Quran Universe
11:34

وَلَا يَنفَعُكُمۡ نُصۡحِيٓ إِنۡ أَرَدتُّ أَنۡ أَنصَحَ لَكُمۡ إِن كَانَ ٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يُغۡوِيَكُمۡۚ هُوَ رَبُّكُمۡ وَإِلَيۡهِ تُرۡجَعُونَ

Wala yanfaAAukum nushee in aradtu an ansaha lakum in kana Allahu yureedu an yughwiyakum huwa rabbukum wailayhi turjaAAoona

And my advice will not benefit you - although I wished to advise you - If Allah should intend to put you in error. He is your Lord, and to Him you will be returned."

Word by word
  1. وَلَاAnd (will) not
  2. يَنفَعُكُمۡbenefit you
  3. نُصۡحِيٓmy advice
  4. إِنۡ(even) if
  5. أَرَدتُّI wish
  6. أَنۡto
  7. أَنصَحَ[I] advise
  8. لَكُمۡ[to] you
  9. إِنif
  10. كَانَit was Allah's
  11. ٱللَّهُit was Allah's
  12. يُرِيدُwill
  13. أَنto
  14. يُغۡوِيَكُمۡۚlet you go astray
  15. هُوَHe (is)
  16. رَبُّكُمۡyour Lord
  17. وَإِلَيۡهِand to Him
  18. تُرۡجَعُونَyou will be returned
Hud · 11:34Makkah

Good advice cannot help a heart that refuses it.

Sincere counsel has limits, and all return to Him

Nuh's honest limit
my advicesincere, given freely
cannot help if
astray by choiceAllah leaves them to it
still
He is your Lordto Him you return
Who guides
the right wordswill surely change them
Allah's willowner of how it ends

Nuh admitted the limit of his own effort. My advice will not benefit you if Allah's will is to leave you astray. Then he reminded them who they were dealing with: He is your Lord, and to Him you will return, the One who owns how every matter ends.

You have sent your friend article after article about leaving a harmful habit. You rewrite the perfect message at 1 a.m. Advice is your part. Guidance is Allah's. You can give your best and still not be the one who changes a heart.

If they do not change, I must not have said it well enough.

I give sincere advice; whether it benefits is in Allah's hands, and we all return to Him.

Try this

Make dua tonight for one person you have been trying to advise, instead of sending another message.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 11:32)

They said: "O Nuh! You have disputed with us, and much have you prolonged the dispute with us, now bring upon us what you threaten us with, if you are of the truthful. (32)He said: "Only Allah will bring it (the punishment) on you, if He wills, and then you will escape not (33)"And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you good counsel, if Allah's will is to keep you astray. He is your Lord! and to Him you shall return. (34)

The People's Request of Nuh to bring the Torment and His Response to Them

Allah, the Exalted, informs that the people of Nuh sought to hasten Allah's vengeance, torment, anger and the trial (His punishment). This is based on their saying,

قَالُوا يَا نُوحُ قَدْ جَادَلْتَنَا فَأَكْثَرْتَ جِدَالَنَا

(They said: "O Nuh! You have disputed with us and much have you prolonged the dispute with us...") They meant by this, "You (Nuh) have argued with us long enough, and we are still not going to follow you."

فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا

(now bring upon us what you threaten us with,) What he (Nuh) promised is referring to the vengeance and torment (from Allah). They were actually saying, "Supplicate against us however you wish, and let whatever you have supplicated come to us."

إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ - قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَأْتِيكُم بِهِ اللَّهُ إِن شَاءَ وَمَا أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ

("...if you are of the truthful." (In reply to this,) He said: "Only Allah will bring it (the punishment) on you, if He wills, and then you will escape not.)[11:32-33] This means, 'It is only Allah Who can punish you and hasten your punishment for you. He is the One from Whom nothing escapes. '

وَلَا يَنفَعُكُمْ نُصْحِي إِنْ أَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَنصَحَ لَكُمْ إِن كَانَ اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يُغْوِيَكُمْ

(And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you good counsel, if Allah's will is to keep you astray.) This means: something that could be useful to you (in acceptance) of my preaching to you, warning you and advising you.

إِن كَانَ اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يُغْوِيَكُمْ

(if Allah's will is to keep you astray.) This means: your deception and your ultimate destruction.

هُوَ رَبُّكُمْ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

(He is your Lord! and to Him you shall return.) He is the Owner of the finality of all matters. He is the Controller, the Judge, the Most Just and He does not do any injustice. Unto Him belongs the creation and the command. He is the Originator and the Repeater (of the creation). He is the Owner of this life and the Hereafter.