وَأَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا 10
Translations
And that those who do not believe in the Hereafter - We have prepared for them a painful punishment.
Transliteration
Wa anna alladhina la yu'minuna bi-al-akhirati a'tadna lahum adhaban alima
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah declares that those who reject belief in the Hereafter have been prepared for them a painful punishment. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this verse emphasizes that disbelief in the Day of Judgment and the Afterlife is a grave sin that necessitates severe divine punishment, as denying the Hereafter leads to moral corruption and rejection of accountability. Al-Qurtubi notes that this ayah serves as a warning to those who live only for this worldly life, heedless of the eternal consequences of their deeds.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Isra was revealed in Mecca during a period when the Quraysh were intensifying their rejection of the Prophet Muhammad and his message. This ayah fits within the surah's broader theme of warning disbelievers about the consequences of rejecting revelation, emphasizing that true belief must include faith in both Allah and the Day of Judgment as inseparable components of Islamic monotheism.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent' (Sahih Bukhari 6018). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim emphasizes that belief in the Last Day is one of the pillars of faith without which one's Islam is incomplete.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that true faith must encompass belief in both this world and the Hereafter; neglecting the reality of the afterlife inevitably leads to moral corruption and divine punishment. For modern readers, it serves as a powerful reminder to align priorities with eternal values rather than fleeting worldly pursuits, as accountability before Allah is certain and inescapable.
Related Ayahs
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ تِسْعَ ءَايَـٰتٍۭ بَيِّنَـٰتٍ ۖ فَسْـَٔلْ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِذْ جَآءَهُمْ فَقَالَ لَهُۥ فِرْعَوْنُ إِنِّى لَأَظُنُّكَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ مَسْحُورًا
And We had certainly given Moses nine evident signs, so ask the Children of Israel [about] when he came to them and Pharaoh said to him, "Indeed I think, O Moses, that you are affected by magic."
۞ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ قَادِرٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ أَجَلًا لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَأَبَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ إِلَّا كُفُورًا
Do they not see that Allāh, who created the heavens and earth, is [the one] Able to create the likes of them? And He has appointed for them a term, about which there is no doubt. But the wrongdoers refuse except disbelief.
تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ ٱلسَّبْعُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ ۚ وَإِن مِّن شَىْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا
The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them exalt Him. And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allāh] by His praise, but you do not understand their [way of] exalting. Indeed, He is ever Forbearing and Forgiving.
قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًۢا بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًۢا بَصِيرًا
Say, "Sufficient is Allāh as Witness between me and you. Indeed He is ever, concerning His servants, Aware and Seeing."