قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ وَٱلْـَٔاخِرِينَ 49
Translations
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Indeed, the former and later peoples
Transliteration
Qul inna al-awwalīna wa-al-ākhirīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah, part of Surah Al-Waqi'ah's discussion of the Day of Judgment, states that "Say, indeed, the former peoples and the later peoples." According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah emphasizes that all creation—from the first generation of mankind to the last—will be gathered together on the Day of Resurrection. The ayah underscores the universality of divine justice and the inevitability of accountability before Allah, as no one, regardless of when they lived, will escape the Final Hour.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Waqi'ah is a Meccan surah that comprehensively describes the events of the Day of Judgment and the categorization of souls. This particular ayah appears in the latter portion of the surah where Allah addresses the certainty of resurrection and gathering of all mankind. The thematic context emphasizes consoling believers and warning disbelievers about the reality of the afterlife.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday. On it Adam was created, on it he was made to enter Paradise, on it he was expelled from it, and the Hour will take place on it." (Sahih Muslim 854). This hadith complements the ayah's theme of the gathering of all peoples across time.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that all of humanity—past, present, and future—stands equal before Allah's justice on the Day of Judgment, emphasizing that neither time nor status provides exemption from accountability. For modern readers, it serves as a powerful reminder of life's ultimate purpose and the importance of righteous deeds in preparation for the inevitable meeting with their Lord.
Related Ayahs
فَإِذَا هُم بِٱلسَّاهِرَةِ
And suddenly they will be [alert] upon the earth's surface.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَنفِقُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌ لَّا بَيْعٌ فِيهِ وَلَا خُلَّةٌ وَلَا شَفَـٰعَةٌ ۗ وَٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ هُمُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ
O you who have believed, spend from that which We have provided for you before there comes a Day in which there is no exchange [i.e., ransom] and no friendship and no intercession. And the disbelievers - they are the wrongdoers.
وَكُلُّهُمْ ءَاتِيهِ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَرْدًا
And all of them are coming to Him on the Day of Resurrection alone.
يُعْرَفُ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ بِسِيمَـٰهُمْ فَيُؤْخَذُ بِٱلنَّوَٰصِى وَٱلْأَقْدَامِ
The criminals will be known by their marks, and they will be seized by the forelocks and the feet.