قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ أَتَتْكَ ءَايَـٰتُنَا فَنَسِيتَهَا ۖ وَكَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ تُنسَىٰ 126
Translations
[Allāh] will say, "Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot [i.e., disregarded] them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten."
Transliteration
Qala kadhalika atattka ayatuna fanasitaha wa kadhalika alyawma tunsa
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah addresses the man who was blind in this life, stating that just as he forgot and neglected Allah's signs (ayat) when they came to him in the world, so too will he be forgotten on the Day of Judgment. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah illustrates the principle of divine justice: abandonment of God's guidance in this life results in abandonment by God in the next. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that this is not mere punishment but a natural consequence—those who turn away from divine signs in this world will face the same turning away in the Hereafter.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the account of the blind man (Surah Taha, verses 124-127) who questioned Allah's messenger. While some scholars attribute this to the story of Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt or another specific individual, the broader context within Surah Taha deals with responses to divine revelation and the consequences of rejection. The ayah exemplifies the theme of reciprocal divine justice found throughout Meccan surahs.
Related Hadiths
The principle is echoed in Hadith Qudsi: 'I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me' (Sahih Bukhari 7405), illustrating the relationship between remembrance and divine proximity. Also relevant is the hadith about being forgotten as a consequence: 'Whoever forgets Allah, Allah causes him to forget himself' (Tirmidhi 2411).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that our treatment of Allah's guidance in this life directly determines our standing before Him in the next; neglecting divine signs and remembrance today inevitably leads to divine neglect tomorrow. For modern believers, it serves as a profound warning to remain conscious of Allah and His signs, ensuring we do not become heedless of our purpose and accountability.
Related Ayahs
وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ذُو ٱلرَّحْمَةِ ۖ لَوْ يُؤَاخِذُهُم بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۚ بَل لَّهُم مَّوْعِدٌ لَّن يَجِدُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦ مَوْئِلًا
And your Lord is the Forgiving, the possessor of mercy. If He were to impose blame upon them for what they earned, He would have hastened for them the punishment. Rather, for them is an appointment from which they will never find an escape.
قُلْ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ أَبْغِى رَبًّا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ ۚ وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
Say, "Is it other than Allāh I should desire as a lord while He is the Lord of all things? And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ."
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَـٰهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ وَوُفِّيَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
So how will it be when We assemble them for a Day about which there is no doubt? And each soul will be compensated [in full for] what it earned, and they will not be wronged.
كَذَٰلِكَ نَفْعَلُ بِٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
Thus do We deal with the criminals.