Quran Universe
34:42

فَٱلۡيَوۡمَ لَا يَمۡلِكُ بَعۡضُكُمۡ لِبَعۡضٖ نَّفۡعٗا وَلَا ضَرّٗا وَنَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ ذُوقُواْ عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ٱلَّتِي كُنتُم بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ

Faalyawma la yamliku baAAdukum libaAAdin nafAAan wala darran wanaqoolu lillatheena thalamoo thooqoo AAathaba alnnari allatee kuntum biha tukaththiboona

But today you do not hold for one another [the power of] benefit or harm, and We will say to those who wronged, "Taste the punishment of the Fire, which you used to deny."

Word by word
  1. فَٱلۡيَوۡمَBut today
  2. لَاnot
  3. يَمۡلِكُpossess power
  4. بَعۡضُكُمۡsome of you
  5. لِبَعۡضٖon others
  6. نَّفۡعٗاto benefit
  7. وَلَاand not
  8. ضَرّٗاto harm
  9. وَنَقُولُand We will say
  10. لِلَّذِينَto those
  11. ظَلَمُواْwho wronged
  12. ذُوقُواْTaste
  13. عَذَابَ(the) punishment
  14. ٱلنَّارِ(of) the Fire
  15. ٱلَّتِيwhich
  16. كُنتُمyou used
  17. بِهَاto [it]
  18. تُكَذِّبُونَdeny
Saba · 34:42Makkah

That Day, no one can help or harm anyone else.

When every borrowed hope runs out

What the worshipped can do
benefitnone
harmnone
and then
the Fire they denied
Who holds power
the ones I relied on
Allah alone

After the angels disown those who worshipped them, Allah says: today none of you can benefit or harm one another. Ibn Kathir explains that the rivals they hoped would help them in hard times will have no power at all. The wrongdoers are reminded of the Fire they used to deny.

You keep a list in your head of people who will rescue you: a rich uncle, a well-connected friend, a good lawyer. Sincere reliance on Allah now is the only plan that still works then.

There will always be someone who can bail me out.

On that Day no one can help or harm another. I rely on Allah now.

Try this

Think of your biggest worry. Hand it to Allah in a dua before you plan anything else.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 34:40)

And (remember) the Day when He will gather them all together, then He will say to the angels: "Was it you that these people used to worship? (40)They (the angels) will say: "Glorified be You! You are our Protector instead of them. Nay, but they used to worship the Jinn; most of them were believers in them. (41)So Today, none of you can profit or harm one another. And We shall say to those who did wrong: "Taste the torment of the Fire which you used to deny. (42)

The Angels will disown Their Worshippers on the Day of Resurrection

Allah tells us that on the Day of Resurrection, He will rebuke the idolators before all of creation. He will ask the angels whom the idolators used to worship, claiming that their idols were in the form of these angels and that they could bring them nearer to Allah. He will ask the angels:

أَهَٰؤُلَاءِ إِيَّاكُمْ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ

(Was it you that these people used to worship?) meaning, 'did you command them to worship you?' Allah says in Surat Al-Furqan:

أَأَنْتُمْ أَضْلَلْتُمْ عِبَادِي هَٰؤُلَاءِ أَمْ هُمْ ضَلُّوا السَّبِيلَ

(Was it you who misled these My servants or did they (themselves) stray from the (right) path?)(25:17). And He will say to 'Isa, peace be upon him:

 أَأَنْتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِي وَأُمِّيَ إِلَٰهَيْنِ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ ۖ قَالَ سُبْحَانَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أَقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِحَقٍّ

(Did you say unto men: "Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah?' He will say: "Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say).")(5:116). Similarly, the angels will say:

سُبْحَانَكَ

(Glorified be You!) meaning, 'exalted and sanctified be You above the notion that there could be any god besides You.'

 أَنْتَ وَلِيُّنَا مِنْ دُونِهِمْ

(You are our Protector instead of them.) means, 'we are Your servants and we disown these people before You.'

بَلْ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ الْجِنَّ ۖ 

(Nay, but they used to worship the Jinn;) meaning, the Shayatin, because they are the ones who made idol worship attractive to them and who misguided them.

أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِهِمْ مُؤْمِنُونَ

(most of them were believers in them.) This is like the Ayah:

إِنْ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَّا إِنَاثًا وَإِنْ يَدْعُونَ إِلَّا شَيْطَانًا مَرِيدًا - لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ ۘ

(They invoke nothing but females besides Him, and they invoke nothing but Shaytan, a persistent rebel! Allah cursed him)(4:117-118). Allah says:

فَالْيَوْمَ لَا يَمْلِكُ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا

(So Today, none of you can profit or harm one another.) means, 'none of those idols and rivals whom you hoped would benefit you, will be of any avail to you, those whom you worshipped in the hope that they would help you at times of stress and calamity. Today they will have no power either to benefit you or to harm you.'

وَنَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا 

And We shall say to those who did wrong: – meaning the idolators –

ذُوقُوا عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ

("Taste the torment of the Fire which you used to deny.") meaning, this will be said to them by way of rebuke.