Skip to content

Ar-Ra'd 11

Ayah 11 of 43 · Medinan

لَهُۥ مُعَقِّبَٰتٞ مِّنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَمِنۡ خَلۡفِهِۦ يَحۡفَظُونَهُۥ مِنۡ أَمۡرِ ٱللَّهِۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمۡۗ وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِقَوۡمٖ سُوٓءٗا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍ ١١

For him [i.e., each one] are successive [angels]1 before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allāh.2 Indeed, Allāh will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allāh intends for a people ill,3 there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 Replacing each other by turn.

2 The phrase may also be rendered "...who guard him from [everything except] the decree of Allāh."

3 i.e., punishment or destruction because of their sins.

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. لَهُۥFor himlahu
  2. مُعَقِّبَٰتٞ(are) successive (Angels)muʿaqqibātun
  3. مِّنۢfrommin
  4. بَيۡنِ(before)bayni
  5. يَدَيۡهِ(him)yadayhi
  6. وَمِنۡand fromwamin
  7. خَلۡفِهِۦand behind himkhalfihi
  8. يَحۡفَظُونَهُۥwho guard himyaḥfaẓūnahu
  9. مِنۡbymin
  10. أَمۡرِ(the) commandamri
  11. ٱللَّهِۗ(of) Allahl-lahi
  12. إِنَّIndeedinna
  13. ٱللَّهَAllahl-laha
  14. لَا(does) notlā
  15. يُغَيِّرُchangeyughayyiru
  16. مَا(the condition)mā
  17. بِقَوۡمٍof a peoplebiqawmin
  18. حَتَّىٰuntilḥattā
  19. يُغَيِّرُواْthey changeyughayyirū
  20. مَاwhatmā
  21. بِأَنفُسِهِمۡۗ(is) in themselvesbi-anfusihim
  22. وَإِذَآAnd whenwa-idhā
  23. أَرَادَwillsarāda
  24. ٱللَّهُAllahl-lahu
  25. بِقَوۡمٖfor a peoplebiqawmin
  26. سُوٓءٗاmisfortunesūan
  27. فَلَاthen (there is) nofalā
  28. مَرَدَّturning awaymaradda
  29. لَهُۥۚof itlahu
  30. وَمَاand notwamā
  31. لَهُمfor themlahum
  32. مِّنfrommin
  33. دُونِهِۦbesides Himdūnihi
  34. مِنanymin
  35. وَالٍprotectorwālin

Tafsir

He, may He be glorified, has angels that come upon a person one after the other. Some of them come at night and some during the day. They protect the person by Allah’s command and they record his statements and actions. Allah does not change the good condition of a people for the worse unless they change the state of gratitude within themselves. When Allah, may He be glorified, wills destruction for a people, then no one can ward off what He wills. You, O people, do not have any one apart from Him who will take charge of your affairs and to whom you can resort to ward off the calamity that afflicts you.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran