Surah Al-Baqarah (البقرة) • The Cow

Rabbana la tu’akhidhna"Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear" · Quran 2:286

Also written La yukallifullahu nafsan illa wus’aha · Last verse of Surah Al-Baqarah · لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا

2:286

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 ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ

lā yukallifu l-lahu nafsan illā wus'ʿahā lahā mā kasabat waʿalayhā mā ik'tasabat rabbanā lā tuākhidh'nā in nasīnā aw akhṭanā rabbanā walā taḥmil ʿalaynā iṣ'ran kamā ḥamaltahu ʿalā alladhīna min qablinā rabbanā walā tuḥammil'nā mā lā ṭāqata lanā bihi wa-uʿ'fu ʿannā wa-igh'fir lanā wa-ir'ḥamnā anta mawlānā fa-unṣur'nā ʿalā l-qawmi l-kāfirīna

Allāh does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people."

— Saheeh International

God does not burden any soul with more than it can bear: each gains whatever good it has done, and suffers its bad- ‘ Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes. Lord, do not burden us as You burdened those before us. Lord, do not burden us with more than we have strength to bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against the disbelievers.’

— M. A. S. Abdel Haleem

Allâh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maulâ (Patron, Supporter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people."

— Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

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What is Rabbana la tu’akhidhna about?

The final verse of Surah Al-Baqarah opens with one of the most quoted principles of the Quran: Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity. Every person is credited with the good they earn and answerable for the wrong they earn. The rest of the verse is a dua in the words of the believers: do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake, do not lay on us a burden like the one laid on those before us, do not burden us with what we cannot bear, pardon us, forgive us, have mercy on us, You are our Protector, so help us against the disbelieving people. In a well-known narration, Allah answered each line of this dua with "I have done so."

When is it recited?

  • At night together with verse 285.(Sahih al-Bukhari 5009)

Sources: Quran 2:286 · Sahih al-Bukhari 5009. Reviewed by Ummatey editorial, October 2026.

Word by Word

لَاlā(Does) not
يُكَلِّفُyukallifuburden
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah
نَفْسًاnafsanany soul
إِلَّاillāexcept
وُسْعَهَاۚwus'ʿahāits capacity
لَهَاlahāfor it
مَاmāwhat
كَسَبَتْkasabatit earned
وَعَلَيْهَاwaʿalayhāand against it
مَاmāwhat
ٱكْتَسَبَتْۗik'tasabatit earned
رَبَّنَاrabbanāOur Lord
لَاlā(Do) not
تُؤَاخِذْنَآtuākhidh'nātake us to task
إِنinif
نَّسِينَآnasīnāwe forget
أَوْawor
أَخْطَأْنَاۚakhṭanāwe err
رَبَّنَاrabbanāOur Lord
وَلَاwalāAnd (do) not
تَحْمِلْtaḥmillay
عَلَيْنَآʿalaynāupon us
إِصْرًۭاiṣ'rana burden
كَمَاkamālike that
حَمَلْتَهُۥḥamaltahu(which) You laid [it]
عَلَىʿalāon
ٱلَّذِينَalladhīnathose who
مِنmin(were) from
قَبْلِنَاۚqablinābefore us
رَبَّنَاrabbanāOur Lord
وَلَاwalā[And] (do) not
تُحَمِّلْنَاtuḥammil'nālay on us
مَاmāwhat
لَاlānot
طَاقَةَṭāqata(the) strength
لَنَاlanāwe have
بِهِۦۖbihi[of it] (to bear)
وَٱعْفُwa-uʿ'fuAnd pardon
عَنَّاʿannā[from] us
وَٱغْفِرْwa-igh'firand forgive
لَنَاlanā[for] us
وَٱرْحَمْنَآۚwa-ir'ḥamnāand have mercy on us
أَنتَantaYou (are)
مَوْلَىٰنَاmawlānāour Protector
فَٱنصُرْنَاfa-unṣur'nāso help us
عَلَىʿalāagainst
ٱلْقَوْمِl-qawmithe people
ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَl-kāfirīna[the] disbelievers