فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ ۘ يَوْمَ يَدْعُ ٱلدَّاعِ إِلَىٰ شَىْءٍ نُّكُرٍ 6
Translations
So leave them, [O Muḥammad]. The Day the Caller calls to something forbidding,
Transliteration
Fatawalla anhum yawma yad'u ad-da'u ila shay'in nukur
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to turn away from those who reject his message, for on the Day of Judgment when the caller calls out to a terrible and abominable thing (the gathering for accountability), the disbelievers will face severe consequences. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah emphasizes that the Prophet should not grieve over the disbelievers' rejection, as they will witness the reality of their denial on the Day of Resurrection when they are summoned to the Fire—a thing most abhorrent and unwelcome.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Qamar, a Meccan surah that emphasizes the certainty of the Day of Judgment and the fate of those who reject Allah's signs. The surah repeatedly mentions how previous nations rejected their messengers and faced divine punishment. This particular ayah comes in the context of consoling the Prophet during the period of intense rejection by the Meccan disbelievers.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The Day of Judgment will not come until the sun rises from the West; and when it rises and people see it, all of them will believe.' (Sahih Bukhari 3194). Related to the theme of the Day of Judgment's certainty and the abominable nature of accountability.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that rejection of truth by others should not cause despair, as ultimate justice belongs to Allah alone on the Day of Judgment. It reminds us that the temporary rejection faced by truth-bearers in this world will be answered definitively in the Hereafter, encouraging patience and steadfastness in faith.
Related Ayahs
قَالُوٓا۟ أَوَلَمْ تَكُ تَأْتِيكُمْ رُسُلُكُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ ۚ قَالُوا۟ فَٱدْعُوا۟ ۗ وَمَا دُعَـٰٓؤُا۟ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ
They will say, "Did there not come to you your messengers with clear proofs?" They will say, "Yes." They will reply, "Then supplicate [yourselves], but the supplication of the disbelievers is not except in error [i.e., futility]."
وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ تَرَى ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ وُجُوهُهُم مُّسْوَدَّةٌ ۚ أَلَيْسَ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَثْوًى لِّلْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ
And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied about Allāh [with] their faces blackened. Is there not in Hell a residence for the arrogant?
وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّءُوا۟ مِنَّا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ ٱللَّهُ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ حَسَرَٰتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ وَمَا هُم بِخَـٰرِجِينَ مِنَ ٱلنَّارِ
Those who followed will say, "If only we had another turn [at worldly life] so we could disassociate ourselves from them as they have disassociated themselves from us." Thus will Allāh show them their deeds as regrets upon them. And they are never to emerge from the Fire.
وَٱنشَقَّتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَهِىَ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاهِيَةٌ
And the heaven will split [open], for that Day it is infirm.