هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ رَبُّكَ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ بَعْضُ ءَايَـٰتِ رَبِّكَ ۗ يَوْمَ يَأْتِى بَعْضُ ءَايَـٰتِ رَبِّكَ لَا يَنفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَـٰنُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ ءَامَنَتْ مِن قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِىٓ إِيمَـٰنِهَا خَيْرًا ۗ قُلِ ٱنتَظِرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مُنتَظِرُونَ 158
Translations
Do they [then] wait for anything except that the angels should come to them or your Lord should come or that there come some of the signs of your Lord? The Day that some of the signs of your Lord will come no soul will benefit from its faith as long as it had not believed before or had earned through its faith some good. Say, "Wait. Indeed, we [also] are waiting."
Transliteration
Hal yanzuroon illa an ta'tiahum al-mala'ikah aw ya'ti rabbuka aw ya'ti ba'du ayati rabbika. Yawma ya'ti ba'du ayati rabbika la yanfa'u nafsan imanuhah lam takun amanat min qablu aw kasabat fi imanihah khayra. Qul intaziroo inna muntaziroon.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses those who reject faith and wait for undeniable signs before believing. The verse describes three monumental events that would precede the final judgment: the arrival of angels, the coming of the Lord (in a manner befitting His majesty), or the arrival of some of God's greatest signs. However, when these signs finally come, belief will no longer benefit anyone who did not believe beforehand or who did not perform righteous deeds during their lifetime. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this emphasizes that belief has a specific window of opportunity, and the Disbelievers' demand for miraculous proof will ultimately be futile when they finally witness undeniable truth at the Hour.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-An'am, a Meccan chapter addressing the idolaters of Mecca who persistently demanded visible miracles as proof of Muhammad's prophethood. The broader context reflects the Meccan period's theme of responding to disbelief with patience and clarification, presenting the inevitability of Divine judgment and the consequences of rejecting faith during one's lifetime.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'When the sun rises from the west, no soul will benefit from its faith if it had not believed before.' (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) This hadith directly clarifies the meaning of this ayah regarding the point at which belief ceases to be accepted.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should not delay in accepting faith and performing righteous deeds, as there is a critical window of opportunity in this life; once the signs of the Last Hour arrive, regret and belief will be too late to benefit. This teaches the importance of heeding guidance while in good health and sound mind.