حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا مَا جَآءُوهَا شَهِدَ عَلَيْهِمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَأَبْصَـٰرُهُمْ وَجُلُودُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ 20
Translations
Until, when they reach it, their hearing and their eyes and their skins will testify against them of what they used to do.
Transliteration
Hatta idha ma jaauha shahida alayhim samuhum wa absaruhum wa juloduhum bima kanu yaamalooun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the Day of Judgment when the disbelievers arrive at Hell, and their own faculties—hearing, sight, and skin—will testify against them regarding their evil deeds in the worldly life. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain that Allah will grant speech and testimony to these bodily organs as a form of divine justice, ensuring that every person is confronted with undeniable evidence of their wrongdoing. This miraculous testimony emphasizes that there is no escape from accountability, as even one's own body parts become witnesses against oneself.
Revelation Context
Surah Fussilat is a Meccan chapter focused on tawhid (monotheism), the signs of Allah in creation, and the reality of the Hereafter. This ayah appears within a passage (41:19-24) describing the entry of the disbelievers into Hell and their despair. The context emphasizes that those who rejected the signs of Allah and disbelieved the Messengers will face inevitable punishment, with all evidence compiled against them on the Day of Judgment.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Every soul will know what it has sent forward and kept back' (Quran 82:5). Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, it is narrated that on the Day of Judgment, people's limbs will speak and testify against them, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of divine justice.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that no deed escapes Allah's knowledge and that accountability is absolute and inescapable—even our own bodies will testify against us if we commit sins. For modern readers, this serves as a powerful incentive to maintain consciousness of Allah (taqwa) in all actions, knowing that every deed is recorded and will be presented as evidence before the Divine Judge.
Related Ayahs
وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَـٰتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوا۟ ۚ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ
And for all are degrees [i.e., positions resulting] from what they have done. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do.
وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا فُتِحَتْ أَبْوَٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِ رَبِّكُمْ وَيُنذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَـٰذَا ۚ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنْ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَةُ ٱلْعَذَابِ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups until, when they reach it, its gates are opened and its keepers will say, "Did there not come to you messengers from yourselves, reciting to you the verses of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say, "Yes, but the word [i.e., decree] of punishment has come into effect upon the disbelievers."
وَيَوْمَ يُحْشَرُ أَعْدَآءُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ
And [mention, O Muḥammad], the Day when the enemies of Allāh will be gathered to the Fire while they are [driven], assembled in rows,
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ فَعَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
Do they [i.e., the disbelievers] await except that the angels should come to them or there comes the command of your Lord? Thus did those do before them. And Allāh wronged them not, but they had been wronging themselves.