كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ 57
Translations
Every soul will taste death. Then to Us will you be returned.
Transliteration
Kullu nafsin dha'iqatu al-mawt, thumma ilayna turja'un
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms the universal certainty of death—every soul shall taste death—followed by return to Allah for judgment and accountability. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this verse serves as a profound reminder of human mortality and the inescapability of the Day of Judgment, refuting any delusion of immortality or escape from divine reckoning.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-'Ankabut, a Meccan chapter addressing the early Muslim community facing persecution. The verse is thematically situated within the surah's broader message of trial, patience, and certainty in Allah's promise, reminding believers that worldly afflictions are temporary since death is the ultimate certainty all humans must face.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Remember frequently the destroyer of pleasures,' referring to death (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, 'Whoever remembers death frequently will be granted four things: quick repentance, contentment with little, detachment from worldly desires, and vigor in worship' (Sunan Ibn Majah).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah invites believers to contemplate mortality as a means of spiritual purification and motivation toward righteous action, emphasizing that remembrance of death and the afterlife naturally inclines the heart toward obedience and away from worldly temptations. It democratizes the human condition—regardless of status, wealth, or power, all souls will taste death and stand before Allah.
Related Ayahs
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.
وَلَقَد تَّرَكْنَا مِنْهَآ ءَايَةًۢ بَيِّنَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
And We have certainly left of it a sign as clear evidence for a people who use reason.
أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِهِمْ أَنَّآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَرَحْمَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
And is it not sufficient for them that We revealed to you the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] which is recited to them? Indeed in that is a mercy and reminder for a people who believe.
وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ أَثْقَالَهُمْ وَأَثْقَالًا مَّعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ ۖ وَلَيُسْـَٔلُنَّ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ عَمَّا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ
But they will surely carry their [own] burdens and [other] burdens along with their burdens, and they will surely be questioned on the Day of Resurrection about what they used to invent.