تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْـَٔلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
“Those are a people who have passed away. Theirs is that which they earned, and yours is that which ye earn. And ye will not be asked of what they used to do.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Taberî, this verse commands the Jews and Christians to refrain from claiming that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants belong to their religion. This community lived in the past and returned to Allah through their deeds; nothing that they acquired benefits others through lineage claims, just as the Jews and Christians will likewise be accountable for their own deeds. Therefore, instead of boasting with the virtues of ancestors, everyone is responsible for what they have earned.
فمعنى الآية إذا: قل يا محمد لهؤلاء الذين يجادلونك في الله من اليهود والنصارى أن كتموا ما عندهم من الشهادة في أمر إبراهيم ومن سمينا معه، وأنهم كانوا مسلمين، وزعموا أنهم كانوا هودا أو نصارى فكذبوا
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
This brief text passage indicates a theme related to turning away from remembrance and following desires/cravings in connection with the verse. Since the text is very brief and probably incompletely transmitted, it is difficult to clearly present the full context and reasoning that Zemahşerî intended with this statement.
من الإعراض عن الذكر واتباع الشهوات
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, the grammatical analysis (i'râb) of the expressions 'tilke,' 'ümmetun,' and 'kad halet' in the verse is explained; the verse is evidence that action and earnings (kesb) of the slave are attributed to him. If he does good, it is from Allah's grace; if he does evil, it is from Allah's justice; this is the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunna. The Jabriyya rejected the slave's acquisition and compared him to a plant swept by the wind, while the Qadariyya and Mu'tazila said that the slave directly creates his deeds.
وفي هذا دليل على أن العبد يضاف إليه أعمال وأكساب وإن كان الله تعالى أقدره على ذلك إن كان خيرا فبفضله وإن كان شرا فبعدله وهذا مذهب أهل السنة
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Ibn Kesîr, the verse informs that the ancestors, prophets and righteous people of the past saw the consequence of their deeds, while those addressed are only accountable for their own deeds. Belonging to them through lineage does not benefit a person unless they themselves perform a good deed. Everyone will only see the consequence of their own deeds.
أي أن السلف الماضين من آبائكم من الأنبياء والصالحين لا ينفعكم انتسابكم إليهم اذا لم تفعلوا خيرا يعود نفعه عليكم فإن لهم أعمالهم التي عملوها ولكم أعمالكم
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, the expression 'tilke ümmetun kad halet' refers to Abraham, Jacob and the prophets among them. According to him, the meaning of the verse is that connecting to these great figures through genealogy will not benefit a person with their deeds, but benefit can be obtained only by following and obeying them. Accordingly, the expression 've lâ tüs'elûne...' is explained as a person not being held responsible for the evil deeds of their ancestors, just as they will not receive reward for their good deeds.
والمعنى أن انتسابكم إليهم لا يوجب انتفاعكم بأعمالهم، وإنما تنتفعون بموافقتهم واتباعهم، كما قال عليه الصلاة والسلام: «لا يأتيني الناس بأعمالهم وتأتوني بأنسابكم»
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
This verse shows that what each person earns belongs to them and others cannot benefit from it; for this reason blind imitation (taqlîd) is not valid and the righteous deeds of fathers do not benefit children, everyone is accountable for their own deeds. According to this exegete, the true purpose of the verse is not to make the stories of past prophets a subject of imitation, but to guide people toward faith and obedience to Prophet Muhammad and to lead them to present evidence; furthermore, this principle forms the foundation of many juridical matters.
الآية دالة على أن الأبناء لا يثابون على طاعة الآباء بخلاف قول اليهود من أن صلاح آبائهم ينفعهم
Comparison
Common ground
Taberî, Ibn Kesîr, Beydâvî and Râzî are united on the point that the fundamental message of the verse is that connecting to past ancestors/prophets through lineage or genealogy will not provide any benefit to a person, and everyone will be held accountable only for their own earned deeds. Kurtubî also accepts the same fundamental idea but extends it to the discussion of acquisition (kesb).
Differences
Taberî interprets the verse primarily in a historical-contextual framework as a response directed at the People of the Book regarding their claim to Abraham and his descendants; Beydâvî and Râzî, on the other hand, direct the emphasis toward a more general principle of 'invalidity of blind imitation' and that following ancestors will only benefit through deeds. Kurtubî shifts the verse into a theological debate, namely the question of the creation of the slave's deeds (Ahl al-Sunna, Jabriyya, Qadariyya/Mu'tazila comparison), presenting a reading distinctly different from the others; this is a jurisprudential-theological approach that clearly diverges from the others. The text transmitted regarding Zemahşerî is so brief that making a clear comparison is difficult.
Historical context
The earliest period exegete Taberî reads the verse more in a historical-contextual framework as an answer directed at the People of the Book, while in later periods (with Kurtubî) it is seen that the verse is used as material for theological debates. Later exegetes (Beydâvî, Râzî), while preserving the contextual aspect of the verse, have extended it by transforming it into a more universal principle (invalidity of blind imitation, individual responsibility). This shows that while the fundamental message remained fixed, the interpretation gradually became enriched from linguistic/historical reading toward theological and juridical inferences. This demonstrates that the essential message is stable but the commentary has become increasingly enriched over time from contextual and linguistic readings toward theological and jurisprudential implications.
Modern connection
This comparative reading reminds us that a person boasting about their lineage, family background or belonging to a community based on their past achievements will have no value without their own effort and deeds. This perspective can offer a cautious resonance in our modern times to an attitude focused on personal effort, knowledge and service; rather than an identity based solely on ancestry or group, it calls for individual responsibility consciousness. At the same time, the effort to improve one's own deeds through education and self-development can be considered as a healthy foundation for social solidarity.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar