وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ 21
Translations
And We will surely let them taste the nearer punishment short of the greater punishment that perhaps they will return [i.e., repent].
Transliteration
Wa lanudhiqannahum mina al-adhabi al-adna duna al-adhabi al-akbari laallahum yarji'un
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the lesser punishments and trials that Allah permits in this worldly life—such as hardship, loss, and calamities—as a means to call people back to repentance before the greater punishment of the Hereafter. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that these worldly afflictions serve as merciful warnings and opportunities for spiritual correction, allowing believers to return to obedience before facing the eternal consequences on the Day of Judgment.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah As-Sajdah, a Meccan chapter addressing the disbelievers' rejection of divine signs. The broader context describes how Allah addresses those who turn away from His revelation, warning them that the worldly trials and sufferings they experience are divine reminders calling them to repentance before the final, irreversible punishment arrives.
Related Hadiths
The principle aligns with Sahih Muslim (2999) where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated: 'Amazing is the affair of the believer, for there is good for him in every matter; and this is not the case with anyone else except the believer. For if he is happy, he thanks Allah, thus there is good for him, and if he is afflicted with sorrow, he shows patience, thus there is good for him.' This illustrates how trials in this life can lead to spiritual benefit and return to Allah.
Themes
Key Lesson
The challenges and hardships we face in life are merciful divine reminders designed to guide us back to righteousness, not merely punishments; recognizing this transforms our perspective on suffering and encourages us to use worldly difficulties as catalysts for spiritual renewal and genuine repentance.
Related Ayahs
ذَٰلِكَ عَـٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَةِ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
That is the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, the Exalted in Might, the Merciful,
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ فَلَا تَكُن فِى مِرْيَةٍ مِّن لِّقَآئِهِۦ ۖ وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ هُدًى لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ
And We certainly gave Moses the Scripture, so do not be in doubt over his meeting. And We made it [i.e., the Torah] guidance for the Children of Israel.
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ۖ مَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَلِىٍّ وَلَا شَفِيعٍ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَذَكَّرُونَ
It is Allāh who created the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in six days; then He established Himself above the Throne. You have not besides Him any protector or any intercessor; so will you not be reminded?
وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ فَسَقُوا۟ فَمَأْوَىٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ ۖ كُلَّمَآ أَرَادُوٓا۟ أَن يَخْرُجُوا۟ مِنْهَآ أُعِيدُوا۟ فِيهَا وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ ذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ٱلَّذِى كُنتُم بِهِۦ تُكَذِّبُونَ
But as for those who defiantly disobeyed, their refuge is the Fire. Every time they wish to emerge from it, they will be returned to it while it is said to them, "Taste the punishment of the Fire which you used to deny."