What does Quran 28:17 mean?

Quran 28:17 (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayah 17) translates to: "He said, "My Lord, for the favor You bestowed upon me, I will never be an assistant to the criminals.""

Which Surah and Juz is Quran 28:17 from?

This ayah is from Surah Al-Qasas (The Stories), the 28th surah of the Quran. It appears in Juz 20.

Are there hadiths related to Quran 28:17?

Yes — there are 5 hadiths related to this ayah from Sahih Muslim, Sahih al-Bukhari, Jami` at-Tirmidhi.

What tafsir is available for Quran 28:17?

Commentary on this ayah is available from Ibn Kathir, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Abbas, Al-Jalalayn — classical scholars of Quranic exegesis.

What topics does Quran 28:17 relate to?

This ayah connects to these Quranic topics: Gratitude, Justice, Prophet Musa, Moral Integrity, Divine Favor.

Ayah 16

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِى فَٱغْفِرْ لِى ...

28:17Al-Qasas

Ayah 18

فَأَصْبَحَ فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ خَآئِفًۭا يَتَرَقَّبُ ...

قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَآ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ فَلَنْ أَكُونَ ظَهِيرًۭا لِّلْمُجْرِمِينَ

Qaala Rabbi bimaaa an'amta 'alaiya falan akoona zaheeral lilmujrimeen

He said, "My Lord, for the favor You bestowed upon me, I will never be an assistant to the criminals."

Themes in this ayah

Explore in Habl →

Gratitude82 Lessons from past peoples67 Justice & honesty62

Scores run 0–100: how strongly this ayah speaks to a theme. 70+ is central, 50+ is clear, under 50 is weak.

12 other themes with weak connections

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28:17Ayah 188

2 ayahs in Al-Qasas are strongly about gratitude. This is one of them.

Next on Gratitude →28:73And out of His mercy He made for you the night and the day that you may rest therein and [by day] seek from His bounty and [that] perhaps you will be grateful.

Tafsir

Scholars offer complementary perspectives

View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 28:17→

He said ‘My Lord forasmuch as You have been gracious to me with forgiveness protect me so I will never be a partisan a supporter of the criminals’ the disbelievers henceforth if you were to protect me.

You committed theft. He said: Nay. By Him besides Whom there is no god (I have not committed theft). Thereupon Jesus said: I affirm my faith in Allah It is my ownself that deceived me.

Sahih al-Bukhari #5809Narrated Anas:Sahih

I served the Prophet (ﷺ) for ten years, and he never said to me, "Uf" (a minor harsh word denoting impatience) and never blamed me by saying, "Why did you do so or why didn't you do so?"

Sahih Muslim #5859Anas reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:Sahih

I served the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for nine years, and I do not know (of any instance) when he said to me: Why you have done this and that, and he never found fault with me in anything.

Sahih Muslim #5856Anas b. Malik reported:Sahih

I served the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for ten years, and, by Allah, he never said to me any harsh word, and he never said to me about a thing as to why I had done that and as to why I had not done that. Abu Rabi' has made this addition (in this narration):" The work which a servant should do." There is no mention of his words" By Allah".

Jami` at-Tirmidhi #2083Anas narrated:Sahih

that "I served the Prophet for ten years. He never said Uff and never blamed me by saying: 'Why did you do so' or why did you not do so?' And the Messenger Of Allah had the best character among all of the people. I never touched Khazz nor silk, nor anything softer than the hand of the Messenger of Allah, nor have I smelled musk, or a fragrance sweeter than the sweat of the Messenger of Allah