Surah Al-A'raf 7:188 — translation and meaning

الأعراف · Verse 188 / 206 · Page 175

ۚ ۚ قُل لَّا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ إِنْ أَنَا إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

Word by Word

ۚ
ۚ
قُل
qul
Say
لَّا
la
Not
أَمْلِكُ
amliku
I have power
لِنَفْسِي
linafsi
for myself
نَفْعًا
naf 'an
(to) benefit
وَلَا
wala
and no
ضَرًّا
darran
(power to) harm
إِلَّا
illa
except
مَا
ma
what
شَاءَ
shaa
wills
اللَّهُ
al-lahu
Allah
وَلَوْ
walaw
And if
كُنتُ
kuntu
I would
أَعْلَمُ
a'lamu
know
الْغَيْبَ
al-ghayba
(of) the unseen
لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ
la-is'takthartu
surely I could have multiplied
مِنَ
mina
of
الْخَيْرِ
al-khayri
the good
وَمَا
wama
and not
مَسَّنِيَ
massaniya
(could) have touched me
السُّوءُ
al-suu
the evil
إِنْ
in
Not
أَنَا
ana
(am) I
إِلَّا
illa
except
نَذِيرٌ
nadhirun
a warner
وَبَشِيرٌ
wabashirun
and a bearer of good tidings
لِّقَوْمٍ
liqawmin
to a people
يُؤْمِنُونَ
yu'minuna
who believe

Transliteration

Qul laaa amliku linafsee naf'anw wa laa darran illaa maa shaaa'al laah; wa law kuntu a'alamul ghaiba lastaksartu minal khairi wa maa massaniyas soo'; in ana illaa nazeerunw wa basheerul liqawminy yu'minoon

Translation

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."

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

Say to them O Muhammad: 'I do not have the ability to bring good to myself, or to remove any harm from myself, except by Allah’s will. The dominion of these things belongs to Allah alone, and I only know what Allah taught me. I do not know the unseen, because if I did, I would have used what I know to serve my own interests, and to protect myself from misfortune, due to knowing about things before they happened. I am only a messenger from Allah, warning of a painful punishment, and bringing good news of Allah’s generous reward for a people who have faith, believing that I am a messenger from Him, and in what was revealed to me.'

Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

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