Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:286
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people."
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 does not burden any soul beyond its capacity; for it is what it has acquired, and against it is what it has earned.
Exposition of the interpretation of the word of Allah the Exalted: لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلا وُسْعَهَا (Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity) (2:286):
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah — exalted be His praise — means by this: Allah does not burden any soul and obligates it only with what it is able to bear — He does not constrain it nor exhaust it.
We have already explained earlier that "al-wusʿ" is a noun derived from the expression "wasiʿanī hādhā al-amr" (this matter suits me), just as "al-juhd" and "al-wajd" are derived from "jahadanī" and "wajadtu minhu".
6502 — Al-Muthanná related to me, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning "Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity": he said: these are the believers — Allah has made their religious affair spacious and said: وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ (22:78), and said: يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ (2:185), and said: فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ (64:16).
6503 — Al-Qāsim related to us, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: he said: when it was revealed, the believers raised a great clamor and said: "O Messenger of Allah, we can repent of the deeds of the hand, the foot, and the tongue — how are we to repent of inner promptings? How can we prevent them?" Thereupon Jibrīl ﷺ brought this verse: "Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity" — you cannot hold back the promptings.
6504 — Mūsā related to me, on the authority of al-Suddī: "Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity" — its capacity: its bearing-power. And the inner speech was something they could not bear.
Exposition of the interpretation of the words لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ (for it is what it has acquired, and against it is what it has earned):
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah — exalted be His praise — means by "lahā" (for it): for the soul of which He has informed that He burdens it only according to its capacity. He says: every soul has what it has prepared and done of good — "wa-ʿalayhā" — that is: and against every soul is — "mā iktasabat" — what it has performed of evil.
6505 — Bishr related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning "Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity — for it is what it has acquired" — that is: of good — "and against it is what it has earned" — that is: of evil — or he said: of bad.
6506 — Mūsā related to me, on the authority of al-Suddī: "for it is what it has acquired" — that is: what it has done of good — "and against it is what it has earned" — that is: and against it is what it has done of evil.
6507 — It has been related to me from ʿAmmār, on the authority of Qatāda — the like of this.
6508 — Al-Qāsim related to us, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "for it is what it has acquired, and against it is what it has earned" — the deed of the hand, the foot, and the tongue.
Abū Jaʿfar said: the interpretation of the verse, then, is: Allah does not burden any soul except with what it can bear — He does not exhaust it nor constrain it in its religious affair; He does not call it to account for an intention if it has one, nor for a prompting if it befalls it, nor for a thought that arises in its heart.
Exposition of the interpretation of the words رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا (our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or err):
Abū Jaʿfar said: this is an instruction from Allah — mighty and majestic — to His believing servants: how they are to supplicate Him and what they are to say in their supplication. The meaning is: say: "our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget" something which You imposed upon us to do but we did not do it — "or if we err" in performing something which You forbade us to do but we did it, without thereby intending Your disobedience, but through ignorance and mistake.
6509 — Yūnus related to me, on the authority of Ibn Zayd, concerning "our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or err": if we forget something of what You imposed upon us, or if we err and commit something of what You forbade us.
6510 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: it has been related to me that the Prophet ﷺ said: Allah — mighty and majestic — has pardoned this community for its errors and for what its souls have prompted to themselves.
6511 — Mūsā related to me, on the authority of al-Suddī: it is related that when this verse was revealed — "our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or err" — Jibrīl ﷺ said to him: say that, O Muḥammad.
Abū Jaʿfar said: Should someone ask: is it then permissible that Allah — mighty and majestic — should call His servants to account for what they forgot or erred in, such that they ask Him not to do so?
It is said: "forgetting" has two meanings. The first is forgetting as a result of the servant's negligence and shortcoming. The second is forgetting as a result of incapacity to preserve what is entrusted to him and the weakness of his mind to bear it.
The forgetting that consists of negligence and shortcoming is an omission of what he was commanded to do. That is the forgetting for which the servant supplicates Allah not to call him to account — and it is the "forgetting" for which Allah ﷺ punished Adam and expelled him from Paradise: وَلَقَدْ عَهِدْنَا إِلَى آدَمَ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَنَسِيَ وَلَمْ نَجِدْ لَهُ عَزْمًا (20:115). And the "forgetting" meant in: فَالْيَوْمَ نَنْسَاهُمْ كَمَا نَسُوا لِقَاءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَذَا (7:51). The servant's supplication to Allah by saying "our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or err" applies to this kind of forgetting in which he omitted what he was commanded — unless his omission had the character of unbelief; then the supplication not to be called to account is not permissible, for Allah has informed His servants that He does not forgive them polytheism, and to ask Him to do something which He has already informed them He does not do is an error.
The forgetting for which the servant is not called to account — on account of his incapacity to preserve it and the slight bearing-power of his mind — is for the servant no transgression; he is not guilty by it. For that, a supplication to his Lord for forgiveness has no point, for he asks Him to forgive what is no sin of his.
Likewise "erring" has two meanings: the first is when the servant does something forbidden to him deliberately and intentionally — that is an error for which he is called to account. The second is when it is out of ignorance and the supposition that this is permissible for him — like one who eats during Ramadan at night thinking that the dawn has not yet broken, or one who delays a prayer in cloudy weather while awaiting the time for his delay upon the entry of the prayer-time, and the prayer-time passes while he thought it had not yet entered. That kind of error is lifted from the servant — Allah — mighty and majestic — has lifted from His servants the guilt for it.
Some have said that the servant's supplication to his Lord not to call him to account for what he forgot or erred in is merely the doing of what his Lord commanded him or urged him to of humility and submissiveness — but on the level of asking Him for forgiveness itself, they see no ground for it.
Exposition of the interpretation of the words رَبَّنَا وَلا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا (our Lord, do not lay upon us a heavy burden as You laid it upon those before us):
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah — exalted be His praise — means by this: say: "our Lord, do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr" — by "al-iṣr" He means the covenant (ʿahd), as He has said: قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكُمْ إِصْرِي (3:81). And what is meant by "do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr" is: do not lay upon us a covenant which we are not able to fulfill — "as You laid it upon those before us" — that is: upon the Jews and Christians, who were imposed certain obligations and from whom covenants and oaths were taken to fulfill them, but who did not fulfill them and were swiftly punished. Allah — mighty and majestic — taught the community of Muḥammad ﷺ how they should beseech Him not to lay upon them similar covenants and oaths — should they neglect them or commit a fault in them or forget them — like that which was laid upon those before them so that there befell them what befell them.
6512 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: "do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr" — that is: a covenant and an oath, as You laid it upon those before us. He says: as it was made heavy upon those before us.
6513 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning "do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr": he said: a covenant.
6514 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning "ʿiṣran": he said: a covenant.
6515 — Al-Muthanná related to me, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning "ʿiṣran": he said: a covenant.
6516 — Mūsā related to me, on the authority of al-Suddī: "our Lord, do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr as You laid it upon those before us" — and al-iṣr: the covenant that was laid upon those before us of the Jews.
6517 — Al-Qāsim related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj: "do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr" — a covenant which we cannot bear nor fulfill — "as You laid it upon those before us" — the Jews and Christians who did not fulfill it, whereupon You destroyed them.
6518 — Yaḥyā ibn Abī Ṭālib related to me, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: "ʿiṣran" — he said: the oaths.
6519 — Al-Muthanná related to me, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: "al-iṣr" — the covenant.
6520 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكُمْ إِصْرِي : he said: My covenant.
Others said: the meaning is: do not lay upon us sins and guilt as You laid them upon the former peoples, so that You do not transform us into apes and swine as You transformed them.
6521 — Saʿīd ibn ʿAmr al-Sakūnī related to me, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, concerning "do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr as You laid it upon those before us": he said: do not transform us into apes and swine.
6522 — Yūnus related to me, on the authority of Ibn Zayd: "our Lord, do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr as You laid it upon those before us" — do not lay upon us a sin for which there is no repentance and no atonement.
Others said: the meaning of "al-iṣr" with a kasra under the hamza is: the burden.
6523 — It has been related to me from ʿAmmār, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, concerning "our Lord, do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr as You laid it upon those before us": he said: the severity which You made severe upon those before us of the People of the Book.
6524 — Yūnus related to me — I asked him, that is Mālik — about His words "do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr": he said: al-iṣr is a heavy command.
Abū Jaʿfar said: As for "al-aṣr" — with a fatḥa under the hamza — that is: what draws a man toward another by blood-tie or kinship; one says: "an āṣira of blood-tie binds me to so-and-so" with the meaning: it draws me toward him.
Exposition of the interpretation of the words رَبَّنَا وَلا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ (our Lord, do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear):
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah — exalted be His praise — means by this: say also: our Lord, do not obligate us with such of the obligations as we are not able to fulfill on account of the heaviness of its burden for us.
6525 — Bishr related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: "our Lord, do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear" — a severity made severe, as it was made severe upon those before you.
6526 — Yaḥyā ibn Abī Ṭālib related to me, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning "do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear": he said: do not obligate us with such of the obligations as we cannot bear.
6527 — Yūnus related to me, on the authority of Ibn Zayd: "our Lord, do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear" — do not lay upon us in religion what we cannot bear, so that we fall short in it.
6528 — Al-Qāsim related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj: "do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear" — the transformation into apes and swine.
6529 — Salām ibn Sālim al-Khuzāʿī related to me, on the authority of Sālim ibn Shābūr, concerning "our Lord, do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear": he said: the sexual urge.
6530 — Mūsā related to me, on the authority of al-Suddī: "our Lord, do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear" — of the severity and the fetters that lay upon them of the prohibitions.
Abū Jaʿfar said: the reason why we give the interpretation of: do not obligate us with such of the obligations as we cannot fulfill — in the manner we have described — is that it follows upon the supplication of the believers to their Lord not to call them to account if they forget or err, and not to lay upon them an ʿiṣr as He laid it upon those before them. That joining to the meaning of what precedes it in their supplication for relief in religion is more fitting than a divergent meaning.
Exposition of the interpretation of the words وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا (and pardon us and forgive us):
Abū Jaʿfar said: in this too — in the word of Allah — mighty and majestic — which reports of the believers and their supplication therein — is the clear indication that they besought Him to lighten His obligations upon them by His words "do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear" — for they followed that with their words "pardon us" — a supplication to their Lord to pardon any shortcoming on their part in some of His obligations and to treat them with His forgiveness for it and not to punish them for it — even if what He has imposed upon them of obligations is light for their bodies.
6531 — Yūnus related to me, on the authority of Ibn Zayd, concerning "pardon us": he said: pardon us if we have fallen short in something of Your command with which You commanded us.
Likewise His words "and forgive us" mean: cover for us a stumbling if we commit it in our relation to You, that You not lay it bare and disgrace us by making it public.
6532 — Yūnus related to me, on the authority of Ibn Zayd: "and forgive us" — if we have transgressed something of what You forbade us.
Exposition of the interpretation of the words وَارْحَمْنَا (and have mercy upon us):
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah — exalted be His praise — means by this: envelop us with a mercy from You that saves us from Your punishment — for no one is saved from Your punishment except by Your mercy, and our works do not save us if You do not treat us with mercy — so bring us into accord with what pleases You concerning us.
6533 — Yūnus related to me, on the authority of Ibn Zayd, concerning "and have mercy upon us": he said: this means: we do not attain the carrying out of what You have commanded us and the abandoning of what You have forbidden us except by Your mercy. And no one is saved except by Your mercy.
Exposition of the interpretation of the words أَنْتَ مَوْلانَا فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ (You are our Protector — so help us against the unbelieving people) (2:286):
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah — exalted be His praise — means by "anta mawlānā": You are our Protector through Your help, above whoever is hostile to You and disbelieves in You — for we believe in You and obey You in what You have commanded us and forbidden us. You are the Protector of whoever obeys You and the enemy of whoever disbelieves in You and disobeys You. "Fānṣurnā" — for we are Your party — "ʿalā al-qawm al-kāfirīn" — those who denied Your oneness and worshipped idols and equals besides You and obeyed the Devil in disobedience to You.
The word "al-mawlā" here is on the "mafʿal" pattern, from: "waliya fulānun amra fulānin fahwa yalīhī walāyatan fa-huwa waliyyuhū wa-mawlāhu" (someone manages the affair of another — he is his friend and protector). The yāʾ of "waliya" became an alif because of the fatḥa preceding it upon the ʿayn of the noun.
It is related that when Allah — mighty and majestic — sent down this verse upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited it, Allah answered him in all of that.
Mention of the reports that have come concerning this:
6534 — Al-Muthanná ibn Ibrāhīm and Muḥammad ibn Khalaf related to me, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: he said: when this verse was revealed — آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنـزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ — the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited it. When he reached His words غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا , Allah — mighty and majestic — said: "I have forgiven you." When he recited: رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا , Allah — mighty and majestic — said: "I will not call you to account for it." When he recited: وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا , Allah — exalted be He — said: "I have forgiven you." When he recited: وَارْحَمْنَا , Allah — mighty and majestic — said: "I have had mercy upon you." When he recited: "and help us against the unbelieving people", Allah — mighty and majestic — said: "I have helped you against them."
6535 — Yaḥyā ibn Abī Ṭālib related to me, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: he said: Jibrīl came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "O Muḥammad, say: رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا " — he said it and Jibrīl said: "He has done it." And Jibrīl said to him: "say: رَبَّنَا وَلا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا " — he said it and Jibrīl said: "He has done it." And he said: "say: رَبَّنَا وَلا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ " — he said it and Jibrīl ﷺ said: "He has done it." And he said: "say: 'and pardon us and forgive us and have mercy upon us, You are our Protector, so help us against the unbelieving people'" — he said it and Jibrīl said: "He has done it."
6536 — Mūsā related to me, on the authority of al-Suddī: it is related that when this verse was revealed — رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا — Jibrīl said to him: "Allah has done this, O Muḥammad" — "our Lord, do not lay upon us an ʿiṣr as You laid it upon those before us; our Lord, do not burden us with what we have no strength to bear; and pardon us and forgive us and have mercy upon us, You are our Protector, so help us against the unbelieving people" — and Jibrīl said to him at each of these: "Allah has done this, O Muḥammad."
6537 — Abū Kurayb related to us, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: he said: Allah — mighty and majestic — sent down: "The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord" up to His words: رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا — he recited: "our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or err" — and Allah said: "I have done it." رَبَّنَا وَلا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا — He said: "I have done it." رَبَّنَا وَلا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ — He said: "I have done it." "And pardon us and forgive us and have mercy upon us, You are our Protector, so help us against the unbelieving people" — He said: "I have done it." This community has been given the closing verses of sūrat al-Baqara — not given to the former peoples.
6538 — Abū Kurayb related to us, on the authority of Abū Hurayra: he said: Allah — mighty and majestic — sent down: رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا — his father said: Abū Hurayra said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Allah — mighty and majestic — said: yes."
6539 — Ibn Bashshār related to us, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr: لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلا وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا — and he said: "I have done it." رَبَّنَا وَلا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا — and he said: "I have done it." This community has been given the closing verses of sūrat al-Baqara — not given to the former peoples.
6540 — ʿAlī ibn Ḥarb al-Mawṣilī related to us, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the word of Allah: آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنـزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ up to His words: غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا — He said: "I have forgiven you." لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلا وُسْعَهَا up to His words: لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا — He said: "I do not call you to account for it." رَبَّنَا وَلا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا — He said: "I do not lay it upon you." Up to His words: "and pardon us and forgive us and have mercy upon us, You are our Protector" — to the end of the sūra — He said: "I have forgiven you, pardoned you, and shown you mercy, and helped you against the unbelieving people."
It is related from al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn Muzāḥim that Allah's answering was specific to the Prophet ﷺ:
6541 — It has been related to me from al-Ḥusayn, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning رَبَّنَا لا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا : Jibrīl ﷺ said to him: ask! And the Prophet of Allah asked his Lord — exalted be His praise — and He answered him; it was specific to the Prophet ﷺ.
6542 — Al-Muthanná ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq: that Muʿādh, when he finished this sūra — "and help us against the unbelieving people" — would say "āmīn".
End of the exposition of sūrat al-Baqara.
