وَٱتَّقُوا۟ يَوْمًا لَّا تَجْزِى نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلَا تَنفَعُهَا شَفَـٰعَةٌ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ 123
Translations
And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, and no compensation will be accepted from it, nor will any intercession benefit it, nor will they be aided.
Transliteration
Wa-ttaqoo yawman la tajzee nafsun 'an nafshin shay'an wa la yuqbalu minha 'adlun wa la tanfa'uha shafa'ah wa la hum yunsarun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah warns believers to fear the Day of Judgment when no soul can bear the burden of another's sins, no compensation will be accepted, no intercession will benefit anyone, and no one will receive help. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize this as a profound warning about the isolation and personal accountability of each individual before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, where neither wealth, kinship, nor intercession from others can save a person from their deeds.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the second surah of the Quran and is part of the broader Medinan passage addressing the believers about their obligations and the reality of the Afterlife. It follows immediately after ayah 2:122 which addresses the Children of Israel, and serves as a universal warning to all believers about the seriousness of the Day of Judgment and the need for personal accountability.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Tirmidhi). Related thematically is the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet described how on the Day of Judgment, people will flee from their own relatives because everyone will be preoccupied with their own affairs.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that spiritual preparation and righteous deeds during life are essential because on the Day of Judgment, we face absolute personal accountability before Allah with no excuses or intermediaries to save us. Believers should cultivate taqwa (God-consciousness) and focus on their own relationship with Allah and their deeds, rather than relying on wealth, status, or connections.
Related Ayahs
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُو قَالَ أَكَذَّبْتُم بِـَٔايَـٰتِى وَلَمْ تُحِيطُوا۟ بِهَا عِلْمًا أَمَّاذَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
Until, when they arrive [at the place of Judgement], He will say, "Did you deny My signs while you encompassed them not in knowledge, or what [was it that] you were doing?"
يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ
They know whatever you do.
فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فَيُوَفِّيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ وَيَزِيدُهُم مِّن فَضْلِهِۦ ۖ وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَنكَفُوا۟ وَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ فَيُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا وَلَا يَجِدُونَ لَهُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَلَا نَصِيرًا
And as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, He will give them in full their rewards and grant them extra from His bounty. But as for those who disdained and were arrogant, He will punish them with a painful punishment, and they will not find for themselves besides Allāh any protector or helper.
أَيَحْسَبُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ أَلَّن نَّجْمَعَ عِظَامَهُۥ
Does man think that We will not assemble his bones?