كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ 57
Translations
Every soul will taste death. Then to Us will you be returned.
Transliteration
Kullu nafsin dha'iqatu al-mawt, thumma ilayna turja'un
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms the universal certainty of death—every soul shall taste death—followed by return to Allah for judgment and accountability. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this verse serves as a profound reminder of human mortality and the inescapability of the Day of Judgment, refuting any delusion of immortality or escape from divine reckoning.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-'Ankabut, a Meccan chapter addressing the early Muslim community facing persecution. The verse is thematically situated within the surah's broader message of trial, patience, and certainty in Allah's promise, reminding believers that worldly afflictions are temporary since death is the ultimate certainty all humans must face.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Remember frequently the destroyer of pleasures,' referring to death (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, 'Whoever remembers death frequently will be granted four things: quick repentance, contentment with little, detachment from worldly desires, and vigor in worship' (Sunan Ibn Majah).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah invites believers to contemplate mortality as a means of spiritual purification and motivation toward righteous action, emphasizing that remembrance of death and the afterlife naturally inclines the heart toward obedience and away from worldly temptations. It democratizes the human condition—regardless of status, wealth, or power, all souls will taste death and stand before Allah.
Related Ayahs
وَلَمَّا جَآءَتْ رُسُلُنَآ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ بِٱلْبُشْرَىٰ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مُهْلِكُوٓا۟ أَهْلِ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ۖ إِنَّ أَهْلَهَا كَانُوا۟ ظَـٰلِمِينَ
And when Our messengers [i.e., angels] came to Abraham with the good tidings, they said, "Indeed, we will destroy the people of that [i.e., Lot's] city. Indeed, its people have been wrongdoers."
وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِٱلْعَذَابِ ۚ وَلَوْلَآ أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى لَّجَآءَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ وَلَيَأْتِيَنَّهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
And they urge you to hasten the punishment. And if not for [the decree of] a specified term, punishment would have reached them. But it will surely come to them suddenly while they perceive not.
وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا فَقَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱرْجُوا۟ ٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ
And to Madyan [We sent] their brother Shuʿayb, and he said, "O my people, worship Allāh and expect the Last Day and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption."
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱنصُرْنِى عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ
He said, "My Lord, support me against the corrupting people."