Among the most settling words in the Qur’an are these: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. I come back to them whenever I think about the Day of Judgment, because they hold a comfort and a warning in a single ruling. The comfort is that I will never be punished for a sin I did not commit. The disobedience of another person will not be laid on my back, not my father’s, not my husband’s, not anyone’s. The warning is the other side of the same words: my own sins are mine, and no one will carry them for me either. There is no handing them over, and no one who can step in and take the weight, however much I am loved.
Allah states this ruling again and again in His Book, chapter after chapter, so that nobody is left in any doubt about it. What follows is the ruling in the verses themselves, in the English wording printed in the tafsir of as-Sa’di, together with what as-Sa’di and Ibn Kathir wrote in explanation of them.
Stated Again and Again in the Book of Allah
Allah commands His Prophet ﷺ to announce the ruling in Surah al-An’am:
“Say: Should I seek a lord other than Allah, when He is the Lord of all things? No soul earns [evil] but it is to its own detriment; no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord you will [all] return, then He will inform you about the matters concerning which you differed.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 3 (printed p. 197).
In Surah al-Isra’, Allah joins the ruling to guidance and misguidance themselves:
“Whoever is guided, is only guided for [the good of] his own soul; whoever goes astray, only goes astray to his own detriment, and no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Nor do We punish until We have sent a Messenger [to give warning].”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 5 (printed p. 269).
As-Sa’di comments:
“The guidance or misguidance of each individual only affects him, and no one can bear the burden of another person’s sins or ward off from him even an atom’s weight of harm.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 5 (printed p. 269).
In Surah Fatir, the scene is completed. A soul weighed down with sins calls out for someone to lift part of its load, and not even the closest relative will lift any of it:
“No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. If a heavily-laden soul calls another for help to bear its load, nothing of it will be carried, even if he is a close relative. You [O Muhammad] can only warn those who fear their Lord unseen and establish prayer, for whoever purifies himself only does so for his own benefit. And unto Allah is the return [of all].”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 8 (printed p. 127).
Ibn Kathir explains the scene:
“(And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden;) means, on the Day of Resurrection. (and if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, ) means, if the person who is carrying a heavy burden calls someone else to help him carry his load, all or part of it, (nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin.) means, even if he is closely-related to him, even if he is his father or son, for each person will be preoccupied with his own self and his own situation.”
Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) (combined file, PDF pp. 4152-4153).
He Has No Need of You, and Your Deeds Are Your Own
In Surah az-Zumar, Allah joins the ruling to His own freedom from need. He is not harmed by disbelief and He gains nothing from gratitude, so every deed stays where it belongs, with the one who did it:
“If you disbelieve, verily Allah has no need of you, but He does not approve of disbelief for His slaves. If you give thanks, He approves of that for you. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord you will [all] return, then He will inform you about what you used to do. Verily He knows well what is in [people’s] hearts.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 8 (printed p. 279).
Ibn Kathir sums the ruling up in a single line:
“(No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. ) means, no person can bear anything for another; each person will be asked about his own affairs.”
Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) (combined file, PDF p. 4346).
Nor is this ruling new with the Qur’an. It stood in the scriptures given to Moosa and Ibraheem long before, as Allah tells us in Surah an-Najm:
“53:36. Or has he not been informed of what is in the scriptures of Moosa 53:37. and of Ibraheem, who fulfilled his duty: 53:38. that no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another; 53:39. that man will have nothing but what he strives for;”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 9 (printed p. 342).
As-Sa’di comments on the two rulings together, the burden and the striving:
“Those scriptures contained many rulings, among the most significant of which are those mentioned here: «that no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another; that man will have nothing but what he strives for» that is, each person who strives will have his own deeds, both good and bad, and no one will have a share of the deeds and efforts of any other person, nor will anyone carry another person’s burden of sin.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 9 (printed p. 344).
Ibn Kathir says the same on this verse:
“(That no burdened person shall bear the burden of another.) Meaning, every soul shall carry its own injustices, whether disbelief or sin, and none else shall carry its burden of sin, as Allah states (And if one heavily laden calls another to (bear) his load, nothing of it will be lifted even though he be near of kin.)(35:18)”
Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) (combined file, PDF p. 4911).
Each One Will Come to Him All Alone
No child is born carrying the sin of a parent. No parent answers for the deeds of a child. No husband carries his wife’s sins, and no wife carries her husband’s. When that Day comes, every person arrives in the same state:
“And each one of them will come to Him on the Day of Resurrection all alone.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 6 (printed p. 105).
As-Sa’di explains what coming alone means:
“«And each one of them will come to Him on the Day of Resurrection all alone» that is, with no children, no wealth and no supporters; he will have nothing with him except his deeds. Then Allah will requite him and settle his account in full; if it is good, then the outcome will be good and if it is bad, then the outcome will be bad, as Allah (ﷻ) says elsewhere: «Now you have come to Us alone, as We created you the first time…» (al-An’am 6: 94)”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 6 (printed p. 106).
And Allah addresses fathers and children directly, in Surah Luqman, warning them not to count on each other on that Day:
“O humankind, fear your Lord and dread a day when no father will avail his child and no child will avail his father at all. Verily the promise of Allah is true, so do not let the life of this world deceive you, or let any deceiver deceive you concerning Allah.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 7 (printed p. 359).
The One Who Leads Others Astray Bears More, and Nothing Is Transferred
A question rises here, and the books face it directly. If no one bears the burden of another, what of the person who teaches others to sin and is followed in it? Does he carry only his own sins and no more? As-Sa’di raised the question at the first verse on this page:
“«no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another» rather each one will carry his own burden; if anyone causes someone else to be misguided and to incur a burden of sin, then he will also bear a burden of sin for what he caused, without that detracting from the burden of the one who actually did it.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 3 (printed p. 199).
Allah answers the question in Surah an-Nahl, speaking of those who mislead others:
“Hence on the Day of Resurrection they will bear the full weight of their own burdens, as well as some of the burdens of those without knowledge, whom they misled. Miserable indeed will be their burden.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 5 (printed p. 193).
The disbelievers once made the opposite promise to the believers: follow our path, and we will bear your sins for you. Allah records their words, and then His answer:
“29:12. The disbelievers say to the believers: Follow our path, and we will bear the burden of your sins. But they will never bear any of their sins. They are surely lying. 29:13. They will surely bear their own burdens, and other burdens along with their own, and on the Day of Resurrection they will surely be questioned about the lies they fabricated.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 7 (printed p. 250).
And so that nobody misunderstands the second of these verses, as though the disbelievers who promote their disbelief would carry nothing of what they caused, as-Sa’di continues:
“As Allah says: «But they will never bear any of their sins», it may be misunderstood that the disbelievers who promote their disbelief – and others of their ilk who call to falsehood – will not have to carry any burden of sin except their own, excluding the sins that others did, even if they were the cause of that. Hence Allah says, addressing this misunderstanding: «They will surely bear their own burdens» that is, the burden of the sins that they committed «and other burdens along with their own» – this refers to the sins that were committed because of them. For each sin committed by the follower, both the follower and the one whom he followed will have a share of it, the follower because he himself did it and the one whom he followed because he was the cause of his doing it and he called him to do it. By the same token, if the follower does a good deed, he will have the reward for doing it himself, and the one who called him to it will have a reward for being the cause of it.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 7 (printed pp. 250-251).
The Prophet ﷺ taught the same ruling in his own words. The hadith [a report of the words and actions of the Prophet ﷺ] stands in Riyad as-Saliheen [The Gardens of the Righteous], and it is printed there like this:
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “If anyone calls others to follow right guidance, his reward will be equivalent to those who follow him (in righteousness) without their reward being diminished in any respect, and if anyone invites others to follow error, the sin, will be equivalent to that of the people who follow him (in sinfulness) without their sins being diminished in any respect.” [Muslim]
Riyad as-Saliheen, Hadeeth 174, as printed in Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen, Vol. 2 (printed p. 361).
In his explanation of this hadith, Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen describes who falls under its warning:
“That is, when he calls to a vice or what involves sin such as inviting to amusement, falsehood, music, usury or other forbidden acts; he will be recompensed with the like of the punishment of each individual influenced by his call– the refuge is with Allah.”
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen, Vol. 2 (printed pp. 361-362).
The call, he says, is not made with words alone:
“You should know that the call to guidance and invitation to sin come through utterances such as when someone says, “Do this”, and with action, especially from those other people emulate.”
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen, Vol. 2 (printed p. 362).
And he draws out of the hadith the principle behind it:
“This hadeeth contains evidence that the one who causes a thing is like the person who does it. So, the one who calls to guidance has helped bring about it and as such, he will have the reward of whoever does it. Likewise, the one who calls to evil or sin has caused it and so, he earns the like of the recompense of those who follow him.”
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen, Vol. 2 (printed p. 362).
So nothing is transferred, and nobody’s burden is lightened at another’s expense. The follower carries his sin in full, because he did it himself. The one who called him carries his own sin in full, and the like of the follower’s beside it, because the calling was his own deed. Each burden is earned by the one who carries it.
The Hope That Stands Beside the Warning
The same justice comforts the one who does good. If my sins cannot be handed to another, my righteous deeds cannot be taken from me either. They are mine, recorded for me, and no one else’s failure cancels them. And where a person’s family follows him in faith, Allah’s generosity joins them to him in Paradise instead of parting them. As-Sa’di writes this while explaining the verse of Surah at-Tur, where Allah joins the offspring to the believers:
“Because some may imagine that the same is applicable to the people of hell, and that Allah will cause their offspring or parents to join them, Allah tells us that the rulings governing the two realms are not the same. Hell is the realm of justice, and part of Allah’s justice is that He does not punish anyone except for his own sin. Hence He says: «Every person is held in pledge for what he earns». So no soul will bear the burden of another and the sins of one person will not be borne by another. This is adding a further comment in order to remove any misunderstanding.”
As-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, Vol. 9 (printed p. 316).
And because my sins are mine, my tawbah [repentance] is mine as well. No one needs to carry my sins away from me, and no one can block me from turning back. Allah has opened the door of repentance to every person for his own sins, and He has taught us the greatest words for seeking His forgiveness, so each of us can ask for himself. Two pages linked below are given to exactly that.
I gathered these verses and their explanations for my own heart first, and I leave them here for whoever needs them. I cannot blame anyone for where I stand with Allah, and I cannot hide behind anyone either. What I carry to that Day is what I did, and the door back to Him stands open while I live. I ask Allah to forgive my sins, to protect me from leading anyone into sin, and to let me meet Him carrying deeds that speak for me and not against me. Ameen.
Further Reading
- The Hereafter: the ranks and levels of the people of Paradise and the reward of deeds.
- How Can a Person Escape Sins?: the means that move a person to stay away from sins in the first place.
- The Greatest Supplication for Forgiveness: the greatest words for seeking Allah’s forgiveness, explained.
- Life in the Grave (Barzakh): what happens to a person between death and the Resurrection.
- Deeds That Lead to Paradise: deeds by which a person enters Paradise.
References
- Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di, Tafseer as-Sa’di, International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH), English Edition 1, 2018, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab. Used for: Surah al-An’am (6), verse 164 (Vol. 3, pp. 197, 199); Surah al-Isra’ (17), verse 15 (Vol. 5, p. 269); Surah an-Nahl (16), verse 25 (Vol. 5, p. 193); Surah Maryam (19), verse 95 (Vol. 6, pp. 105-106); Surah al-‘Ankabut (29), verses 12-13 (Vol. 7, pp. 250-251); Surah Luqman (31), verse 33 (Vol. 7, p. 359); Surah Fatir (35), verse 18 (Vol. 8, p. 127); Surah az-Zumar (39), verse 7 (Vol. 8, p. 279); Surah at-Tur (52), verse 21 (Vol. 9, p. 316); Surah an-Najm (53), verses 36-39 (Vol. 9, pp. 342, 344).
- Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), all 10 volumes in one combined file; the library’s copy names no publisher and carries no printed folios, so the combined file’s PDF pages are given. Used for: Surah Fatir (35), verse 18 (PDF pp. 4152-4153); Surah az-Zumar (39), verse 7 (PDF p. 4346); Surah an-Najm (53), verse 38 (PDF p. 4911).
- Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen (Commentary on Riyaad As-Saaliheen), Volume 2, Maktaba Dar-us-Salam, 2016, translated by Abu Naasir Ibrahim Abdur-Rauf and Abu Abdil-Barr Muhammad Yaqeen. Used for: Hadeeth 174, the one who calls to guidance or to misguidance, and its explanation (printed pp. 361-362).
Note on spelling: the name of Allah is written “Allah” throughout, in the quotations as well as the text, and transliteration inside the quotations is written in plain letters, without diacritics. The wording of every quotation is otherwise exactly as the books print it.
Verified on 2026-10-28 against the books listed above.