يُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَرْحَمُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ تُقْلَبُونَ 21
Translations
He punishes whom He wills and has mercy upon whom He wills, and to Him you will be returned.
Transliteration
Yu'aththibu man yashaa wa yarham man yashaa wa ilayhi tuqlabuun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms Allah's absolute sovereignty and divine will—He punishes whom He wills and shows mercy to whom He wills, and all creation will ultimately return to Him for judgment. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this divine prerogative is exercised with perfect justice and wisdom, refuting any notion of injustice in Allah's judgment. The ayah serves as both a warning to the arrogant and reassurance to the humble that their fate rests entirely in the hands of the All-Wise.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-'Ankabut is a Meccan surah revealed during a period of intense persecution of early Muslims. This ayah appears within the context of discussing divine power and the futility of human schemes against Allah's will, reminding believers during hardship that ultimate authority belongs only to Allah and that He alone determines outcomes.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Everyone will find easy the deeds of his destiny for which he was created' (Sahih Bukhari 4776). Additionally, 'Nothing will avail a slave on the Day of Resurrection except his deeds' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2341), highlighting the balance between divine will and human accountability.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to place complete trust in Allah's wisdom while maintaining sincere effort in righteous deeds, understanding that ultimate outcomes rest with Allah alone. It cultivates humility by reminding us that neither privilege nor hardship is permanent, and all will face divine judgment based on divine justice beyond human comprehension.
Related Ayahs
مَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ لِقَآءَ ٱللَّهِ فَإِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ لَـَٔاتٍ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
Whoever should hope for the meeting with Allāh - indeed, the term [decreed by] Allāh is coming. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.
وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُۥٓ إِسْحَـٰقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَجَعَلْنَا فِى ذُرِّيَّتِهِ ٱلنُّبُوَّةَ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ أَجْرَهُۥ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَإِنَّهُۥ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لَمِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
And We gave to him Isaac and Jacob and placed in his descendants prophethood and scripture. And We gave him his reward in this world, and indeed, he is in the Hereafter among the righteous.
خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةً لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Allāh created the heavens and the earth in truth. Indeed in that is a sign for the believers.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِۦ ۖ وَمِنْ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ إِلَّا ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ
And thus We have sent down to you the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān]. And those to whom We [previously] gave the Scripture believe in it. And among these [people of Makkah] are those who believe in it. And none reject Our verses except the disbelievers.