Allah Does Not Burden a Soul Beyond Its Capacity
Al-Baqarah 2:286. Also known as La yukallifullahu nafsan illa wus'aha, Allah does not burden a soul more than it can bear, Allah never gives you more than you can handle
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفۡسًا إِلَّا وُسۡعَهَاۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡهَا مَا ٱكۡتَسَبَتۡۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَآ إِصۡرٗا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦۖ وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَآۚ أَنتَ مَوۡلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ﴿٢٨٦﴾
La yukallifu Allahu nafsan illa wusAAaha laha ma kasabat waAAalayha ma iktasabat rabbana la tuakhithna in naseena aw akhtana rabbana wala tahmil AAalayna isran kama hamaltahu AAala allatheena min qablina rabbana wala tuhammilna ma la taqata lana bihi waoAAfu AAanna waighfir lana wairhamna anta mawlana faonsurna AAala alqawmi alkafireena
Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity. To its credit is what it earns, and against it is what it commits. “Our Lord, do not condemn us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, do not burden us as You have burdened those before us. Our Lord, do not burden us with more than we have strength to bear; and pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Lord and Master, so help us against the disbelieving people.”
The words Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity open verse 286 of Surah Al-Baqarah, the final verse of the surah. They are among the most quoted lines in the Quran, often shared when someone is going through a difficult time.
The same principle appears in several other places in the Quran, but this verse is where most people meet it, because it leads straight into a well-known supplication that many Muslims recite every night.
What it means
What Allah asks is within reach
The verse begins by saying Allah does not place on any soul more than it is able to carry. Scholars apply this first to religious obligations: what Allah requires of a person is always something they can do. This is why, for example, someone who cannot stand may pray sitting.
Each soul has what it earned
The verse then says that each soul gets the good it has earned and carries the wrong it has done. No one is punished for someone else's sin, and no good deed is lost.
Asking to be excused for forgetting and mistakes
The believers ask their Lord not to hold them responsible when they forget or err. Having just heard that nothing beyond their capacity will be asked of them, they ask for mercy in the gaps where they still fall short.
Asking for burdens we can carry
They ask not to be given a heavy load like those before them, and not to be made to carry what they lack strength for. The verse that began with a promise ends with a prayer for that promise to be kept in their own lives.
Pardon, forgiveness, mercy and help
The verse closes with requests for pardon, forgiveness and mercy, then names Allah as their Protector and asks Him for help. It is a complete prayer in a few lines.
Where it sits in Surah Al-Baqarah
This verse is the last of Surah Al-Baqarah. The verse before it, 2:285, describes the faith of the Messenger and the believers and their response of hearing and obeying. Before that, 2:284 said Allah would account for what people show and what they hide, and Sahih Muslim reports that this worried the Companions until verses 285 and 286 were revealed. The opening sentence of 2:286 was part of that reassurance. The same principle appears elsewhere: 2:233 applies it to parents and the care of a nursing child, 6:152 restates it in the middle of moral teachings, 7:42 in a description of the people of Paradise, 23:62 pairs it with a record that tells the truth, and 65:7 applies it to spending according to one's means.
How it is used
Because it is the last verse of Al-Baqarah, this verse is part of the two verses the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said would be enough for whoever recites them at night, as reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Many Muslims recite verses 285 and 286 together before sleeping. People also return to the opening words on their own when they feel overwhelmed.
Questions
Does this verse mean Allah never gives you more than you can handle?
Scholars usually explain it first as being about obligations: Allah does not require of anyone what they cannot do. Many also take comfort from it during trials. The same verse then teaches believers to ask Allah not to place on them what they cannot bear, so it pairs trust with prayer.
Where in the Quran does it say Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity?
The best-known place is 2:286. Similar wording appears in 2:233, 6:152, 7:42, 23:62 and, in a slightly different form, 65:7.
What comes after 'Allah does not burden a soul' in the verse?
The verse continues with a supplication asking Allah not to hold the believers responsible for forgetting or mistakes, not to burden them as He burdened those before them, and to pardon, forgive and have mercy on them.