40:33

يَوۡمَ تُوَلُّونَ مُدۡبِرِينَ مَا لَكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِنۡ عَاصِمٖۗ وَمَن يُضۡلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنۡ هَادٖ

Yawma tuwalloona mudbireena ma lakum mina Allahi min AAasimin waman yudlili Allahu fama lahu min hadin

The Day you will turn your backs fleeing; there is not for you from Allah any protector. And whoever Allah leaves astray - there is not for him any guide.

Word by word
  1. يَوۡمَA Day
  2. تُوَلُّونَyou will turn back
  3. مُدۡبِرِينَfleeing
  4. مَاnot
  5. لَكُمfor you
  6. مِّنَfrom
  7. ٱللَّهِAllah
  8. مِنۡany
  9. عَاصِمٖۗprotector
  10. وَمَنAnd whoever
  11. يُضۡلِلِAllah lets go astray
  12. ٱللَّهُAllah lets go astray
  13. فَمَاthen not
  14. لَهُۥfor him
  15. مِنۡany
  16. هَادٖguide
Ghafir · 40:33Makkah

That Day you turn and run, and nothing protects you.

No refuge from Allah, no guide but Him


That Day
peopleturning their backsfleeing
find
no protectorno refuge
Where guidance comes from
I will find my wayby myself
only Allah guidesask Him now

Ibn Kathir explains people will run, but as 75:11 says, there is no refuge; to your Lord is the place of rest that Day. And whomever Allah leaves astray has no guide but Him.

Your habit when things get hard is to run: change the subject, open another app, move to another city. There is one place running does not work. The way out is to turn toward Allah, not away.

When it gets too much, I can always get away.

There is no running from Allah, only running to Him, and He is the guide.

Try this

Next time you want to escape a hard feeling, pause and make a one-line dua first.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 40:30)

And he who believed said: "O my people! Verily, I fear for you an end like that day (of disaster) of the groups (of old)! (30)"Like the end of the people of Nuh, and 'Ad, and Thamud and those who came after them. And Allah wills no injustice for (His) servants. (31)"And, O my people! Verily, I fear for you the Day when there will be mutual calling. (32)A Day when you will turn your backs and flee having no protector from Allah. And whomsoever Allah sends astray, for him there is no guide (33)And indeed Yusuf did come to you, in times gone by, with clear signs, but you ceased not to doubt in that which he did bring to you, till when he died, you said: "No Messenger will Allah send after him." Thus Allah leaves astray him who is a transgressor and a skeptic (34)Those who dispute about the Ayat of Allah, without any authority that has come to them, it is greatly hateful and disgusting to Allah and to those who believe. Thus does Allah seal up the heart of every arrogant, tyrant (35)

Here Allah tells us that this righteous man, the believer from among the family of Fir'awn, warned his people of the punishment of Allah in this world and the Hereafter, saying,

 يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِثْلَ يَوْمِ الْأَحْزَابِ

(O my people! Verily, I fear for you an end like that day (of disaster) of the groups (of old)!) meaning, those of the earlier nations who disbelieved the Messengers of Allah, such as the people of Nuh, 'Ad, Thamud and the disbelieving nations who came after them, how the punishment of Allah came upon them and they had no one to protect them or ward off that punishment.

وَمَا اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِلْعِبَادِ

(And Allah wills no injustice for (His) servants.) means, Allah destroyed them for their sins and for their disbelief in and rejection of His Messengers; this was His command and His decree concerning them that was fulfilled. Then he said:

وَيَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ يَوْمَ التَّنَادِ

(And, O my people! Verily, I fear for you the Day when there will be mutual calling.) meaning, the Day of Resurrection.

يَوْمَ تُوَلُّونَ مُدْبِرِينَ

(A Day when you will turn your backs and flee) means, running away.

كَلَّا لَا وَزَرَ - إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمُسْتَقَرُّ

(No! There is no refuge! Unto your Lord will be the place of rest that Day.)(75:11-12) Allah says:

مَا لَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ عَاصِمٍ

(having no protector from Allah.) meaning, 'you will have no one to protect you from the punishment and torment of Allah.'

وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ

(And whomsoever Allah sends astray, for him there is no guide.) means, whomever Allah sends astray will have no other guide except Him. Allah's saying:

وَلَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ يُوسُفُ مِنْ قَبْلُ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ

(And indeed Yusuf came to you, in times gone by, with clear signs,) refers to the people of Egypt. Allah sent a Messenger to them before the time of Musa, peace be upon him, in the person of Yusuf, peace be upon him, who attained a high position in the government of the people of Egypt. He was a Messenger who called his people to Allah with justice, but they did not obey him in matters of worshipping Allah, they only obeyed him in worldly matters that pertained to his position in the government. Allah says:

فَمَا زِلْتُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِمَّا جَاءَكُمْ بِهِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا هَلَكَ قُلْتُمْ لَنْ يَبْعَثَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ رَسُولًا ۚ 

(but you ceased not to doubt in that which he brought to you, till when he died, you said: "No Messenger will Allah send after him.") means, 'you despaired, and said by way of wishful thinking,'

لَنْ يَبْعَثَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ رَسُولًا

(No Messenger will Allah send after him.) This was because of their disbelief and rejection (of the Messengers).

كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَنْ هُوَ مُسْرِفٌ مُرْتَابٌ

(Thus Allah leaves astray him who is a transgressor and a skeptic.) means, this is the state of the one whom Allah sends astray because of his sinful actions and the doubts in his heart.

الَّذِينَ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ سُلْطَانٍ أَتَاهُمْ ۖ 

(Those who dispute about the Ayat of Allah, without any authority that has come to them,) means, those who attempt to refute truth with falsehood and who dispute the proof without evidence or proof from Allah, Allah will hate them with the utmost loathing. Allah says:

كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَعِنْدَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ۚ 

(it is greatly hateful and disgusting to Allah and to those who believe.) meaning, the believers too will despise those who are like this, and whoever is like this, Allah will put a seal on his heart so that after that he will not acknowledge anything good or denounce anything evil. Allah says:

كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ قَلْبِ مُتَكَبِّرٍ 

(Thus does Allah seal up the heart of every arrogant.) meaning, so that they cannot follow the truth.

جَبَّارٍ

(tyrant.)