لَن تَنفَعَكُمْ أَرْحَامُكُمْ وَلَآ أَوْلَـٰدُكُمْ ۚ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ 3
Translations
Never will your relatives or your children benefit you; the Day of Resurrection He will judge between you. And Allāh, of what you do, is Seeing.
Transliteration
Lan tanfa'akum arhaamukum wa laa awlaadukum. Yawma al-qiyaamati yafsilubaynakum. Wa-Allahu bima ta'maloon baseer.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah declares that on the Day of Judgment, neither kinship ties nor children will benefit a person; Allah will separate the righteous from the wrongdoers based on their deeds. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this negates reliance on worldly relationships for salvation, stressing that only one's personal actions and faith determine the outcome in the Hereafter.
Revelation Context
This surah (Al-Mumtahanah) addresses the examination of believers' loyalty and commitment to Allah versus worldly ties, particularly regarding relationships with disbelievers. The ayah contextualizes that familial bonds, however precious in this world, hold no weight on Judgment Day, reinforcing the central theme of the surah regarding testing one's priorities.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'On the Day of Resurrection, a man will flee from his brother, his mother, his father, his companion, and his children' (Surah 'Abasa 80:34-36). Additionally, 'Wealth and children are adornments of life, but the everlasting good deeds are better' (Surah Al-Kahf 18:46) echoes this theme of deeds superseding familial connections.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that ultimate success depends solely on personal righteousness and obedience to Allah, not on family status or earthly relationships. In our modern context, it encourages prioritizing spiritual development and ethical conduct over material pursuits and social standing.
Related Ayahs
أَسْمِعْ بِهِمْ وَأَبْصِرْ يَوْمَ يَأْتُونَنَا ۖ لَـٰكِنِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ ٱلْيَوْمَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ
How [clearly] they will hear and see the Day they come to Us, but the wrongdoers today are in clear error.
أَلَآ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Unquestionably, to Allāh belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. Unquestionably, the promise of Allāh is truth, but most of them do not know.
لَوْ كَانَ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ ءَالِهَةً مَّا وَرَدُوهَا ۖ وَكُلٌّ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ
Had these [false deities] been [actual] gods, they would not have come to it, but all are eternal therein.
إِنَّ يَوْمَ ٱلْفَصْلِ مِيقَـٰتُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
Indeed, the Day of Judgement is the appointed time for them all -