أَمْ لَكُمْ أَيْمَـٰنٌ عَلَيْنَا بَـٰلِغَةٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۙ إِنَّ لَكُمْ لَمَا تَحْكُمُونَ 39
Translations
Or do you have oaths [binding] upon Us, extending until the Day of Resurrection, that indeed for you is whatever you judge?
Transliteration
Am lakum aymanun alayna balighatun ila yawm al-qiyamah, inna lakum lama tahkumun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the disbelievers of Makkah, asking whether they possess binding oaths from Allah guaranteeing them provision and comfort until the Day of Judgment. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the rhetorical question implies a strong negation: they have no such guarantee. The verse concludes by stating that whatever they judge or claim will be theirs, emphasizing the futility of their false assumptions about their worldly permanence and security.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Qalam's refutation of the Makkan disbelievers' arrogance and their false sense of security in their wealth and status. The surah was revealed during the early Meccan period when the pagans were mocking the Prophet (peace be upon him) and denying the message of Islam, assuming their material prosperity was permanent and divinely guaranteed.
Related Hadiths
Surah Al-Qalam 68:39 is thematically related to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Wealth and children are the adornment of this worldly life, but the everlasting good deeds are better with your Lord in reward and in hope.' This reinforces that worldly provisions are temporary, not eternal guarantees.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that no one possesses guaranteed rights or permanent security in this world except through Allah's will, and that arrogance in one's possessions or status is a spiritual blindness that leads to destruction. It calls us to recognize our dependence on Allah and to seek lasting, spiritual wealth through righteous deeds rather than clinging to transient material gains.