كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ 38
Translations
Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained.
Transliteration
Kullu nafsin bima kasabat rahīnah
Tafsir (Explanation)
Every soul is held in pledge (or mortgaged) by its own deeds—meaning each person is bound by and responsible for their actions. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain this as a declaration that no soul can escape the consequences of what it has earned through its choices; one's deeds become a binding obligation upon oneself, securing one's fate in the afterlife. This ayah emphasizes individual accountability before Allah on the Day of Judgment, where deeds are the decisive factor in determining one's destiny.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears near the end of Surah Al-Muddaththir, which is one of the earliest Meccan surahs revealed to the Prophet. The surah emphasizes the themes of accountability, the resurrection, and the consequences of one's actions—core themes presented to the early Muslims in Mecca when belief in the afterlife was being established as a fundamental Islamic principle.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Everyone will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment in the state they died in' (Sahih Muslim 2834). Also relevant is the hadith: 'A person's deeds are what will benefit or harm him' (Sahih Bukhari 3208), emphasizing that each soul's actions are inescapably tied to its destiny.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that we cannot blame others, circumstances, or fate for our spiritual condition—we are each bound by our own choices and actions. It serves as a powerful reminder for self-reflection and accountability, encouraging Muslims to take full responsibility for their conduct and remember that every deed has eternal weight before Allah.