29:6

وَمَن جَٰهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَٰهِدُ لِنَفۡسِهِۦٓۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ

Waman jahada fainnama yujahidu linafsihi inna Allaha laghaniyyun AAani alAAalameena

And whoever strives only strives for [the benefit of] himself. Indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds.

Word by word
  1. وَمَنAnd whoever
  2. جَٰهَدَstrives
  3. فَإِنَّمَاthen only
  4. يُجَٰهِدُhe strives
  5. لِنَفۡسِهِۦٓۚfor himself
  6. إِنَّIndeed
  7. ٱللَّهَAllah
  8. لَغَنِيٌّ(is) Free from need
  9. عَنِof
  10. ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَthe worlds
Al-'Ankabut · 29:6Makkah

Your striving is for you, not for Him.

Allah does not need your effort


Where the effort goes
you strivepatience, prayer, good
returns to
yourselfthe whole benefit
Who gains
I do Allah a favorHe owes me
Allah is free of needthe gain is all mine

Believers in Makkah were paying a high price for their faith. Ibn Kathir explains that the benefit of every good deed comes back to the doer. Even if everyone were as pious as the most pious person, it would add nothing to Allah's dominion.

You wake for Fajr in a cold room and feel a bit proud, like you have given something. Or you resent it, like a tax. Neither is quite right. The effort is building you. You are the one who walks away richer.

My worship is something I give to Allah.

My worship is something Allah gives me the chance to gain from.

Try this

During one prayer today, think: this is for me, and thank Allah for letting me do it.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 29:5)

Whoever hopes in meeting with Allah, then Allah's term is surely coming, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower (5)And whosoever strives, he strives only for himself. Verily, Allah stands not in need of any of the creatures (6)Those who believe, and do righteous good deeds, surely, We shall expiate from them their evil deeds and We shall indeed reward them according to the best of that which they used to do (7)

Allah will fulfill the Hopes of the Righteous

Allah's saying;

مَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ

(Whoever hopes in meeting with Allah,) means, in the Hereafter, and does righteous deeds, and hopes for a great reward with Allah, then Allah will fulfill his hopes and reward him for his deeds in full. This will undoubtedly come to pass, for He is the One Who hears all supplications, He knows and understands the needs of all created beings. Allah says:

مَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو لِقَاءَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ لَآتٍ ۚ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ 

(Whoever hopes in meeting with Allah, then Allah's term is surely coming, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.)

وَمَنْ جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ ۚ 

(And whosoever strives, he strives only for himself.) This is like the Ayah,

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِنَفْسِهِ ۖ 

(Whosoever does righteous good deed, it is for himself)(41:46). Whoever does a righteous deed, the benefit of that deed will come back to him, for Allah has no need of the deeds of His servants, and even if all of them were to be as pious as the most pious man among them, that would not add to His dominion in the slightest. Allah says:

وَمَنْ جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ 

(And whosoever strives, he strives only for himself. Verily, Allah stands not in need of any of the creatures.) Then Allah tells us that even though He has no need of His creatures, He is kind and generous to them. He will still give to those who believe and do righteous deeds the best of rewards, which is that He will expiate for them their bad deeds, and will reward them according to the best deeds that they did. He will accept the fewest good deeds and in return for one good deed will give anything between ten rewards and seven hundred, but for every bad deed, He will give only one evil merit, or even that He may overlook and forgive. This is like the Ayah,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ ۖ وَإِنْ تَكُ حَسَنَةً يُضَاعِفْهَا وَيُؤْتِ مِنْ لَدُنْهُ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا 

(Surely, Allah wrongs not even the weight of a speck of dust, but if there is any good, He doubles it, and gives from Him a great reward.)(4:40). And He says here:

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَنُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَحْسَنَ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

(Those who believe, and do righteous good deeds, surely, We shall expiate from them their evil deeds and We shall indeed reward them according to the best of that which they used to do.)