مَنِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا ﴿۱۵﴾ وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَا أَنْ نُهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا فَفَسَقُوا فِيهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا الْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرْنَاهَا تَدْمِيرًا ﴿۱۶﴾

﴾15﴿ Manihtadaa fa innamaa yahtadee linafsihee wa man dalla fa innamaa yadillu 'alaihaa; wa laa taziru waaziratunw wizra ukhraa; wa maa kunnaa mu'azzibeena hatta nab'asa Rasoola
﴾16﴿ Wa izaaa aradnaaa an nuhlika qaryatan amarnaa mutrafeehaa fafasaqoo feehaa fahaqqa 'alaihal qawlu fadammarnaahaa tadmeeraa

﴾15﴿ Whoever is guided is only guided for the benefit of their own soul, and whoever goes astray only goes astray to their own detriment. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And We do not punish until We have sent a messenger
﴾16﴿ And when We intend to destroy a town, We command its affluent ones (to righteousness), but they defiantly disobey therein. So the word [of punishment] comes into effect upon them, and We destroy it with complete destruction

[15] These verses describe the consequences of deeds—those recorded in the book of actions—and the result of reckoning, that each person will receive the outcome of his own actions, whether good or bad.
No one will bear the burden of another’s sins: “wa lā taziru wāziratun wizra ukh’rā.”
This is a refutation of those who commit sins and then claim, “So-and-so told me to do it, so the sin is on him.”
The phrase “wa mā kunnā muʿadh’dhibīn” refers to worldly punishment, which is conditional upon the sending of a messenger, meaning the message must reach the people, even if it is through a deputy of the messenger.
The same is mentioned in verse 117 of Surah Hud and verse 131 of Surah Al-An‘ām.
This is evidence that one who has not received the call of truth is not deserving of punishment.
As for punishment in the Hereafter, some scholars have said—and this is also narrated from Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him)—that in matters of Tawhid and faith, only a basic reminder is necessary, and Tawhid can be realized through reason alone.
So if a person has intellect and the message has not reached him, he will still be questioned about faith and Tawhid.
Most hadith scholars, however, say that this verse and similar general verses mean that without the message reaching someone, even the punishment of the Hereafter will not be applied to him—and this is the stronger view.
An objection to this has been raised using a hadith from Bukhari, in which it is mentioned that on the Day of Judgment, people will be found for Hellfire who had never received the message, and they will be thrown into the Fire.
Ibn Kathir discusses this in detail, saying one possibility is that the narrator made a mistake and that the original wording was about Paradise.
As for Hell, the authentic narration states that Allah the Exalted will place His foot in it, and it will then be filled.
Ibn Kathir also explains in detail under this verse the ruling regarding the people of the Fatrah (those who lived in the period between prophets) and the children of the polytheists.
[16] This verse gives a detailed explanation related to worldly punishment and serves as a clarification of the previous verse.
It means that when Allah the Exalted wills the destruction of a people, He sends His messengers to command the wealthy among them with Tawhid and obedience, but they disobey.
As a result, punishment descends upon them.
It is indicated that everything happens by the will of Allah the Exalted, and He also creates the means for it.
Therefore, the meaning of “amarnā” is: We commanded them with Tawhid and obedience.
Or “amarnā” could mean increasing—that is, We increased the wealth and luxuries of their rich, drawing them in gradually (istidrāj).
This is because, in Arabic, “amarnā” can sometimes carry the meaning of “katharna” (We increased), and this has been narrated from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with them).
“Fadammarnāhā tadmīran” means We utterly destroyed them.
The word “tadmīr” is often used where the destruction of an entire nation occurs all at once.
Whereas “tatbīr” is more general—whether the punishment comes gradually or all at once.