لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى يَخْتَلِفُونَ فِيهِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ كَـٰذِبِينَ 39
Translations
[It is] so He will make clear to them [the truth of] that wherein they differ and so those who have disbelieved may know that they were liars.
Transliteration
Liyubayyina lahumu alladhī yakhtalifoona fīhi wa liya'lama alladhīna kafarū annahum kānū kādhībīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah explains that Allah has established the Day of Judgment so that He may clarify to the believers those matters about which they differed in this world, and so that the disbelievers may know and acknowledge that they were liars in their denial of the truth. According to Ibn Kathir, this verse emphasizes that the Hereafter will serve as a definitive clarification of all disputed matters, vindicating the believers and exposing the falsehood of the disbelievers' claims and denials.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah An-Nahl within a passage discussing the wisdom of Allah in creating the heavens and earth. It contextually addresses the disputes that existed between believers and disbelievers regarding Islamic teachings, prophetic messages, and matters of faith during the early Meccan period. The verse assures Muslims that their faith will be vindicated on the Day of Judgment.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'On the Day of Judgment, the Qur'an and those who acted upon it will be brought forward' (Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim regarding the questioning in the grave relates to personal accountability for beliefs and actions in this life.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah provides comfort to believers facing opposition and dispute in this world by assuring them that Allah will ultimately clarify all matters of disagreement on the Day of Judgment. It should inspire believers to remain steadfast in faith despite worldly disputes, knowing that the truth will be fully revealed and those who rejected it will have no excuse.
Related Ayahs
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 -
وَلَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ أَيْمَـٰنَكُمْ دَخَلًۢا بَيْنَكُمْ فَتَزِلَّ قَدَمٌۢ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهَا وَتَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓءَ بِمَا صَدَدتُّمْ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلَكُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ
And do not take your oaths as [means of] deceit between you, lest a foot slip after it was [once] firm, and you would taste evil [in this world] for what [people] you diverted from the way of Allāh, and you would have [in the Hereafter] a great punishment.
وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَلَـٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
And if Allāh were to impose blame on the people for their wrongdoing, He would not have left upon it [i.e., the earth] any creature, but He defers them for a specified term. And when their term has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].
هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً ۖ لَّكُم مِّنْهُ شَرَابٌ وَمِنْهُ شَجَرٌ فِيهِ تُسِيمُونَ
It is He who sends down rain from the sky; from it is drink and from it is foliage in which you pasture [animals].