as being Allah's Prophet and in all that which he has brought from Allah), neither their properties, nor their offspring will avail them aught against Allah. They are the dwellers of the Fire, therein they will abide. (Tafsir At-Tabari, Vol. 4, Page 58).

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