6:48

وَمَا نُرۡسِلُ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَۖ فَمَنۡ ءَامَنَ وَأَصۡلَحَ فَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُونَ

Wama nursilu almursaleena illa mubashshireena wamunthireena faman amana waaslaha fala khawfun AAalayhim wala hum yahzanoona

And We send not the messengers except as bringers of good tidings and warners. So whoever believes and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.

Word by word
  1. وَمَاAnd not
  2. نُرۡسِلُWe send
  3. ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَthe Messengers
  4. إِلَّاexcept
  5. مُبَشِّرِينَ(as) bearer of glad tidings
  6. وَمُنذِرِينَۖand (as) warners
  7. فَمَنۡSo whoever
  8. ءَامَنَbelieved
  9. وَأَصۡلَحَand reformed
  10. فَلَاthen no
  11. خَوۡفٌfear
  12. عَلَيۡهِمۡupon them
  13. وَلَاand not
  14. هُمۡthey
  15. يَحۡزَنُونَwill grieve
Al-An'am · 6:48Makkah

Believe and set things right: no fear, no grief.

The two-part job of every messenger


Why messengers came
good newsfor the righteous
warningfor those who deny
whoever
believes and reformsheart and deeds
What you receive
no fearabout the future
no grieffor what you left behind

Ibn Kathir says messengers brought good news and warnings. Whoever believes in his heart and makes his deeds right by following them, has no fear about the future and no grief for what he left behind, for Allah will look after what they leave.

You worry about your kids' future if something happens to you. You grieve the years you wasted before you got serious. The verse speaks to both: believe, and keep fixing what you can. Allah takes care of the rest.

I will always worry about the future and regret the past.

Faith with good deeds lifts both fear of the future and grief over the past.

Try this

Write one worry about your family's future. Hand it to Allah in dua tonight.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 6:46)

Say: "Tell me, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight, and sealed up your hearts, is there a god other than Allah who could restore them to you?" See how variously We explain the Ayat, yet they turn aside (46)Say: "Tell me, if the punishment of Allah comes to you suddenly, or openly, will any be destroyed except the wrongdoing people? (47)And We send not the Messengers but as givers of glad tidings and as warners. So whosoever believes and does righteous good deeds, upon such shall come no fear, nor shall they grieve (48)But those who reject Our Ayat, the torment will strike them for their rebelling (49)

Allah said to His Messenger, say, O Muhammad ﷺ, to those rebellious liars,

أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ سَمْعَكُمْ وَأَبْصَارَكُمْ

(Tell me, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight.) just as He gave these senses to you. In another Ayah, Allah said;

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَكُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ 

(It is He Who has created you, and endowed you with hearing, seeing.)[67:23].

The Ayah above might also mean that Allah will not allow the disbelievers to benefit from these senses in religious terms. This is why He said next,

وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِكُم

(and sealed up your hearts,.) He also said in other Ayat,

أَمَّن يَمْلِكُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ

(Or who owns hearing and sight)[10:31], and,

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ

(And know that Allah comes in between a person and his heart.)[8:24] Allah said;

مَّنْ إِلَٰهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُم بِهِ

(Is there a god other than Allah who could restore them to you?) Meaning, is there anyone except Allah who is able to give you back these senses if Allah took them from you? Only Allah is able to do so, and this is why He said here,

انظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ

(See how variously We explain the Ayat,) and make them plain and clear, testifying to Allah's Oneness in lordship and that those worshipped besides Him are all false and unworthy.

ثُمَّ هُمْ يَصْدِفُونَ

(yet they turn aside.) After this explanation, they still turn away from the truth and hinder people from following it. Allah's statement,

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُ اللَّهِ بَغْتَةً

(Say: "Tell me, if the punishment of Allah comes to you suddenly...") means, while you are unaware – or during the night – striking you all of a sudden,

أَوْ جَهْرَةً

(or openly) during the day, or publicly,

هَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

(will any be destroyed except the wrongdoing people)

This torment only strikes those who commit injustice against themselves by associating others with Allah, while those who worship Allah alone without partners will be saved from it, and they will have no fear or sorrow. In another Ayah, Allah said;

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُم بِظُلْمٍ

(It is those who believe and confuse not their belief with Zulm, (wrong or Shirk).)[6:82] Allah's statement,

وَمَا نُرْسِلُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ

(And We send not the Messengers but as bearers of glad tidings and as warners.) means, the Messengers bring good news to Allah's servants, as well as, command all that is good and righteous. They also warn those who disbelieve in Allah of His anger and of all types of torment. Allah said,

فَمَنْ آمَنَ وَأَصْلَحَ

(So whosoever believes and does righteous good deeds.) meaning, whoever believes in his heart with what the Messengers were sent with and makes his works righteous by imitating them;

فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ

(upon such shall come no fear,) concerning the future,

وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

(nor shall they grieve.) about what they missed in the past and left behind them in this world. Certainly, Allah will be the Wali and Protector over what they left behind. Allah said next,

وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَمَسُّهُمُ الْعَذَابُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ

(But those who reject Our Ayat, the torment will strike them for their rebelling.)

The torment will strike them because of disbelieving in the Message of the Messengers, defying Allah's commands, committing what He prohibited and transgressing His set limits.