10:41

وَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقُل لِّي عَمَلِي وَلَكُمۡ عَمَلُكُمۡۖ أَنتُم بَرِيٓـُٔونَ مِمَّآ أَعۡمَلُ وَأَنَا۠ بَرِيٓءٞ مِّمَّا تَعۡمَلُونَ

Wain kaththabooka faqul lee AAamalee walakum AAamalukum antum bareeoona mimma aAAmalu waana bareeon mimma taAAmaloona

And if they deny you, [O Muhammad], then say, "For me are my deeds, and for you are your deeds. You are disassociated from what I do, and I am disassociated from what you do."

Word by word
  1. وَإِنAnd if
  2. كَذَّبُوكَthey deny you
  3. فَقُلthen say
  4. لِّيFor me
  5. عَمَلِي(are) my deeds
  6. وَلَكُمۡand for you
  7. عَمَلُكُمۡۖ(are) your deeds
  8. أَنتُمYou
  9. بَرِيٓـُٔونَ(are) disassociated
  10. مِمَّآfrom what
  11. أَعۡمَلُI do
  12. وَأَنَا۠and I am
  13. بَرِيٓءٞdisassociated
  14. مِّمَّاfrom what
  15. تَعۡمَلُونَyou do
Yunus · 10:41Makkah

My deeds are mine, and yours are yours.

A calm reply to being rejected


The reply
they deny youcall you a liar
you say
my deeds for meyours for you
each answers aloneno one carries another
How to respond
fight backprove them wrong now
step back clearlyI own my deeds

When the idolators rejected him, the Prophet ﷺ was told to say: for me are my deeds and for you are yours. Ibn Kathir links it to Surah Al-Kafirun and to Ibrahim telling his people we are free of what you worship.

The argument in the comments has gone forty replies deep. You keep typing. You can stop. Say what is true once, then step away. Your record is your own, and so is theirs.

If they reject me, I have to keep arguing until I win.

I can be clear, then let each of us carry our own deeds.

Try this

Leave one argument today, online or offline, with a calm last sentence.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And if they belie you, say: "For me are my deeds and for you are your deeds! You are innocent of what I do, and I am innocent of what you do! (41)And among them are some who listen to you, but can you make the deaf to hear – even though they apprehend not (42)And among them are some who look at you, but can you guide the blind – even though they see not (43)Truly, Allah wrongs not mankind in aught; but mankind wrong themselves (44)

The Command to be Free and Clear from the Idolators

Allah said to His Prophet ﷺ: 'If these idolators belie you, then be clear from them and their deeds.'

فَقُل لِّي عَمَلِي وَلَكُمْ عَمَلُكُمْ

(Say: "For me are my deeds and for you are your deeds!") Similarly, Allah said:

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ - لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ

(Say: "O you disbelievers! I worship not that which you worship.")[109:1-2] to the end of the Surah. Ibrahim Al-Khalil (the Friend) and his followers said to the idolators among their people:

إِنَّا بُرَآءُ مِنكُمْ وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ 

(Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allah)[60:4] Allah then said:

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَسْتَمِعُونَ إِلَيْكَ

(And among them are some who listen to you,)

They listen to your beautiful talk and to the Glorious Qur'an. They listen to your truthful, eloquent and authentic Hadiths that are useful to the hearts, the bodies and their faith. This is indeed a great benefit and is sufficient. But guiding the people to the truth is not up to you or to them. You cannot make the deaf hear. Therefore you cannot guide these people except if Allah wishes.

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنظُرُ إِلَيْكَ

(And among them are some who look at you,)

They look at you and at what Allah has given you in terms of dignity, noble personality and great conduct. There is in all of this clear evidence of your prophethood to those who have reason and insight. Other people also look but they do not receive guidance like them. Believers look at you with respect and dignity while disbelievers regard you with contempt.

وَإِذَا رَأَوْكَ إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلَّا هُزُوًا

(And when they see you, they treat you only in mockery.)[25:41]

Then Allah announces that He is never unjust with anyone. He guides whomever He wills and opens the eyes of the blind, makes the deaf hear and removes neglect from the hearts. At the same time He lets others go astray, moving away from faith. He does all of that yet He is always Just, for He is the Ruler and has full authority over His kingdom. He does whatever He wills without any restrictions. No one can question Him as to what He does while he will question everyone else. He is Omniscient, All-Wise, and All-Just. So Allah said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ النَّاسَ شَيْئًا وَلَٰكِنَّ النَّاسَ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

(Truly, Allah wrongs not mankind in aught; but mankind wrong themselves.)

In the Hadith narrated by Abu Dharr, he states that the Prophet ﷺ related that His Lord, Exalted and High is He, said:

يَا عِبَادِي! إِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ الظُّلْمَ عَلَى نَفْسِي وَجَعَلْتُهُ بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا فَلَا تَظَالَمُوا

(O My servant! I have prohibited oppression for Myself and made it prohibited for you, so do not oppress one another...) Until He said at the end of the Hadith:

يَا عِبَادِي! إِنَّمَا هِيَ أَعْمَالُكُمْ أُحْصِيهَا لَكُمْ، ثُمَّ أُوفِيكُمْ إِيَّاهَا، فَمَنْ وَجَدَ خَيْرًا فَلْيَحْمَدِ اللهَ، وَمَنْ وَجَدَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا يَلُومَنَّ إِلَّا نَفْسَهُ

(O My servants! It is but your deeds that I reckon for you and then recompense you for. So let him who finds good (in the Hereafter) praise Allah. And let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself.) The complete version was recorded by Muslim.