Tafseer of Jonas · Yunus · 10:108
Say, "O mankind, the truth has come to you from your Lord, so whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] his soul, and whoever goes astray only goes astray [in violation] against it. And I am not over you a manager."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the words of Allah the Exalted: قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَمَنِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِوَكِيلٍ (108)
Abū Jaʿfar says: Allah the Exalted addresses His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: "Say" — O Muḥammad — to the people: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَكُمُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ (O people, the Truth has come to you from your Lord) — that is to say: the Book of Allah, in which is the exposition of everything that people need in their religious affairs. فَمَنِ اهْتَدَى (So whoever follows the right path) — that is to say: whoever stands upright and walks the path of the Truth, and believes in what has come from Allah's side as an exposition. فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ (he follows the right path only to his own benefit) — that is to say: he stands upright upon the guidance and walks the straight path only for the benefit of himself; it is his own soul to which he procures good by doing that, and none other than it. وَمَنْ ضَلَّ (And whoever goes astray) — that is to say: whoever deviates from the Truth that has come to him from Allah's side, and contradicts his religion, and that with which Muḥammad ﷺ was sent and the Book that was revealed to him. فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا (he goes astray only to his own detriment) — that is to say: that going astray indeed affects only himself, not another, for another is not held to account for it, and by his going astray no one else is brought to ruin but himself. And no soul bears the burden of another soul. وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِوَكِيلٍ (And I am not appointed over you as a guardian) — that is to say: I am not appointed over you as one who has authority to set you right; for your affair rests with Allah, and it is He who sets right whomever He wills among you. I am only a messenger who conveys: I deliver to you what has been sent to you through me.
