وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ أَثْقَالَهُمْ وَأَثْقَالًا مَّعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ ۖ وَلَيُسْـَٔلُنَّ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ عَمَّا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ 13
Translations
But they will surely carry their [own] burdens and [other] burdens along with their burdens, and they will surely be questioned on the Day of Resurrection about what they used to invent.
Transliteration
Wa-layahmilunna athqalahum wa-athqalan ma'a athqalihim wa-layus'alunna yawma al-qiyamati 'amma kanu yaftarун
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how those who reject faith will bear the burden of their own sins, and additionally the burden of leading others astray through their false teachings and fabrications. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this to mean that disbelievers will carry their own punishment on the Day of Judgment, plus the sins of those they misled. Al-Tabari emphasizes that they will be questioned about the false claims (افتراءات - iftiraat) they invented against Allah and His religion.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-'Ankabut (a Meccan chapter), which addresses the trials and temptations faced by believers in Mecca. The broader context discusses the consequences of disbelief and the deception of those who reject the message, emphasizing Divine accountability on the Day of Judgment.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever invents a lie against me intentionally, let him prepare his seat in the Hellfire' (Sahih Bukhari 1291). Also related: 'The sin of the one who leads others astray is equivalent to the sins of all those he misleads' (Sunan Ibn Majah 203).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that we bear responsibility not only for our own actions but also for those we influence—making it crucial to be truthful and careful about spreading religious knowledge. It serves as a powerful reminder that integrity in matters of faith has eternal consequences, both for ourselves and for those around us.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ شَهِيدًا ۖ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَكَفَرُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ
Say, "Sufficient is Allāh between me and you as Witness. He knows what is in the heavens and earth. And they who have believed in falsehood and disbelieved in Allāh - it is those who are the losers."
فَكُلًّا أَخَذْنَا بِذَنۢبِهِۦ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَخَذَتْهُ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَغْرَقْنَا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
So each We seized for his sin; and among them were those upon whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those who were seized by the blast [from the sky], and among them were those whom We caused the earth to swallow, and among them were those whom We drowned. And Allāh would not have wronged them, but it was they who were wronging themselves.
وَإِن تُكَذِّبُوا۟ فَقَدْ كَذَّبَ أُمَمٌ مِّن قَبْلِكُمْ ۖ وَمَا عَلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ إِلَّا ٱلْبَلَـٰغُ ٱلْمُبِينُ
And if you [people] deny [the message] - already nations before you have denied. And there is not upon the Messenger except [the duty of] clear notification.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ
Every soul will taste death. Then to Us will you be returned.