Quran Verses about Self-reflection

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَلۡتَنظُرۡ نَفۡسٞ مَّا قَدَّمَتۡ لِغَدٖۖ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرُۢ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ ١٨

Yāʾayyuhal-ladhīna āmanuttaqullāha waltanẓur nafsum mā qaddamat lighad, wattaqullāh, innallāha khabīrum bimā taʿmalūn.

O you who have believed, fear Allāh. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow - and fear Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is Aware of what you do.

وَلَا تَكُونُواْ كَٱلَّذِينَ نَسُواْ ٱللَّهَ فَأَنسَىٰهُمۡ أَنفُسَهُمۡۚ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡفَٰسِقُونَ ١٩

Wa lā takūnū kal-ladhīna nasullāha fa ansāhum anfusahum, ulāʾika humul-fāsiqūn.

And be not like those who forgot Allāh, so He made them forget themselves. Those are the defiantly disobedient.

وَٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَٰحِشَةً أَوۡ ظَلَمُوٓاْ أَنفُسَهُمۡ ذَكَرُواْ ٱللَّهَ فَٱسۡتَغۡفَرُواْ لِذُنُوبِهِمۡ وَمَن يَغۡفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ وَلَمۡ يُصِرُّواْ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلُواْ وَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُونَ ١٣٥

Wal-ladhīna idhā faʿalū fāḥishatan aw ẓalamū anfusahum dhakarullāha fastaghfarū lidhunūbihim wa may yaghfirudh-dhunūba illallāhu wa lam yuṣirrū ʿalā mā faʿalū wa hum yaʿlamūn.

And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allāh and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allāh? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.

قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمۡنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمۡ تَغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَتَرۡحَمۡنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡخَٰسِرِينَ ٢٣

Qālā rabbanā ẓalamnā anfusanā wa il lam taghfir lanā wa tarḥamnā lanakūnanna minal-khāsirīn.

They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers."

۞ وَمَآ أُبَرِّئُ نَفۡسِيٓۚ إِنَّ ٱلنَّفۡسَ لَأَمَّارَةُۢ بِٱلسُّوٓءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّيٓۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٞ رَّحِيمٞ ٥٣

Wa mā ubarriʾu nafsī, innan-nafsa laʾammāratum bis-sūʾi illā mā raḥima rabbī, inna rabbī ghafūrur raḥīm.

And I do not acquit myself. Indeed, the soul is a persistent enjoiner of evil, except those upon which my Lord has mercy. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful."¹

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمۡتُ نَفۡسِي فَٱغۡفِرۡ لِي فَغَفَرَ لَهُۥٓۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلۡغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ١٦

Qāla rabbi innī ẓalamtu nafsī faghfir lī faghafara lah, innahū huwal-ghafūrur-raḥīm.

He said, "My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me," and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

وَلَآ أُقۡسِمُ بِٱلنَّفۡسِ ٱللَّوَّامَةِ ٢

Wa lā uqsimu bin-nafsil-lawwāmah.

And I swear by the reproaching soul¹ [to the certainty of resurrection].

وَأَمَّا مَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ وَنَهَى ٱلنَّفۡسَ عَنِ ٱلۡهَوَىٰ ٤٠

Wa ammā man khāfa maqāma rabbihī wa nahan-nafsa ʿanil-hawā.

But as for he who feared the position of his Lord¹ and prevented the soul from [unlawful] inclination,

فَإِنَّ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ هِيَ ٱلۡمَأۡوَىٰ ٤١

Fa innal-jannata hiyal-maʾwā.

Then indeed, Paradise will be [his] refuge.

قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ ١٤

Qad aflaḥa man tazakkā.

He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself

وَذَكَرَ ٱسۡمَ رَبِّهِۦ فَصَلَّىٰ ١٥

Wa dhakarasma rabbihī faṣallā.

And mentions the name of his Lord and prays.

وَنَفۡسٖ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا ٧

Wa nafsiw wa mā sawwāhā.

And [by] the soul and He who proportioned it¹

فَأَلۡهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقۡوَىٰهَا ٨

Fa alhamahā fujūrahā wa taqwāhā.

And inspired it [with discernment of] its wickedness and its righteousness,

قَدۡ أَفۡلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا ٩

Qad aflaḥa man zakkāhā.

He has succeeded who purifies it,

وَقَدۡ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا ١٠

Wa qad khāba man dassāhā.

And he has failed who instills it [with corruption].

۞ أَتَأۡمُرُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ بِٱلۡبِرِّ وَتَنسَوۡنَ أَنفُسَكُمۡ وَأَنتُمۡ تَتۡلُونَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَۚ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ ٤٤

Ataʾmurūnan-nāsa bil-birri wa tansawna anfusakum wa antum tatlūnal-kitāb, afalā taʿqilūn.

Do you order righteousness of the people and forget¹ yourselves while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ عَلَيۡكُمۡ أَنفُسَكُمۡۖ لَا يَضُرُّكُم مَّن ضَلَّ إِذَا ٱهۡتَدَيۡتُمۡۚ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَرۡجِعُكُمۡ جَمِيعٗا فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ ١٠٥

Yāʾayyuhal-ladhīna āmanū ʿalaykum anfusakum, lā yaḍurrukum man ḍalla idhahtadaytum, ilallāhi marjiʿukum jamīʿan fayunabbiʾukum bimā kuntum taʿmalūn.

O you who have believed, upon you is [responsibility for] yourselves. Those who have gone astray will not harm you when you have been guided. To Allāh is your return all together; then He will inform you of what you used to do.

أَلَمۡ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يُزَكُّونَ أَنفُسَهُمۚ بَلِ ٱللَّهُ يُزَكِّي مَن يَشَآءُ وَلَا يُظۡلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا ٤٩

Alam tara ilal-ladhīna yuzakkūna anfusahum, balillāhu yuzakkī may yashāʾu wa lā yuẓlamūna fatīlā.

Have you not seen those who claim themselves to be pure? Rather, Allāh purifies whom He wills, and injustice is not done to them, [even] as much as a thread [inside a date seed].

ٱلَّذِينَ يَجۡتَنِبُونَ كَبَٰٓئِرَ ٱلۡإِثۡمِ وَٱلۡفَوَٰحِشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّمَمَۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ وَٰسِعُ ٱلۡمَغۡفِرَةِۚ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِكُمۡ إِذۡ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَإِذۡ أَنتُمۡ أَجِنَّةٞ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمۡۖ فَلَا تُزَكُّوٓاْ أَنفُسَكُمۡۖ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰٓ ٣٢

Al-ladhīna yajtanibūna kabāʾiral-ithmi wal-fawāḥisha illal-lamam, inna rabbaka wāsiʿul-maghfirah, huwa aʿlamu bikum idh anshaʾakum minal-arḍi wa idh antum ajinnatun fī buṭūni ummahātikum, falā tuzakkū anfusakum, huwa aʿlamu bimanittaqā.

Those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, only [committing] slight ones. Indeed, your Lord is vast in forgiveness. He was most knowing of you when He produced you from the earth and when you were fetuses in the wombs of your mothers. So do not claim yourselves to be pure; He is most knowing of who fears Him.

أَوَلَمۡ يَتَفَكَّرُواْ فِيٓ أَنفُسِهِمۗ مَّا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَآ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَأَجَلٖ مُّسَمّٗىۗ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرٗا مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِلِقَآيِٕ رَبِّهِمۡ لَكَٰفِرُونَ ٨

Awalam yatafakkarū fī anfusihim, mā khalaqallāhus-samāwāti wal-arḍa wa mā baynahumā illā bil-ḥaqqi wa ajalim musammā, wa inna kathīram minan-nāsi biliqāʾi rabbihim lakāfirūn.

Do they not contemplate within themselves?¹ Allāh has not created the heavens and the earth and what is between them except in truth and for a specified term. And indeed, many of the people, in the meeting with their Lord, are disbelievers.

وَفِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ءَايَٰتٞ لِّلۡمُوقِنِينَ ٢٠

Wa fil-arḍi āyātul lil-mūqinīn.

And on the earth are signs for the certain [in faith]

وَفِيٓ أَنفُسِكُمۡۚ أَفَلَا تُبۡصِرُونَ ٢١

Wa fī anfusikum, afalā tubṣirūn.

And in yourselves. Then will you not see?