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
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.
ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
Who have been patient and upon their Lord rely.
يَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِٱلْعَذَابِ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌۢ بِٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
They urge you to hasten the punishment. And indeed, Hell will be encompassing of the disbelievers
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًا فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱلطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَ
And We certainly sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years, and the flood seized them while they were wrongdoers.