53:28

وَمَا لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنۡ عِلۡمٍۖ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّۖ وَإِنَّ ٱلظَّنَّ لَا يُغۡنِي مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ شَيۡـٔٗا

Wama lahum bihi min AAilmin in yattabiAAoona illa alththanna wainna alththanna la yughnee mina alhaqqi shayan

And they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except assumption, and indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all.

Word by word
  1. وَمَاAnd not
  2. لَهُمfor them
  3. بِهِۦabout it
  4. مِنۡany
  5. عِلۡمٍۖknowledge
  6. إِنNot
  7. يَتَّبِعُونَthey follow
  8. إِلَّاbut
  9. ٱلظَّنَّۖassumption
  10. وَإِنَّAnd indeed
  11. ٱلظَّنَّthe assumption
  12. لَا(does) not
  13. يُغۡنِيavail
  14. مِنَagainst
  15. ٱلۡحَقِّthe truth
  16. شَيۡـٔٗاanything
An-Najm · 53:28Makkah

Guessing never takes the place of truth.

No knowledge, only assumption


What they had
knowledgenone
assumptionall they followed
against
the truthavails nothing against it
The weight of a guess
a confident guessfeels like knowing
worth nothingnext to the truth

Ibn Kathir says conjecture is of no benefit and never takes the place of truth. He quotes the Prophet ﷺ: Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most lying speech.

Your colleague did not reply to your message, and in your head a whole story builds: they are angry, they dislike you, they are plotting. It is all a guess. A guess, however detailed, is still not the truth.

I am pretty sure, so it is basically true.

A guess, however confident, is worth nothing against the truth.

Try this

Catch one assumption you make about someone today and ask them instead.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 53:27)

Verily, those who believe not in the Hereafter, name the angels with female names (27)But they have no knowledge thereof. They follow but conjecture, and verily, conjecture is no substitute for the truth (28)Therefore withdraw from him who turns away from Our Reminder and desires nothing but the life of this world (29)That is what they could reach of knowledge. Verily, your Lord is He, Who knows best him who goes astray from His path, and He knows best him who receives guidance (30)

Refuting the Claim of the Idolators that the Angels are Allah's Daughters

Allah the Exalted admonishes the idolators for calling the angels female names and claiming that they are Allah's daughters. Allah is far removed from what they ascribe to Him. Allah the Exalted said in another Ayah,

وَجَعَلُوا الْمَلَائِكَةَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عِبَادُ الرَّحْمَٰنِ إِنَاثًا ۚ أَشَهِدُوا خَلْقَهُمْ ۚ سَتُكْتَبُ شَهَادَتُهُمْ وَيُسْأَلُونَ

(And they make females the angels, who themselves are servants of the Most Gracious. Did they witness their creation? Their testimony will be recorded, and they will be questioned!)(43:19) Allah's statement here,

وَمَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ ۖ 

(But they have no knowledge thereof.) meaning, they have no correct knowledge testifying to their statements. What they say is all lies, falsehood, fake and utter atheism,

إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ ۖ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا

(They follow but conjecture, and verily, conjecture is no substitute for the truth.) meaning, conjecture is of no benefit and never takes the place of truth. In a Hadith recorded in the Sahih, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

إِيَّاكُمْ وَالظَّنَّ، فَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ أَكْذَبُ الْحَدِيثِ

(Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the most lying speech.)

The Necessity of turning away from the People of Misguidance

Allah's statement,

فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْ مَنْ تَوَلَّىٰ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا

(Therefore withdraw from him who turns away from Our Reminder), means, stay away from those who turn away from the Truth and shun them,

وَلَمْ يُرِدْ إِلَّا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا

(and desires nothing but the life of this world.) meaning, whose aim and knowledge are concentrated on this life; this is the goal of those who have no goodness in them,

ذَٰلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ ۚ 

(That is what they could reach of knowledge.) meaning, seeking this life and striving hard in its affairs is the best knowledge they have acquired.

There is also the reported supplication:

اللّٰهُمَّ لَا تَجْعَلِ الدُّنْيَا أَكْبَرَ هَمِّنَا، وَلَا مَبْلَغَ عِلْمِنَا

(O Allah! Make not this life the greatest of our concerns nor the best knowledge that we can attain.) Allah's statement,

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ

(Verily, your Lord is He, Who knows best him who goes astray from His path, and He knows best him who receives guidance.) meaning, He is the Creator of all creatures and He knows whatever benefits His servants. Allah is the One Who guides whom He wills and misguides whom He wills, and all of this indicates His power, knowledge and wisdom. Certainly, He is Just and never legislates or decrees unjustly.