42:46

وَمَا كَانَ لَهُم مِّنۡ أَوۡلِيَآءَ يَنصُرُونَهُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِۗ وَمَن يُضۡلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن سَبِيلٍ

Wama kana lahum min awliyaa yansuroonahum min dooni Allahi waman yudlili Allahu fama lahu min sabeelin

And there will not be for them any allies to aid them other than Allah. And whoever Allah sends astray - for him there is no way.

Word by word
  1. وَمَاAnd not
  2. كَانَwill be
  3. لَهُمfor them
  4. مِّنۡany
  5. أَوۡلِيَآءَprotector
  6. يَنصُرُونَهُم(who) will help them
  7. مِّنbesides
  8. دُونِbesides
  9. ٱللَّهِۗAllah
  10. وَمَنAnd whom
  11. يُضۡلِلِAllah lets go astray
  12. ٱللَّهُAllah lets go astray
  13. فَمَاthen not
  14. لَهُۥfor him
  15. مِنany
  16. سَبِيلٍway
Ash-Shuraa · 42:46Makkah

No helper other than Allah will stand for them.

Every backup besides Allah falls away


Who comes to help
allies and patronsrelied on in life
on that Day
none appearno one to save
Where real help is
my people will cover meconnections solve everything
only Allah helpsbuild on that now

The Quraysh leaned on tribe, alliances and idols. Ibn Kathir explains that on that Day no one will save them from what they face, and whoever Allah lets go astray has no way to salvation.

You know a person in every office. A cousin in HR, a friend at the bank. It feels like a safety net for anything. Connections help here, but they are not who you will stand with on the last Day.

As long as I have the right people, I am covered.

Every helper but Allah eventually steps back. My real backing is my relationship with Him.

Try this

Next time you reach for a contact to solve a problem, make a short dua first.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 42:44)

And whomsoever Allah sends astray, for him there is no protector after Him. And you will see the wrongdoers, when they behold the torment, they will say: "Is there any way of return? (44)And you will see them brought forward to it (Hell) made humble by disgrace, (and) looking with stealthy glance. And those who believe will say: "Verily, the losers are they who lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection." Verily, the wrongdoers will be in a lasting torment (45)And they will have no protectors to help them other than Allah. And he whom Allah sends astray, for him there is no way (46)

The State of the Wrongdoers on the Day of Resurrection

Allah tells us that whatever He wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen, and no one can make it happen. Whomever He guides, none can lead astray, and whomever He leads astray, none can guide, as He says:

وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُرْشِدًا

(but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no protecting to lead him.)(18:17). Then Allah tells us about the wrongdoers, i.e., the idolators who associate others in worship with Allah:

لَمَّا رَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ 

(when they behold the torment,) i.e., on the Day of Resurrection, they will wish that they could go back to this world.

 يَقُولُونَ هَلْ إِلَىٰ مَرَدٍّ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ

(they will say: "Is there any way of return?") This is like the Ayah:

وَلَوْ تَرَىٰ إِذْ وُقِفُوا عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُوا يَا لَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يُخْفُونَ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۖ وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ

(If you could but see when they will be held over the (Hell) Fire! They will say: "Would that we were but sent back! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!" Nay, it has become manifest to them what they had been concealing before. But if they were returned, they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden. And indeed they are liars.)(6:27-28)

وَتَرَاهُمْ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا

(And you will see them brought forward to it) means, to the Fire.

خَاشِعِينَ مِنَ الذُّلِّ

(made humble by disgrace,) means, in a befitting manner, because of their previous disobedience towards Allah.

يَنْظُرُونَ مِنْ طَرْفٍ خَفِيٍّ

((and) looking with stealthy glance.) Mujahid said, "In a humiliated manner." That is, they will steal glances at it, because they will be afraid of it. But the thing that they are afraid of will undoubtedly happen, and worse than that – may Allah save us from that.

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا 

(And those who believe will say) means, on the Day of Resurrection they will say:

إِنَّ الْخَاسِرِينَ

(Verily, the losers...) means, the greatest losers.

الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَأَهْلِيهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

(are they who lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection.) means, they will be taken to the Fire and deprived of any pleasures in the Hereafter. They will lose themselves, and they will be separated from their loved ones, companions, families and relatives, and they will lose them.

أَلَا إِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ فِي عَذَابٍ مُقِيمٍ

(Verily, the wrongdoers will be in a lasting torment.) means, everlasting and eternal, with no way out and no escape.

وَمَا كَانَ لَهُمْ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ يَنْصُرُونَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ ۗ 

(And they will have no protectors to help them other than Allah.) means, no one to save them from the punishment and torment which they are suffering.

وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ

(And he whom Allah sends astray, for him there is no way.) means, no salvation.