لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ 37
Translations
For every man, that Day, will be a matter adequate for him.
Transliteration
Likulli imri'in minhum yawma'idhin sha'nun yughnīh
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the Day of Judgment when each person will be preoccupied with their own state of accountability before Allah, too consumed by their personal circumstances to concern themselves with others. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that on that Day, the concerns of family, wealth, and worldly relationships will become insignificant as individuals face the reality of their deeds, making each person's affair sufficient to occupy them entirely.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah 'Abasa, a Meccan chapter revealed during the early Islamic period. It is part of a passage describing the scenes of the Day of Judgment (verses 33-42), emphasizing the isolation and personal accountability each soul will experience when the trumpet is blown and people are raised from their graves.
Related Hadiths
The concept is reinforced in hadith collections regarding the Day of Judgment. For example, in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, there are hadiths describing how on the Day of Resurrection, a person's only concern will be their own deeds and status before Allah. Also relevant is the hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ described the despair of family members unable to help one another on that Day.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that worldly relationships and material possessions cannot aid us in the Afterlife—each soul stands alone before Allah responsible only for its own deeds. It encourages believers to focus on righteous actions and spiritual preparation in this life, as no one can intercede or assist us except through Allah's mercy on that decisive Day.
Related Ayahs
أَلَآ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Unquestionably, to Allāh belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. Unquestionably, the promise of Allāh is truth, but most of them do not know.
وَنَرَىٰهُ قَرِيبًا
But We see it [as] near.
فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِى ٱلنَّاقُورِ
And when the trumpet is blown,
يُنَادُونَهُمْ أَلَمْ نَكُن مَّعَكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنَّكُمْ فَتَنتُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَتَرَبَّصْتُمْ وَٱرْتَبْتُمْ وَغَرَّتْكُمُ ٱلْأَمَانِىُّ حَتَّىٰ جَآءَ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ وَغَرَّكُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْغَرُورُ
They [i.e., the hypocrites] will call to them [i.e., the believers], "Were we not with you?" They will say, "Yes, but you afflicted yourselves and awaited [misfortune for us] and doubted, and wishful thinking deluded you until there came the command of Allāh. And the Deceiver [i.e., Satan] deceived you concerning Allāh.