Tafseer of The Bee · An-Nahl · 16:25
That they may bear their own burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection and some of the burdens of those whom they misguide without knowledge. Unquestionably, evil is that which they bear.
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.
Allah, exalted be His praise, says: these polytheists say, to whoever asks them, "What has your Lord sent down?" — "What our Lord has sent down, according to what Muḥammad claims about Him: the fables of the ancients (asāṭīr al-awwalīn)" — this is so that the sins in which they persist may be fully charged against them: the denial of Allah and the disbelief in what was sent down upon His Messenger ﷺ; and so that the sins of those whom they turn away from belief in Allah may also be reckoned against them — they lead them astray and seduce them without knowledge. The words أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ — He says: know: how evil is the sin they commit and the burden they load upon themselves.
This is nearly also what the exegetes said on this matter.
Mention of who said this:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the words لِيَحْمِلُوا أَوْزَارَهُمْ كَامِلَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ — and of the burdens of those whom they have misled: that they bear the sins of themselves and the sins of whoever obeys them, while that lightens nothing of the punishment of whoever obeys them.
Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid. Identical, except that he said: "and of the burdens of those whom they mislead: the bearing of the sins of themselves." The rest of the narration is identical.
Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shubl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — and al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Isḥāq informed us, saying: ʿAbdullāh related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: لِيَحْمِلُوا أَوْزَارَهُمْ كَامِلَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَمِنْ أَوْزَارِ الَّذِينَ يُضِلُّونَهُمْ — he said: they bear the sins of themselves and the sins of whoever obeys them, while that lightens nothing of the punishment of whoever obeys them.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, identical.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: لِيَحْمِلُوا أَوْزَارَهُمْ كَامِلَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ — that is to say: their sins and the sins of those whom they mislead without knowledge. أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ .
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words لِيَحْمِلُوا أَوْزَارَهُمْ كَامِلَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَمِنْ أَوْزَارِ الَّذِينَ يُضِلُّونَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ : he said: they bear their sins — and that is equivalent to the words وَأَثْقَالًا مَعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ (and burdens along with their own burdens): he says: they bear, on top of their own sins, the sins of those whom they mislead without knowledge.
Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Isḥāq informed us, saying: ʿAbdullāh ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: لِيَحْمِلُوا أَوْزَارَهُمْ كَامِلَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَمِنْ أَوْزَارِ الَّذِينَ يُضِلُّونَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ — he said: the Prophet ﷺ said: "Every caller who calls to a misguidance and is followed — he bears a burden equal to the burdens of whoever followed him, without anything of their burdens being diminished thereby; and every caller who calls to guidance and is followed — he has a reward equal to the rewards of whoever followed him, without anything of their rewards being diminished thereby."
Al-Muthanná related to me, saying: Suwayd informed us, saying: Ibn al-Mubārak informed us, on the authority of a man, who said: Zayd ibn Aslam said: "It reached him that the good deed of the disbeliever appears to him in the form of the ugliest of what Allah has created in features and the foulest in odor. It sits beside him; whenever something frightens him, it increases his fright, and whenever he fears something, it increases his fear. He says: 'What an evil companion you are! Who are you?' It answers: 'Do you not know me?' He says: 'No.' It says: 'I am your good deed. It was ugly, and so you see me ugly; it was foul, and so you see me foul. Bow down to me so that I may ride upon you — for long enough did I ride upon you in the worldly life.' So it rides upon him — and that is the meaning of لِيَحْمِلُوا أَوْزَارَهُمْ كَامِلَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ."