كَلَّآ إِنَّ كِتَـٰبَ ٱلْفُجَّارِ لَفِى سِجِّينٍ 7
Translations
No! Indeed, the record of the wicked is in sijjeen.
Transliteration
Kallā inna kitāba al-fujjāri lafī sijjīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah emphatically refutes the disbelievers' false assumption that their deeds go unrecorded, declaring that the book of the wicked (fujjār) is indeed preserved in Sijjīn—a place of disgrace in the lowest reaches of the earth. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret Sijjīn as the register of the damned, emphasizing that Allah's perfect record-keeping ensures no evil deed escapes His knowledge, serving as a stark warning to those who commit fraud and injustice.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the middle section of Surah Al-Mutaffifin, which addresses those who defraud in weights and measures. The broader context contrasts the fate of the wicked (fujjār) with the righteous (abrār), establishing that deeds are meticulously recorded and will be accounted for on the Day of Judgment.
Related Hadiths
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The best of you are those of the best character' (Tirmidhi), relating to the contrast between the defrauders and the righteous. Additionally, hadiths about the recording angels (kirāman kātibīn) in Sahih Bukhari reinforce that all deeds are being documented.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that no wrongdoing, however hidden it may seem, escapes Allah's awareness and perfect record-keeping. It serves as a powerful deterrent against dishonesty and injustice, encouraging believers to conduct their affairs with integrity, knowing they will answer for their deeds before Allah.
Related Ayahs
فِى جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍۭ
Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber.
تَرَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ مُشْفِقِينَ مِمَّا كَسَبُوا۟ وَهُوَ وَاقِعٌۢ بِهِمْ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ فِى رَوْضَاتِ ٱلْجَنَّاتِ ۖ لَهُم مَّا يَشَآءُونَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَضْلُ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
You will see the wrongdoers fearful of what they have earned, and it will [certainly] befall them. And those who have believed and done righteous deeds will be in lush regions of the gardens [in Paradise] having whatever they will in the presence of their Lord. That is what is the great bounty.
أَفَمَن يَتَّقِى بِوَجْهِهِۦ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۚ وَقِيلَ لِلظَّـٰلِمِينَ ذُوقُوا۟ مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ
Then is he who will shield with his face the worst of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection [like one secure from it]? And it will be said to the wrongdoers, "Taste what you used to earn."
مَّآ أَصَابَكَ مِنْ حَسَنَةٍ فَمِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَآ أَصَابَكَ مِن سَيِّئَةٍ فَمِن نَّفْسِكَ ۚ وَأَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ لِلنَّاسِ رَسُولًا ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًا
What comes to you of good is from Allāh, but what comes to you of evil, [O man], is from yourself. And We have sent you, [O Muḥammad], to the people as a messenger, and sufficient is Allāh as Witness.