وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُم بِإِيمَـٰنٍ أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَمَآ أَلَتْنَـٰهُم مِّنْ عَمَلِهِم مِّن شَىْءٍ ۚ كُلُّ ٱمْرِئٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِينٌ 21
Translations
And those who believed and whose descendants followed them in faith - We will join with them their descendants, and We will not deprive them of anything of their deeds. Every person, for what he earned, is retained.
Transliteration
Wa alladhina amanu wa attaba'at-hum dhurriyyatuhum bi-iman alhaqqna bihim dhurriyyata-hum wa ma alat-nahum min amalihim min shay'in kulla imri'in bima kasaba rahín
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that believers whose righteous descendants follow them in faith will be reunited with their offspring in Paradise, as a divine honor and mercy. However, each individual remains responsible for their own deeds—no one's salvation is diminished or increased by another's actions. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize this balances the hope of familial reunion with personal accountability, establishing that while Allah grants this special mercy to the faithful and their believing progeny, the fundamental principle of individual responsibility before Allah remains unchanged.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah At-Tur, which discusses the Day of Judgment and the rewards of the righteous. It comes within a broader context of describing the blessings awaiting believers in Paradise, serving to console the early Muslim community by assuring them that their faith would benefit not only themselves but also their believing families across generations.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'When a man dies, his actions end except for three: an ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who makes dua for him' (Sahih Muslim 1631). Additionally, 'The best of you are those who are best to their families' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3895) relates to the theme of family righteousness.
Themes
Key Lesson
While we should strive to raise righteous children and maintain family ties, ultimately each person stands alone before Allah for their own deeds—this teaches us to focus on our own spiritual development while encouraging our loved ones toward faith, without expecting their salvation to secure our own.