Surah Ya-Sin 36:21
سُورَةُ يسٓ · Meccan · Verse 21 of 83
ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَن لَّا يَسْـَٔلُكُمْ أَجْرًۭا وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ
Translation
Follow them: they are not asking you to reward them and they are rightly guided.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'Follow those who ask of you no reward, and who are rightly guided.' Ibn Ashur notes the man's argument is pure, disarming reason: the trustworthy guide is the one who wants nothing from you and is himself on the right path. Sincerity has a tell, the true caller seeks no fee. al-Saadi highlights the two-part test: they seek no payment, and they are themselves guided. Ask yourself: I'm surrounded by voices asking me to follow them, influencers, ideologies, sellers of every certainty. This verse hands me a filter I can actually use: what do they want from me, and where is their own path leading? Whom am I following, and would they pass this simple test?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Ya-Sin 36:21 is discussed in 7 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Ya-Sin 36:21 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.