Surah Ali 'Imran (آل عمران) • Family of Imran

Quran 3:117

3:117

مَثَلُ مَا يُنفِقُونَ فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ ۚ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَـٰكِنْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

mathalu mā yunfiqūna fī hādhihi l-ḥayati l-dun'yā kamathali rīḥin fīhā ṣirrun aṣābat ḥartha qawmin ẓalamū anfusahum fa-ahlakathu wamā ẓalamahumu l-lahu walākin anfusahum yaẓlimūna

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 [i.e., sinned] and destroys it. And Allāh has not wronged them, but they wrong themselves.

— Saheeh International

and whatever they give away in this life will be nullified: a frosty wind strikes and destroys the harvest of people who have wronged themselves. It was not God who wronged them; they wronged themselves.

— M. A. S. Abdel Haleem

The likeness of what they spend in this world is the likeness of a wind which is extremely cold; it struck the harvest of a people who did wrong against themselves and destroyed it, (i.e. the good deed of a person is only accepted if he is a monotheist and believes in all the Prophets of Allâh, including the Christ عليه السلام and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم). Allâh wronged them not, but they wronged themselves.

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

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Word by Word

مَثَلُmathaluExample
مَاmā(of) what
يُنفِقُونَyunfiqūnathey spend
فِىfīin
هَـٰذِهِhādhihithis
ٱلْحَيَوٰةِl-ḥayati[the] life
ٱلدُّنْيَاl-dun'yā(of) the world
كَمَثَلِkamathali(is) like (the) example
رِيحٍۢrīḥin(of) a wind
فِيهَاfīhāin it
صِرٌّṣirrun(is) frost
أَصَابَتْaṣābatit struck
حَرْثَḥartha(the) harvest
قَوْمٍۢqawmin(of) a people
ظَلَمُوٓا۟ẓalamūwho wronged
أَنفُسَهُمْanfusahumthemselves
فَأَهْلَكَتْهُۚfa-ahlakathuthen destroyed it
وَمَاwamāAnd not
ظَلَمَهُمُẓalamahumu(has) wronged them
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah
وَلَـٰكِنْwalākin[and] but
أَنفُسَهُمْanfusahumthemselves
يَظْلِمُونَyaẓlimūnathey wronged