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
وَيَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ يَبْكُونَ وَيَزِيدُهُمْ خُشُوعًا ۩
And they fall upon their faces weeping, and it [i.e., the Qur’ān] increases them in humble submission.
وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلنَّفْسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَمَن قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا لِوَلِيِّهِۦ سُلْطَـٰنًا فَلَا يُسْرِف فِّى ٱلْقَتْلِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مَنصُورًا
And do not kill the soul [i.e., person] which Allāh has forbidden, except by right. And whoever is killed unjustly - We have given his heir authority, but let him not exceed limits in [the matter of] taking life. Indeed, he has been supported [by the law].
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لَكَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ أَحَاطَ بِٱلنَّاسِ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا ٱلرُّءْيَا ٱلَّتِىٓ أَرَيْنَـٰكَ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَٱلشَّجَرَةَ ٱلْمَلْعُونَةَ فِى ٱلْقُرْءَانِ ۚ وَنُخَوِّفُهُمْ فَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ إِلَّا طُغْيَـٰنًا كَبِيرًا
And [remember, O Muḥammad], when We told you, "Indeed, your Lord has encompassed the people." And We did not make the sight which We showed you except as a trial for the people, as was the accursed tree [mentioned] in the Qur’ān. And We threaten [i.e., warn] them, but it increases them not except in great transgression.
وَمَا مَنَعَنَآ أَن نُّرْسِلَ بِٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ إِلَّآ أَن كَذَّبَ بِهَا ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا ثَمُودَ ٱلنَّاقَةَ مُبْصِرَةً فَظَلَمُوا۟ بِهَا ۚ وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ إِلَّا تَخْوِيفًا
And nothing has prevented Us from sending signs [i.e., miracles] except that the former peoples denied them. And We gave Thamūd the she-camel as a visible sign, but they wronged her. And We send not the signs except as a warning.