وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَفَلَمْ تَكُنْ ءَايَـٰتِى تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فَٱسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ وَكُنتُمْ قَوْمًا مُّجْرِمِينَ 31
Translations
But as for those who disbelieved, [it will be said], "Were not Our verses recited to you, but you were arrogant and became a criminal people?
Transliteration
Wa-amma alladhina kafaroo afalam takun ayatee tutla alaykum fastakbartum wa kuntum qawman mujrimeen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the disbelievers on the Day of Judgment, rebuking them for their rejection despite receiving clear signs (the Qur'an). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that their arrogance (istikbar) and criminal behavior (ijram) prevented them from accepting the truth, despite having full awareness of Allah's signs. The ayah highlights that rejection of divine guidance stems not from lack of knowledge but from deliberate arrogance and moral corruption.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the final scene of Surah Al-Jathiyah, which depicts the Day of Judgment and Allah's address to believers and disbelievers regarding their deeds. The broader context of the surah emphasizes signs in creation and the consequences of rejecting them. The specific context here is Allah's direct address to the disbelievers in the afterlife, making their inexcusable state clear.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The most despicable person in Allah's sight is the obstinate disbeliever' (Sahih Bukhari). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim states that on the Day of Judgment, the Qur'an will be brought forward, and those who turned away from it will be condemned.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that rejecting divine guidance is not a matter of ignorance but of willful arrogance and moral degradation. For believers, it serves as a warning to remain humble before Allah's signs and to guard against the pride that blinded the disbelievers.
Related Ayahs
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ ٱللَّهِ لِيَجْزِىَ قَوْمًۢا بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], to those who have believed that they [should] forgive those who expect not the days of Allāh [i.e., of His retribution] so that He may recompense a people for what they used to earn.
وَلَهُ ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
And to Him belongs [all] grandeur within the heavens and the earth, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
۞ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلْبَحْرَ لِتَجْرِىَ ٱلْفُلْكُ فِيهِ بِأَمْرِهِۦ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
It is Allāh who subjected to you the sea so that ships may sail upon it by His command and that you may seek of His bounty; and perhaps you will be grateful.
وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَخْسَرُ ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ
And to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. And the Day the Hour appears - that Day the falsifiers will lose.