۞ 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
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ ٱسْتَحَبُّوا۟ ٱلْحَيَوٰةَ ٱلدُّنْيَا عَلَى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
That is because they preferred the worldly life over the Hereafter and that Allāh does not guide the disbelieving people.
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ يَتَفَيَّؤُا۟ ظِلَـٰلُهُۥ عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَٱلشَّمَآئِلِ سُجَّدًا لِّلَّهِ وَهُمْ دَٰخِرُونَ
Have they not considered what things Allāh has created? Their shadows incline to the right and to the left, prostrating to Allāh, while they [i.e., those creations] are humble.
جَنَّـٰتُ عَدْنٍ يَدْخُلُونَهَا تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ لَهُمْ فِيهَا مَا يَشَآءُونَ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَجْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
Gardens of perpetual residence, which they will enter, beneath which rivers flow. They will have therein whatever they wish. Thus does Allāh reward the righteous -
يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنكِرُونَهَا وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ
They recognize the favor of Allāh; then they deny it. And most of them are disbelievers.