فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لَكَ فَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ ۚ وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ 50
Translations
But if they do not respond to you - then know that they only follow their [own] desires. And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allāh? Indeed, Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Transliteration
Fa-in lam yastajiboo laka fa'alam annamaa yattabi'oon ahwaa'ahum wa man adalla mimman ittaba'a hawahu bighayri hudan min-Allah. Inna-Allah la yahdee al-qawm adh-dhalimeen.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) regarding those who reject his message, stating that their refusal stems from following their desires rather than divine guidance. The verse poses a rhetorical question emphasizing that no one is more misguided than those who abandon God's guidance to pursue their whims, concluding that Allah does not guide those who willfully commit injustice (dhulm) by rejecting truth. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize this reflects the principle of divine justice: those who deliberately turn away from guidance through arrogance and desire are abandoned to their misguidance as a consequence of their own choice.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Qasas, a Meccan surah addressing the early Muslim community facing rejection from the Quraysh. It contextualizes the response to the pagans' refusal to accept the Quranic message, emphasizing that such rejection results from preferring worldly desires over divine truth. The surah uses historical narratives to illustrate the consequences of following desires versus following prophetic guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who have the best character/manners' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3662), relating to choosing guidance over desires. Additionally, 'Whoever follows their desires instead of knowledge will be misguided' reflects the theme found in various collections of prophetic traditions addressing this principle.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that misguidance is often a consequence of choosing personal desires over objective truth—a lesson relevant to modern believers who face countless temptations. It reminds us that sincere seeking of knowledge and willingness to submit to divine guidance are prerequisites for spiritual success, while arrogance and attachment to desires create barriers that even divine signs cannot penetrate.
Related Ayahs
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍۭ بَطِرَتْ مَعِيشَتَهَا ۖ فَتِلْكَ مَسَـٰكِنُهُمْ لَمْ تُسْكَن مِّنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ۖ وَكُنَّا نَحْنُ ٱلْوَٰرِثِينَ
And how many a city have We destroyed that was insolent in its [way of] living, and those are their dwellings which have not been inhabited after them except briefly. And it is We who were the inheritors.
وَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ ۘ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُۥ ۚ لَهُ ٱلْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
And do not invoke with Allāh another deity. There is no deity except Him. Everything will be destroyed except His Face. His is the judgement, and to Him you will be returned.
وَإِذَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦٓ إِنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلِهِۦ مُسْلِمِينَ
And when it is recited to them, they say, "We have believed in it; indeed, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed we were, [even] before it, Muslims [i.e., submitting to Allāh]."
مَن جَآءَ بِٱلْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُۥ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهَا ۖ وَمَن جَآءَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgement] with a good deed will have better than it; and whoever comes with an evil deed - then those who did evil deeds will not be recompensed except [as much as] what they used to do.