وَمَن جَآءَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ فَكُبَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِى ٱلنَّارِ هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ 90
Translations
And whoever comes with an evil deed - their faces will be overturned into the Fire, [and it will be said], "Are you recompensed except for what you used to do?"
Transliteration
Wa man jaa bi al-sayyiah fa kubbat wujuhuhum fi al-nar hal tujzawna illa ma kuntum ta'malun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the fate of those who bring evil deeds on the Day of Judgment—their faces will be cast into the Fire, a vivid description of their humiliation and punishment. The concluding rhetorical question emphasizes divine justice, affirming that people receive only the recompense they earned through their own actions, as explained by Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi. This establishes the principle of personal accountability and the perfect correlation between deeds and their consequences in the afterlife.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Naml (the Ant), a Meccan surah focused on signs of Allah's power and the certainty of the Day of Judgment. It follows the previous verse (27:89) about those who bring good deeds, creating a parallel structure that contrasts the reward of the righteous with the punishment of the wicked—a recurring theme in Meccan revelation addressing disbelievers' denial of resurrection and accountability.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Each soul will know what it has sent forward and kept back' (Quran 82:5, which complements this theme). Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet emphasized that 'No soul knows what has been prepared for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do,' highlighting the reciprocal nature of deeds and consequences.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that Allah's justice is perfect and inescapable—we will face the precise consequences of our actions on the Day of Judgment. For modern readers, it serves as a powerful motivation to audit our deeds carefully, knowing that every action, no matter how hidden, has a reckoning before Allah.
Related Ayahs
وَأَنذِرِ ٱلنَّاسَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ فَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ أَخِّرْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ نُّجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ ٱلرُّسُلَ ۗ أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوٓا۟ أَقْسَمْتُم مِّن قَبْلُ مَا لَكُم مِّن زَوَالٍ
And, [O Muḥammad], warn the people of a Day when the punishment will come to them and those who did wrong will say, "Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will answer Your call and follow the messengers." [But it will be said], "Had you not sworn, before, that for you there would be no cessation?
كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ
No! Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell],
وَأَنِ ٱحْكُم بَيْنَهُم بِمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ وَٱحْذَرْهُمْ أَن يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنۢ بَعْضِ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ ۖ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُصِيبَهُم بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَفَـٰسِقُونَ
And judge, [O Muḥammad], between them by what Allāh has revealed and do not follow their inclinations and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allāh has revealed to you. And if they turn away - then know that Allāh only intends to afflict them with some of their [own] sins. And indeed, many among the people are defiantly disobedient.
وَٱنتَظِرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مُنتَظِرُونَ
And wait; indeed, we are waiting."