لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مَثَلُ ٱلسَّوْءِ ۖ وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْمَثَلُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ 60
Translations
For those who do not believe in the Hereafter is the description [i.e., an attribute] of evil; and for Allāh is the highest attribute. And He is Exalted in Might, the Wise.
Transliteration
Lilladhina la yu'minuna bi-al-akhirati mathalu al-saww wa-lillahi al-mathalu al-a'la wa-huwa al-'azizu al-hakim
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah states that those who deny the Hereafter are characterized by evil attributes and base examples, while Allah alone possesses the highest and most perfect attributes. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as affirming Allah's supreme perfection in all His Names and Attributes, contrasting the spiritual blindness of disbelievers who cannot perceive divine truth with the absolute excellence of Allah's character and wisdom. The ayah emphasizes that any comparison between human concepts of good and Allah's perfect attributes is fundamentally inadequate.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah An-Nahl, a Meccan surah that extensively discusses Allah's signs in creation and the consequences of disbelief. It comes within a section addressing the spiritual and moral condition of those who reject faith in the Hereafter, establishing a thematic contrast between the degraded state of disbelievers and the transcendent perfection of the Divine.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Allah has ninety-nine Names, one hundred minus one. Whoever memorizes them will enter Paradise.' This underscores the significance of Allah's elevated attributes mentioned in this ayah. Additionally, Surah Ash-Shura 42:11 ('There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing') provides complementary teachings on Allah's matchless attributes.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should recognize that denying the Hereafter leads to spiritual degradation and twisted values, while full faith requires acknowledging Allah's supreme perfection beyond human comparison. This ayah invites reflection on how true belief in the afterlife transforms one's moral and spiritual orientation toward recognizing Allah's absolute excellence.