وَكُلَّ إِنسَـٰنٍ أَلْزَمْنَـٰهُ طَـٰٓئِرَهُۥ فِى عُنُقِهِۦ ۖ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ كِتَـٰبًا يَلْقَىٰهُ مَنشُورًا 13
Translations
And [for] every person We have imposed his fate upon his neck, and We will produce for him on the Day of Resurrection a record which he will encounter spread open.
Transliteration
Wa-kulla insanin alzamnahoo taa'irahu fee `unuqih, wa-nukhrijoo lahu yawma al-qiyamati kitaban yalqahu manshura
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah states that every human being's deeds (symbolized as a 'bird' or 'ta'ir') are bound around their neck, serving as a permanent record that cannot be denied or escaped. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will present to each person a book (their deeds) in an open, expanded form, which they will immediately recognize and be unable to dispute—a vivid metaphor for the inevitable accountability of human actions. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir interpret 'ta'ir' as the record of one's deeds, derived from the root meaning of 'flight' or 'movement,' emphasizing that our actions follow us inseparably throughout life and into the afterlife.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Isra, a Meccan surah revealed during a period of intense opposition to the Prophet (ﷺ). The broader context discusses the Day of Judgment and divine accountability, addressing the disbelievers' denial of resurrection. This ayah specifically responds to those who rejected the concept of personal accountability and the resurrection, reassuring believers of Allah's justice and perfect record-keeping.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Each of you is a shepherd and each of you will be questioned about his flock' (Sahih Bukhari). Additionally, in Surah Al-Haqqah (69:19-25), the detailed description of receiving one's book of deeds on the Day of Judgment illustrates the practical manifestation of this principle.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that no action, whether good or evil, is ever truly hidden or forgotten—all our deeds are meticulously recorded and will be presented to us with complete clarity on the Day of Judgment. For believers, this should inspire conscious living and moral vigilance, knowing that every action has eternal significance and will be answered for before Allah.
Related Ayahs
۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُونُوا۟ قَوَّٰمِينَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ شُهَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ ٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ ۚ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَٱللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا ۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ أَن تَعْدِلُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن تَلْوُۥٓا۟ أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا
O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allāh, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allāh is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allāh is ever, of what you do, Aware.
وَيَوْمَ يُنَادِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُ أَيْنَ شُرَكَآءِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ
And [warn of] the Day He will call them and say, "Where are My 'partners' which you used to claim?"
ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَهُم بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ هُمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ
Those who do not give zakāh, and in the Hereafter they are disbelievers.
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?"