Qur'an Verse of the Day
Monday 17th August 2026 Today
Chapter 2, Verse 287
لَا یُکَلِّفُ اللّٰہُ نَفۡسًا اِلَّا وُسۡعَہَا ؕ لَہَا مَا کَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَیۡہَا مَا اکۡتَسَبَتۡ ؕ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَاۤ اِنۡ نَّسِیۡنَاۤ اَوۡ اَخۡطَاۡنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَیۡنَاۤ اِصۡرًا کَمَا حَمَلۡتَہٗ عَلَی الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَۃَ لَنَا بِہٖ ۚ وَاعۡفُ عَنَّا ٝ وَاغۡفِرۡ لَنَا ٝ وَارۡحَمۡنَا ٝ اَنۡتَ مَوۡلٰٮنَا فَانۡصُرۡنَا عَلَی الۡقَوۡمِ الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ ﴿۲۸۷﴾٪
English Translation
Allah burdens not any soul beyond its capacity. It shall have the reward it earns, and it shall get the punishment it incurs. Our Lord, do not punish us, if we forget or fall into error; and our Lord, lay not on us a responsibility as Thou didst lay upon those before us. Our Lord, burden us not with what we have not the strength to bear; and efface our sins, and grant us forgiveness and have mercy on us; Thou art our Master; so help us Thou against the disbelieving people.
[c]Allah burdens not any soul beyond its capacity.[359] It shall have the reward it earns, and it shall get the punishment it incurs.[360] Our Lord, do not punish us, if we forget or fall into error,[361] and our Lord, lay not on us a responsibility[362] as Thou didst lay upon those before us. Our Lord, burden us not with what we have not the strength to bear; and efface our sins and grant us forgiveness and have mercy on us; Thou art our Master; [a]so help us against the disbelieving people.
See 2:234.
The clause constitutes a powerful refutation of the doctrine of Atonement. It embodies two important principles: (1) That the commandments of God are always given with due regard for man’s capacities and his natural limitations. (2) That moral purification in this world does not necessarily signify complete freedom from all kinds of failings and shortcomings. All that man is expected to do is sincerely to strive for good and avoid sin to the best of his power, and the rest will be forgiven him by the Merciful God. So no Atonement is needed.
The word Kasaba generally denotes the doing of good deeds and Iktasaba the doing of evil deeds. Both words are from the same root but the latter denotes greater exertion on the part of the doer. A man will be rewarded for good deeds even if they are done casually and without conscious effort, while he will be punished for his evil deeds only if they are committed deliberately and with conscious effort.
In ordinary circumstances, Nisyan and Khati’ah are not punishable for they lack intention or motive which are necessary for awarding punishment. But here the words denote forgetfulness and error which can be avoided if due care is taken.
Isr means, (1) a burden which restrains one from motion; (2) a heavy responsibility the breaking of which renders one deserving of punishment; (3) a sin or an offence; and (4) grievous punishment of a sin. The expression ‘lay not on us a responsibility as Thou didst lay upon those before us,’ does not mean that the burden to be laid upon us should be lighter than that which was laid upon those before us. The meaning is that we may be safeguarded against breaking Thy covenant and thus may be saved from incurring a heavy responsibility for disobedience as was incurred by those before us. This is a collective prayer for the preservation and protection of Islam and the safeguarding of Muslims against incurring the displeasure of God.
3:148.