فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ تَوْصِيَةً وَلَآ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهِمْ يَرْجِعُونَ 50
Translations
And they will not be able [to give] any instruction, nor to their people can they return.
Transliteration
Fala yastatiʿun tawsiyyatan wa-la ila ahlihim yarjiʿun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the state of the disbelievers on the Day of Judgment when the Hour suddenly comes upon them—they will have no opportunity to make a bequest (wasiyyah) or to return to their families to settle their affairs. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this emphasizes the sudden and inescapable nature of the Day of Judgment, where all worldly concerns become irrelevant. Al-Qurtubi notes that this denial of return to one's family heightens the sense of eternal separation and the finality of death for those who rejected faith.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ya-Sin (verses 47-50), which describes the sudden arrival of the Hour and the resurrection. The broader context addresses the certainty of the Day of Judgment and how unprepared the disbelievers will be when it arrives. This Meccan surah emphasizes monotheism and the reality of the afterlife, themes central to early Islamic preaching.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (6:241) where the Prophet ﷺ said: 'The Hour will come when people are in the market, and no one will complete a transaction'—illustrating the sudden and unexpected nature of the Hour. Also relevant is the teaching in Surah An-Nahl (16:61) about Allah's respite before the final hour.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers of the importance of living with awareness of the afterlife and preparing spiritually before death comes suddenly, rather than being preoccupied with worldly transactions and concerns that will ultimately be of no benefit on that Day.
Related Ayahs
رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلْحِسَابُ
Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and the believers the Day the account is established."
قُل لَّكُم مِّيعَادُ يَوْمٍ لَّا تَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ عَنْهُ سَاعَةً وَلَا تَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
Say, "For you is the appointment of a Day [when] you will not remain thereafter an hour, nor will you precede [it]."
وَبَرَزُوا۟ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا فَقَالَ ٱلضُّعَفَـٰٓؤُا۟ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًا فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّغْنُونَ عَنَّا مِنْ عَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ۚ قَالُوا۟ لَوْ هَدَىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ لَهَدَيْنَـٰكُمْ ۖ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْنَآ أَجَزِعْنَآ أَمْ صَبَرْنَا مَا لَنَا مِن مَّحِيصٍ
And they will come out [for judgement] before Allāh all together, and the weak will say to those who were arrogant, "Indeed, we were your followers, so can you avail us anything against the punishment of Allāh?" They will say, "If Allāh had guided us, we would have guided you. It is all the same for us whether we show intolerance or are patient: there is for us no place of escape."
قُلُوبٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاجِفَةٌ
Hearts, that Day, will tremble,