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
ذَٰلِكَ مِمَّآ أَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ ٱلْحِكْمَةِ ۗ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتُلْقَىٰ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومًا مَّدْحُورًا
That is from what your Lord has revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], of wisdom. And, [O mankind], do not make [as equal] with Allāh another deity, lest you be thrown into Hell, blamed and banished.
وَمَن كَانَ فِى هَـٰذِهِۦٓ أَعْمَىٰ فَهُوَ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَعْمَىٰ وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا
And whoever is blind in this [life] will be blind in the Hereafter and more astray in way.
وَإِن كَادُوا۟ لَيَفْتِنُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ لِتَفْتَرِىَ عَلَيْنَا غَيْرَهُۥ ۖ وَإِذًا لَّٱتَّخَذُوكَ خَلِيلًا
And indeed, they were about to tempt you away from that which We revealed to you in order to [make] you invent about Us something else; and then they would have taken you as a friend.
وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَا فِى هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانِ لِيَذَّكَّرُوا۟ وَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ إِلَّا نُفُورًا
And We have certainly diversified [the contents] in this Qur’ān that they [i.e., mankind] may be reminded, but it does not increase them [i.e., the disbelievers] except in aversion.