وَقَالُوٓا۟ إِنْ هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ 29
Translations
And they say, "There is none but our worldly life, and we will not be resurrected."
Transliteration
Wa qalū in hiya illā hayātunā ad-dunyā wa mā naḥnu bi-mab'ūthīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah records the statement of the disbelievers who deny the afterlife, claiming that life is limited to this worldly existence and that there is no resurrection. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this reflects the materialist ideology of those who rejected the message of the Prophet, asserting that death is the final end and denying accountability before Allah. The ayah presents their false belief as a prelude to refutation by divine proofs throughout the surah.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-An'am, which was revealed in Mecca during the early period when the Quraysh actively rejected the Prophet's message. The surah addresses various objections raised by the disbelievers, including their denial of the afterlife and resurrection—core concepts of Islamic belief that were heavily contested in Meccan society.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those who have the best character and the best of you are those who are best to their families,' emphasizing that belief in the afterlife should motivate ethical conduct (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith 'Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent' (Sahih Bukhari) connects to the consequences of denying resurrection.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that the denial of the afterlife leads to moral corruption and abandonment of accountability, while belief in resurrection and divine judgment is foundational to living a righteous life. Modern readers should reflect on how faith in the afterlife shapes ethical behavior and protects against materialistic worldviews that ignore spiritual responsibility.
Related Ayahs
وَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِۦٓ أَنْعَـٰمٌ وَحَرْثٌ حِجْرٌ لَّا يَطْعَمُهَآ إِلَّا مَن نَّشَآءُ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَأَنْعَـٰمٌ حُرِّمَتْ ظُهُورُهَا وَأَنْعَـٰمٌ لَّا يَذْكُرُونَ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا ٱفْتِرَآءً عَلَيْهِ ۚ سَيَجْزِيهِم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ
And they say, "These animals and crops are forbidden; no one may eat from them except whom we will," by their claim. And there are those [camels] whose backs are forbidden [by them] and those upon which the name of Allāh is not mentioned - [all of this] an invention of untruth about Him. He will punish them for what they were inventing.
قَدْ خَسِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِلِقَآءِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً قَالُوا۟ يَـٰحَسْرَتَنَا عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِيهَا وَهُمْ يَحْمِلُونَ أَوْزَارَهُمْ عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِمْ ۚ أَلَا سَآءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ
Those will have lost who deny the meeting with Allāh, until when the Hour [of resurrection] comes upon them unexpectedly, they will say, "Oh, [how great is] our regret over what we neglected concerning it [i.e., the Hour]," while they bear their burdens [i.e., sins] on their backs. Unquestionably, evil is that which they bear.
فَالِقُ ٱلْإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ ٱلَّيْلَ سَكَنًا وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ حُسْبَانًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ
[He is] the cleaver of daybreak and has made the night for rest and the sun and moon for calculation. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.
وَقَالُوا۟ لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۚ قُلْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَادِرٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يُنَزِّلَ ءَايَةً وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
And they say, "Why has a sign not been sent down to him from his Lord?" Say, "Indeed, Allāh is Able to send down a sign, but most of them do not know."