۞ يَوْمَ تَأْتِى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ تُجَـٰدِلُ عَن نَّفْسِهَا وَتُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا عَمِلَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ 111
Translations
On the Day when every soul will come disputing [i.e., pleading] for itself, and every soul will be fully compensated for what it did, and they will not be wronged [i.e., treated unjustly].
Transliteration
Yawma ta'ti kullu nafsun tujadilu 'an nafsihā wa-tuwafffā kullu nafsun mā 'amilat wa-hum lā yuzlamūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the Day of Judgment when every soul will come forward to defend itself, unable to shift blame onto others, and each soul will receive full recompense for its deeds without any injustice. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this ayah refutes the false hope that intercession or others' deeds can substitute for one's own accountability, establishing the principle of individual moral responsibility before Allah on the Day of Resurrection.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah An-Nahl's broader discussion of Allah's signs, divine justice, and the reality of the afterlife. The surah, revealed in Mecca during a period of intense opposition to the Prophet's message, repeatedly emphasizes monotheism and the certainty of the Day of Judgment to strengthen the believers' conviction and warn the disbelievers.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Each soul will know what it has sent forward and kept back' (Quran 82:5), and in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet clarified that on the Day of Judgment, a person's deeds are presented to them and they recognize them as their own work. Additionally, 'No soul will benefit from the intercession of another except by Allah's permission' (Sahih Bukhari) relates to the inability to shift responsibility.
Themes
Key Lesson
Each person bears sole responsibility for their actions and cannot evade accountability by blaming others or relying on external help; this should motivate believers to consciously cultivate righteous deeds and be mindful of their choices in this life, knowing they will face their record with complete clarity and honesty before Allah.
Related Ayahs
وَمَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ إِلَّا لِتُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِيهِ ۙ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
And We have not revealed to you the Book, [O Muḥammad], except for you to make clear to them that wherein they have differed and as guidance and mercy for a people who believe.
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى سَخَّرَ ٱلْبَحْرَ لِتَأْكُلُوا۟ مِنْهُ لَحْمًا طَرِيًّا وَتَسْتَخْرِجُوا۟ مِنْهُ حِلْيَةً تَلْبَسُونَهَا وَتَرَى ٱلْفُلْكَ مَوَاخِرَ فِيهِ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
And it is He who subjected the sea for you to eat from it tender meat and to extract from it ornaments which you wear. And you see the ships plowing through it, and [He subjected it] that you may seek of His bounty; and perhaps you will be grateful.
۞ وَقَالَ ٱللَّهُ لَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ إِلَـٰهَيْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۖ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَـٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ ۖ فَإِيَّـٰىَ فَٱرْهَبُونِ
And Allāh has said, "Do not take for yourselves two deities. He [i.e., Allāh] is but one God, so fear only Me."
يَتَوَٰرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ مِن سُوٓءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِۦٓ ۚ أَيُمْسِكُهُۥ عَلَىٰ هُونٍ أَمْ يَدُسُّهُۥ فِى ٱلتُّرَابِ ۗ أَلَا سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide.