يَوْمَ تَجِدُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا عَمِلَتْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مُّحْضَرًا وَمَا عَمِلَتْ مِن سُوٓءٍ تَوَدُّ لَوْ أَنَّ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَهُۥٓ أَمَدًۢا بَعِيدًا ۗ وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسَهُۥ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ رَءُوفٌۢ بِٱلْعِبَادِ 30
Translations
The Day every soul will find what it has done of good present [before it] and what it has done of evil, it will wish that between itself and that [evil] was a great distance. And Allāh warns you of Himself, and Allāh is Kind to [His] servants."
Transliteration
Yawma tajidu kullu nafsun maa amilat min khayrin muhdaraa wa maa amilat min suu'in tawaddu law anna baynaha wa baynahu amadan baAAida wa yuhadhdhirukumu Allahu nafsahu wa Allahu raAAufun bil-ibad
Tafsir (Explanation)
On the Day of Judgment, every soul will find all the good it has done presented before it, and all the evil it committed will be present—causing it to desperately wish for a great distance between itself and those evil deeds. Allah warns you against disobeying Him and reminds you of His own divine nature as the One to be feared, yet He is simultaneously merciful to His servants. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir emphasize that this ayah illustrates the perfect justice of Allah: nothing is hidden, and the soul's own deeds will testify against it, while Allah's warning is both a call to accountability and an assurance of His mercy for the repentant.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ali 'Imran (revealed in Madinah) and appears within a section addressing believers about the Day of Judgment and the reality of divine accountability. The broader context emphasizes that Allah is fully aware of all actions and intentions, and nothing escapes His knowledge—a foundational Islamic principle meant to encourage moral consciousness and sincere repentance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'A person's feet will not move on the Day of Judgment until they are asked about four things: their life and how they spent it, their body and how they wore it out, their wealth and how they acquired it and spent it, and their knowledge and what they did with it' (Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith on the seven whom Allah will shade on the Day of Judgment emphasizes the importance of righteous deeds in mitigating the horrors of that day.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that all our actions—both good and evil—are recorded and will be presented to us on the Day of Judgment, motivating believers to cultivate moral consciousness in daily life. While the warning about accountability should inspire fear of disobedience, the mention of Allah's mercy invites sincere repentance and encourages hope, creating a balanced approach to spirituality based on both reverence and hope in divine compassion.