وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم بِٱلَّيْلِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا جَرَحْتُم بِٱلنَّهَارِ ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُكُمْ فِيهِ لِيُقْضَىٰٓ أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ 60
Translations
And it is He who takes your souls by night and knows what you have committed by day. Then He revives you therein [i.e., by day] that a specified term may be fulfilled. Then to Him will be your return; then He will inform you about what you used to do.
Transliteration
Wa huwa alladhi yatawaffakum bil-layl wa ya'lamu ma jarahatum bin-nahar thumma yab'athukum fih liyuqda ajal musammah thumma ilayhi marji'ukum thumma yunabbikum bima kuntum ta'malun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Allah's complete knowledge and control over human life through the cycle of sleep and wakefulness—He takes the soul during sleep and knows all our deeds during the day, then resurrects us to fulfill our appointed term. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, sleep is presented as a minor death, demonstrating Allah's divine power and omniscience, ultimately emphasizing that all souls return to Him for final judgment where every deed will be accounted for.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan chapter that emphasizes Allah's oneness, omniscience, and judgment. It fits within the broader Meccan context of establishing core Islamic beliefs about divine attributes and accountability on the Day of Resurrection, addressing the polytheists' denial of the afterlife and divine knowledge.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'When one of you goes to sleep, the soul ascends, and if Allah wills He withholds it and if He wills He sends it back' (Sunan Ibn Majah and Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the Prophet taught the dua when sleeping, acknowledging Allah's control over life and death in rest.
Themes
Key Lesson
Every moment of our lives—waking and sleeping—is under Allah's perfect knowledge and control; this should inspire believers to maintain consciousness of their deeds and maintain taqwa (God-consciousness), knowing they will answer for all actions before their Lord on the Day of Judgment.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ هُوَ ٱلْقَادِرُ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابًا مِّن فَوْقِكُمْ أَوْ مِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِكُمْ أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُمْ شِيَعًا وَيُذِيقَ بَعْضَكُم بَأْسَ بَعْضٍ ۗ ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَفْقَهُونَ
Say, "He is the [one] Able to send upon you affliction from above you or from beneath your feet or to confuse you [so you become] sects and make you taste the violence of one another." Look how We diversify the signs that they might understand.
وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ذُو ٱلرَّحْمَةِ ۚ إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفْ مِنۢ بَعْدِكُم مَّا يَشَآءُ كَمَآ أَنشَأَكُم مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوْمٍ ءَاخَرِينَ
And your Lord is the Free of need, the possessor of mercy. If He wills, He can do away with you and give succession after you to whomever He wills, just as He produced you from the descendants of another people.
وَكَيْفَ أَخَافُ مَآ أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَلَا تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمْ أَشْرَكْتُم بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِۦ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَـٰنًا ۚ فَأَىُّ ٱلْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِٱلْأَمْنِ ۖ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
And how should I fear what you associate while you do not fear that you have associated with Allāh that for which He has not sent down to you any authority? So which of the two parties has more right to security, if you should know?"
وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ ٱلْحَرْثِ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ نَصِيبًا فَقَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَـٰذَا لِشُرَكَآئِنَا ۖ فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ فَلَا يَصِلُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَىٰ شُرَكَآئِهِمْ ۗ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
And they [i.e., the polytheists] assign to Allāh from that which He created of crops and livestock a share and say, "This is for Allāh," by their claim, "and this is for our 'partners' [associated with Him]." But what is for their "partners" does not reach Allāh, while what is for Allāh - this reaches their "partners." Evil is that which they rule.