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
فَكُلًّا أَخَذْنَا بِذَنۢبِهِۦ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَخَذَتْهُ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَغْرَقْنَا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
So each We seized for his sin; and among them were those upon whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those who were seized by the blast [from the sky], and among them were those whom We caused the earth to swallow, and among them were those whom We drowned. And Allāh would not have wronged them, but it was they who were wronging themselves.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِقَآئِهِۦٓ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يَئِسُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَتِى وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
And the ones who disbelieve in the signs of Allāh and the meeting with Him - those have despaired of My mercy, and they will have a painful punishment.
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.
وَإِبْرَٰهِيمَ إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ ۖ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
And [We sent] Abraham, when he said to his people, "Worship Allāh and fear Him. That is best for you, if you should know.