أَسْمِعْ بِهِمْ وَأَبْصِرْ يَوْمَ يَأْتُونَنَا ۖ لَـٰكِنِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ ٱلْيَوْمَ فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ 38
Translations
How [clearly] they will hear and see the Day they come to Us, but the wrongdoers today are in clear error.
Transliteration
Asmi' bihim wa absir yawma ya'tunna laakiniz zalimun al-yawma fee dalaalin mubin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Allah's perfect knowledge and awareness on the Day of Judgment, when the disbelievers will come before Him. The phrase 'How well will He hear them and see them' emphasizes Allah's complete perception of their deeds and intentions, while the second part notes that despite this clarity on that day, the wrongdoers remain in manifest error in this worldly life. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir note this underscores the contrast between Allah's omniscience and the disbelievers' willful blindness to truth in the present world.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah of Maryam, which addresses the polytheists of Mecca who rejected the message of tawhid (monotheism). The context involves those who associate partners with Allah and deny the Day of Judgment; this ayah reminds them that their denial does not escape Allah's knowledge, even if they persist in error during their earthly lives.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'The closest a slave is to his Lord is when he is in prostration, so increase your supplications therein' (Sunan An-Nasa'i). This relates thematically to the importance of consciousness of Allah's all-seeing nature. Additionally, Surah Al-An'am 6:160 and related hadiths emphasize that nothing is hidden from Allah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that ignorance or denial of truth in this world does not diminish Allah's perfect knowledge of our actions and intentions; therefore, believers should live with consciousness that every deed is witnessed by the All-Knowing, and should not be deceived by the temporary success of wrongdoers who remain heedless.