هُنَالِكَ تَبْلُوا۟ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّآ أَسْلَفَتْ ۚ وَرُدُّوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَوْلَىٰهُمُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ 30
Translations
There, [on that Day], every soul will be put to trial for what it did previously, and they will be returned to Allāh, their master, the Truth, and lost from them is whatever they used to invent.
Transliteration
Hunalika tablū kullu nafsin mā aslafat wa-ruddu ilā Allāhi mawlāhum al-ḥaqq wa-ḍalla ʿanhum mā kānū yaftarūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the Day of Judgment when every soul will be tested and confronted with what it has sent forward (of deeds). The people will be returned to Allah, their true Master, while all the false gods and invented deities they associated with Allah in this life will have abandoned them. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that 'tablū' (to test/try) refers to the reckoning when deeds are weighed and examined, highlighting the inevitability of divine justice and the futility of polytheistic beliefs.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Yunus, a Meccan surah that addresses the Quraysh's disbelief and polytheism. It is thematically connected to the broader message of the surah regarding the Day of Judgment and the consequences of rejecting Allah's oneness. The context addresses those who fabricated partners with Allah and engaged in spiritual deviation.
Related Hadiths
The concept is reinforced in the hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah in Sahih Muslim: 'Every soul shall taste death, and only on the Day of Judgment will you be paid your wages in full.' Additionally, the hadith about the weighing of deeds (Mizan) on the Day of Judgment relates to 'tablū' (being tested with one's deeds).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that all deeds are recorded and will be examined before Allah on the Day of Judgment, and that relying on anything or anyone besides Allah is ultimately futile. It calls for sincere devotion to Allah alone in this life, knowing that no fabricated beliefs or false intercessors will avail us when we face divine judgment.