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
وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَـَٔاتَيْنَا كُلَّ نَفْسٍ هُدَىٰهَا وَلَـٰكِنْ حَقَّ ٱلْقَوْلُ مِنِّى لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ
And if We had willed, We could have given every soul its guidance, but the word from Me will come into effect [that] "I will surely fill Hell with jinn and people all together.
وَقُلِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ سَيُرِيكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ فَتَعْرِفُونَهَا ۚ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
And say, "[All] praise is [due] to Allāh. He will show you His signs, and you will recognize them. And your Lord is not unaware of what you do."
وَنَضَعُ ٱلْمَوَٰزِينَ ٱلْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْـًٔا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَـٰسِبِينَ
And We place the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so no soul will be treated unjustly at all. And if there is [even] the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it forth. And sufficient are We as accountant.
قَـٰلَ رَبِّ ٱحْكُم بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَرَبُّنَا ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ٱلْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ
[The Prophet (ﷺ)] has said, "My Lord, judge [between us] in truth. And our Lord is the Most Merciful, the one whose help is sought against that which you describe."