لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
“Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved. Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us, Thou, our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
This text compiles reports related to the issue of 'whether one is held responsible for the secret thoughts of the soul' at the end of Sura al-Baqara. Taberî reports that one group of scholars said this verse abrogates an earlier verse (regarding responsibility for what passes through the heart), while another group argued that the verse is definitive and not abrogated, maintaining that a person is held responsible only for what they have actually committed or what they have deliberately planned in their heart. According to the second view, Allah forgives the believers for things that remain only at the stage of intention, but holds the disbelievers and hypocrites responsible even for these.
هذه الآية محكمة غير منسوخة، والله عز وجل محاسب خلقه على ما عملوا من عمل وعلى ما لم يعملوه مما أصروه في أنفسهم ونووه وأرادوه، فيغفره للمؤمنين، ويؤاخذ به أهل الكفر والنفاق
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
In this text, Zemahşerî explains why Prophet Nûh was prevented from making a supplication of deliverance for his people; he states that because the verse describes them as wrongdoers, the destruction of these people was inevitable by divine wisdom, and despite being given a long respite, they persisted in their deviation, so a definitive proof was established against them. In this situation, the only thing left was to make them a lesson for those who would take heed, and by bringing the command to praise after their destruction and salvation from them, this matter is emphasized most strongly.
لما تضمنته الآية من كونهم ظالمين ، وإيجاب الحكمة أن يغرقوا لا محالة ، لما عرف من المصلحة في إغراقهم ، والمفسدة في استبقائهم
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Kurtubî, the expressions 'what it has earned' and 'what it has acquired' mentioned in this verse refer to good deeds and evil deeds; there is no disagreement among exegetes on this view. The use of 'for it' for good deeds and 'upon it' for evil deeds stems from the fact that good deeds are things a person willingly earns and adds to their wealth, while evil deeds are things that carry heavy burdens and sins. Furthermore, the different forms of the verbs 'earned' and 'acquired' indicate that good deeds are earned effortlessly (in accordance with Allah's command), while evil deeds come in an emphatic form, expressing heaviness and difficulty in their commission.
وجاءت العبارة في الحسنات ب لها من حيث هي مما يفرح المرء بكسبه ويسر بها فتضاف إلى ملكه وجاءت في السيئات ب عليها من حيث هي أثقال وأوزار ومتحملات صعبة
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Ibn Kesîr, this verse is related to the supplications mentioned in the final verses of Sura al-Baqara (requests not to forget, pardon mistakes, not to impose heavy burdens, forgiveness, mercy, and help against enemies), and it is supported by hadith reports of 'Allah said: Yes' and 'It has been done' indicating that Allah has answered these supplications. The verse shows that the heavy and difficult obligations imposed on earlier nations (burdens and hardship) have been removed from this nation, which is a manifestation of the Prophet's coming with the religion of 'hanîfiyya' characterized by ease. Furthermore, the removal of responsibility in cases of error, forgetfulness, and compulsion is described as a ruling that abrogates and removes the difficulties the Companions previously faced regarding the matter of intrusive thoughts.
وهذا من لطفه تعالى بخلقه ورأفته بهم وإحسانه إليهم وهذه هي الناسخة الرافعة لما كان أشفق منه الصحابة
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydâvî, the expressions 'earned' and 'acquired' in the verse show that a person's goodness or evil belongs only to them, and no one else will benefit from it or be harmed by it. The choice of 'earning' for good and 'acquiring' for evil reflects the fact that evil is desired and sought after by the soul, thus emphasizing the effort involved in obtaining it, while good does not have this intensity. The expression 'forgetfulness or error' in the supplication indicates that responsibility is removed only for the neglect and heedlessness that lead to forgetfulness and error, while forgetfulness and error themselves are not exempt from rational responsibility.
وتخصيص الكسب بالخير والاكتساب بالشر لأن الاكتساب فيه احتمال والشر تشتهيه النفس وتنجذب إليه فكانت أجد في تحصيله وأعمل بخلاف الخير
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, the claim that the words mentioned in the verse are the words of the believers, not Allah's words, and therefore cannot serve as evidence, is weak; because Allah has conveyed these words in a context of praising and exalting them, which requires that they be truthful in this statement. If they had spoken falsely, it would not be permissible for them to be exalted because of this statement.
فبسبب هذا الكلام وجب أن يكونوا صادقين في هذا الكلام
Comparison
Common ground
Taberî, Kurtubî, Beydâvî, and Ibn Kesîr commonly acknowledge that the expressions regarding 'what one has earned/acquired' emphasize the principle of personal responsibility; everyone is responsible for their own deeds, and language (verb forms, prepositions) reflects this distinction in subtle ways. Furthermore, Ibn Kesîr and Beydâvî agree that the supplication section carries a theme of forgiveness and ease related to lifting heavy burdens from humanity.
Differences
While Taberî focuses heavily on reports and the discussion of abrogation, Kurtubî and Beydâvî highlight linguistic and rhetorical analysis, emphasizing the nuances in word choices (earning/acquiring). Ibn Kesîr offers a contextual fiqh-historical reading through hadith reports; Zemahşerî and Râzî provide contextual interpretations based on rational and wisdom-based reasoning in different verse contexts (the story of Nûh and the evidential value of the believers' words). These differences stem from the methodological preferences of each exegete: some rely on reports and hadith, some on linguistic analysis, and some on rational-wisdom based reasoning.
Historical context
While the early exegete Taberî was largely limited to transmitting reports and discussing abrogation, in later periods Zemahşerî and Râzî strengthened the method of rational and contextual reasoning, Kurtubî and Beydâvî systematized linguistic and rhetorical analysis, and Ibn Kesîr achieved a more comprehensive synthesis by placing hadith reports at the center. While the fundamental principle (personal responsibility, divine forgiveness) remained constant, methods and emphases diversified according to the scholarly trends of their time.
Modern connection
This comparative reading reminds us of the idea that one is responsible for one's own effort and intention, while neglect and forgetfulness are made forgivable; this can be thought of as an attitude that encourages acting with patience and sincerity in daily life, learning from mistakes, and improving oneself. Moreover, the methodological diversity of different exegetes shows that variety in scholarly approaches can be a source of harmony rather than conflict between knowledge and faith. This perspective provides a foundation that can simultaneously nourish individual responsibility awareness with social tolerance and solidarity.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar