Back to search

What is the meaning of "إني أريد" (Indeed, I want) in Surah Al-Ma'idah, verses 38-39, and how can a believer say to his brother, "Indeed, I want you to draw upon yourself my sin and your sin"?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A Muslim does not wish evil upon his brother. And Allah’s saying: "Indeed, I want you to bear my sin and your sin," is not an intention of love. Rather, it is a choice between two evils, and its meaning is: If you kill me, then you will bear the sin of killing me and the sin of your previous transgressions. And it was said: My sin will be upon you if you kill me, and your sin will be upon you. The intention here is not literal, because he resigned himself to surrender. And it was said: Indeed, I want you to bear the punishment for killing me. As for a believer wishing sin for his brother, it is impermissible, and there are three answers to this: The first: He did not intend sin, but rather he intended that if you kill me, then you will bear the sin. The second: There is an omitted part in the speech, estimated as: that you not bear my sin and your sin. The third: The meaning is: I want the removal and nullification of you bearing my sin and your sin.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy