وَأَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا 10
Translations
And that those who do not believe in the Hereafter - We have prepared for them a painful punishment.
Transliteration
Wa anna alladhina la yu'minuna bi-al-akhirati a'tadna lahum adhaban alima
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah declares that those who reject belief in the Hereafter have been prepared for them a painful punishment. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this verse emphasizes that disbelief in the Day of Judgment and the Afterlife is a grave sin that necessitates severe divine punishment, as denying the Hereafter leads to moral corruption and rejection of accountability. Al-Qurtubi notes that this ayah serves as a warning to those who live only for this worldly life, heedless of the eternal consequences of their deeds.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Isra was revealed in Mecca during a period when the Quraysh were intensifying their rejection of the Prophet Muhammad and his message. This ayah fits within the surah's broader theme of warning disbelievers about the consequences of rejecting revelation, emphasizing that true belief must include faith in both Allah and the Day of Judgment as inseparable components of Islamic monotheism.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent' (Sahih Bukhari 6018). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim emphasizes that belief in the Last Day is one of the pillars of faith without which one's Islam is incomplete.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that true faith must encompass belief in both this world and the Hereafter; neglecting the reality of the afterlife inevitably leads to moral corruption and divine punishment. For modern readers, it serves as a powerful reminder to align priorities with eternal values rather than fleeting worldly pursuits, as accountability before Allah is certain and inescapable.
Related Ayahs
وَٱسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُم بِصَوْتِكَ وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَوْلَـٰدِ وَعِدْهُمْ ۚ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا
And incite [to senselessness] whoever you can among them with your voice and assault them with your horses and foot soldiers and become a partner in their wealth and their children and promise them." But Satan does not promise them except delusion.
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ تِسْعَ ءَايَـٰتٍۭ بَيِّنَـٰتٍ ۖ فَسْـَٔلْ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِذْ جَآءَهُمْ فَقَالَ لَهُۥ فِرْعَوْنُ إِنِّى لَأَظُنُّكَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ مَسْحُورًا
And We had certainly given Moses nine evident signs, so ask the Children of Israel [about] when he came to them and Pharaoh said to him, "Indeed I think, O Moses, that you are affected by magic."
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَلَـٰٓئِكَةٌ يَمْشُونَ مُطْمَئِنِّينَ لَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَلَكًا رَّسُولًا
Say, "If there were upon the earth angels walking securely, We would have sent down to them from the heaven an angel [as a] messenger."
ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ ۚ وَلَلْـَٔاخِرَةُ أَكْبَرُ دَرَجَـٰتٍ وَأَكْبَرُ تَفْضِيلًا
Look how We have favored [in provision] some of them over others. But the Hereafter is greater in degrees [of difference] and greater in distinction.