Surah Ali 'Imran 3:117 — translation and meaning

آل عمران · Verse 117 / 200 · Page 65

ۚ مَثَلُ مَا يُنفِقُونَ فِي هَذِهِ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

Word by Word

ۚ
مَثَلُ
mathalu
Example
مَا
ma
(of) what
يُنفِقُونَ
yunfiquna
they spend
فِي
fi
in
هَذِهِ
hadhihi
this
الْحَيَاةِ
al-hayati
[the] life
الدُّنْيَا
al-dun'ya
(of) the world
كَمَثَلِ
kamathali
(is) like (the) example
رِيحٍ
rihin
(of) a wind
فِيهَا
fiha
in it
صِرٌّ
sirrun
(is) frost
أَصَابَتْ
asabat
it struck
حَرْثَ
hartha
(the) harvest
قَوْمٍ
qawmin
(of) a people
ظَلَمُوا
zalamu
who wronged
أَنفُسَهُمْ
anfusahum
themselves
فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ
fa-ahlakathu
then destroyed it
وَمَا
wama
And not
ظَلَمَهُمُ
zalamahumu
(has) wronged them
اللَّهُ
al-lahu
Allah
وَلَكِنْ
walakin
[and] but
أَنفُسَهُمْ
anfusahum
themselves
يَظْلِمُونَ
yazlimuna
they wronged

Transliteration

Masalu maa yunfiqoona fee haazihil hayaatid dunyaa kamasali reehin feehaa sirrun as aabat harsa qawmin zalamooo anfusahum fa ahlakath; wa maa zalamahumul laahu wa laakin anfusahum yazlimoon

Translation

The example of what they spend in this worldly life is like that of a wind containing frost which strikes the harvest of a people who have wronged themselves and destroys it. And Allah has not wronged them, but they wrong themselves.

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

The example of what disbelievers spend in charity, and what they expect to receive of rewards, is like a wind which is extremely cold that hits the crops of a people who wronged themselves by not doing as they were instructed, ruining their crops when they had expected to have a good harvest. Disbelief also ruins the rewards of good deeds. Allah does not wrong them for He is far above any injustice, rather, they wrong themselves through their disbelief in Allah and His prophets.

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

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"The example of what they spend in this worldly life is like that…" — Ali 'Imran 3:117