وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فِى جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدُونَ 103
Translations
But those whose scales are light - those are the ones who have lost their souls, [being] in Hell, abiding eternally.
Transliteration
Wa man khaffat mawāzīnuhu fa-ulā'ika alladhīna khasirū anfusahum fī jahannama khālidūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes those whose deeds are light on the scales of justice on the Day of Judgment—those whose good deeds are insufficient to outweigh their sins. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that such individuals have lost themselves completely, as their deeds fail to save them from eternal punishment in Hell. The 'scales' (mawāzīn) represent the divine justice by which all actions are weighed, and lightness indicates a deficiency in righteous deeds relative to sins committed.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Mu'minun's description of the Day of Judgment and the final reckoning. It follows the preceding ayah (23:102) which describes those whose scales are heavy with good deeds, creating a contrasting pair that illustrates the two ultimate destinies on Judgment Day. This thematic structure emphasizes the certainty and fairness of divine accountability.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The heaviest thing placed on the scales on the Day of Judgment is good character' (Tirmidhi). Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Muslim about the weighing of deeds and how actions determine one's eternal fate.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that our actions are constantly recorded and will be judged with perfect divine justice; therefore, we must strive to accumulate good deeds and sincere repentance to ensure our scales are heavy on Judgment Day, as mere hope without righteous action leads to eternal loss.