Surah Al-A’raf >> Currently viewing Surah Al-A’raf Ayat 188 (7:188)

Surah Al-A’raf Ayat 188 in Arabic Text

قُل لَّآ أَمۡلِكُ لِنَفۡسِي نَفۡعٗا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُۚ وَلَوۡ كُنتُ أَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبَ لَٱسۡتَكۡثَرۡتُ مِنَ ٱلۡخَيۡرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ ٱلسُّوٓءُۚ إِنۡ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٞ وَبَشِيرٞ لِّقَوۡمٖ يُؤۡمِنُونَ
Qul laaa amliku linafsee naf’anw wa laa darran illaa maa shaaa’al laah; wa law kuntu a’lamul ghaiba lastaksartu minal khairi wa maa massaniyas soo’; in ana illaa nazeerunw wa basheerul liqawminy yu’minoon (section 23)

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 188

Sahih International
Say, “I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe.”

Yusuf Ali
Say: “I have no power over any good or harm to myself except as Allah willeth. If I had knowledge of the unseen, I should have multiplied all good, and no evil should have touched me: I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings to those who have faith.”

Abul Ala Maududi
Tell them [O Muhammad]: ‘I have no power to benefit or harm myself except as Allah may please. And had I knowledge of the unseen, I should have amassed all kinds of good, and no evil would have ever touched me. I am merely a warner and the herald of glad tidings to those who have faith.’

Muhsin Khan
Say (O Muhammad SAW): “I possess no power of benefit or hurt to myself except as Allah wills. If I had the knowledge of the Ghaib (unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth, and no evil should have touched me. I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings unto people who believe.”

Pickthall
Say: For myself I have no power to benefit, nor power to hurt, save that which Allah willeth. Had I knowledge of the Unseen, I should have abundance of wealth, and adversity would not touch me. I am but a warner, and a bearer of good tidings unto folk who believe.

Dr. Ghali
Say, “I do not possess (any) benefit or harm for myself, except what ever Allah decides; and if I had known the Unseen, I would indeed have got plenty of the most charitable things, and in no way would odious times have touched me. Decidedly I am nothing except a constant warner and a constant bearer of good tidings to a people who believe.”.

Abdel Haleem
Say [Prophet], ‘I have no control over benefit or harm, [even] to myself, except as God may please: if I had knowledge of what is hidden, I would have abundant good things and no harm could touch me. I am no more than a bearer of warning, and good news to those who believe.’

Muhammad Junagarhi
آپ فرما دیجئے کہ میں خود اپنی ذات خاص کے لیے کسی نفع کا اختیار نہیں رکھتا اور نہ کسی ضرر کا، مگر اتنا ہی کہ جتنا اللہ نے چاہا ہو اور اگر میں غیب کی باتیں جانتا ہوتا تو میں بہت سے منافع حاصل کر لیتا اور کوئی نقصان مجھ کو نہ پہنچتا میں تو محض ڈرانے واﻻ اور بشارت دینے واﻻ ہوں ان لوگوں کو جو ایمان رکھتے ہیں

Quran 7 Verse 188 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Al-A’raf ayat 188, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(7:188) Tell them [O Muhammad]: ‘I have no power to benefit or harm myself except as Allah may please. And had I knowledge of the unseen, I should have amassed all kinds of good, and no evil would have ever touched me.[145] I am merely a warner and the herald of glad tidings to those who have faith.’


145. The time of the advent of the Last Day is known to God alone Who knows the Unseen which, in fact, is not known even to the Prophet (peace be on him). Being human, he is not aware what the morrow has in store for him and his family. Had his knowledge encompassed everything – even things that lie beyond the ken of sense-perception and events that lie hidden in the future – he would have accumulated immense benefit and would have been able to avoid a great deal of loss owing to such foreknowledge. That being the case, it is sheer naivety to ask the Prophet about the actual time for the advent of the Last Day.

Ibn-Kathir

188. Say : “I possess no power over benefit or harm to myself except as Allah wills. If I had the knowledge of the Ghayb (Unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth, and no evil should have touched me. I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings unto people who believe.”


The Messenger does not know the Unseen, and He cannot bring Benefit or Harm even to Himself

Allah commanded His Prophet to entrust all matters to Him and to inform, about himself, that he does not know the unseen future, but he knows of it only what Allah informs him. Allah said in another Ayah,

﴿عَـلِمُ الْغَيْبِ فَلاَ يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَداً ﴾

((He Alone is) the All-Knower of the Ghayb (Unseen), and He reveals to none His Ghayb.) ﴿72:26﴾ Ad-Dahhak reported that Ibn `Abbas said that,

﴿وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لاَسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ﴾

(If I had the knowledge of the Ghayb (Unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth.) refers to money. In another narration, Ibn `Abbas commented, “I would have knowledge of how much profit I would make with what I buy, and I would always sell what I would make profit from,

﴿وَمَا مَسَّنِىَ السُّوءُ﴾

(“and no evil should have touched me.”) and poverty would never touch me.” Ibn Jarir said, “And others said, `This means that if I know the Unseen then I would prepare for the years of famine during the prosperous years, and in the time of high cost, I would have prepared for it.”’ `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam also commented on this Ayah;

﴿وَمَا مَسَّنِىَ السُّوءُ﴾

(“and no evil should have touched me. ”), “I would have avoided and saved myself from any type of harm before it comes.” Allah then stated that the Prophet is a warner and bearer of good news. He warns against the torment and brings good news of Paradise for the believers,

﴿فَإِنَّمَا يَسَّرْنَـهُ بِلَسَانِكَ لِتُبَشِّرَ بِهِ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَتُنْذِرَ بِهِ قَوْماً لُّدّاً ﴾

(So We have made this (the Qur’an) easy on your tongue, only that you may give glad tidings to the pious, and warn with it the most quarrelsome of people.) ﴿19:97﴾

﴿هُوَ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّاهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلاً خَفِيفًا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِ فَلَمَّآ أَثْقَلَت دَّعَوَا اللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ ءَاتَيْتَنَا صَـلِحاً لَّنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّـكِرِينَ ﴾

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surah al-a'raf ayat 188
surah al-a'raf ayat 189
surah al-a'raf ayat 190
surah al-a'raf ayat 191
surah al-a'raf ayat 192

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