أَرَءَيْتَ ٱلَّذِى يُكَذِّبُ بِٱلدِّينِ 1
Translations
Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense?
Transliteration
Ara-ayta alladhee yukaddhibu bid-deen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This opening ayah of Surah Al-Ma'un addresses the one who denies or rejects the Day of Judgment and Divine accountability. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain this refers to someone who belies the reality of the afterlife and divine recompense, setting the stage for the surah's critique of those who lack faith in divine justice. The rhetorical question 'Have you seen?' emphasizes the obvious nature of this person's spiritual blindness and moral corruption.
Revelation Context
This Meccan surah was revealed during the early period of Islam in Mecca when the Quraysh disbelieved in the resurrection and final judgment. The context addresses the fundamental disbelief in the Day of Judgment that characterized Meccan paganism, which the surah then connects to practical moral failures in the subsequent ayahs, demonstrating that denying the afterlife leads to neglecting obligations toward orphans and the poor.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Wealth and children are adornments of this worldly life, but the everlasting good deeds are better' (Sahih Al-Bukhari 4728). This relates to the surah's theme that those denying the afterlife prioritize worldly concerns over eternal consequences and moral duties.
Themes
Key Lesson
Belief in divine accountability and the Day of Judgment is foundational to Islamic ethics and compassion; without it, one lacks motivation for genuine kindness and justice. Rejecting the afterlife inevitably leads to moral and spiritual corruption in one's treatment of others, particularly the vulnerable.