وَأَشْرَقَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِنُورِ رَبِّهَا وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ وَجِا۟ىٓءَ بِٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَٱلشُّهَدَآءِ وَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُم بِٱلْحَقِّ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ 69
Translations
And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord, and the record [of deeds] will be placed, and the prophets and the witnesses will be brought, and it will be judged between them in truth, and they will not be wronged.
Transliteration
Wa ashraaqati al-ard bi nuri rabbihaa wa wudi'a al-kitaab wa jaa'a bi al-nabiyyeen wa al-shuhada'a wa quda'a baynahum bi al-haqq wa hum la yudhlamun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the Day of Judgment when the earth will be illuminated by the light of Allah, the Divine Record (of deeds) will be placed, and the prophets and witnesses (angels and righteous believers) will be brought forth to testify. Allah will judge between all people with perfect justice, and no one will be wronged. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this light symbolizes divine revelation and truth manifesting on that day, while Al-Qurtubi notes the comprehensive nature of justice when all evidence is presented and divine wisdom executes judgment.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Az-Zumar (The Troops), a Meccan surah that emphasizes monotheism and the reality of the afterlife. It appears in the latter section of the surah which focuses on the scenes of the Day of Judgment and divine justice. The context addresses the Meccan disbelievers' denial of resurrection and accountability.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said regarding the Day of Judgment: 'The sun will be brought close to the heads of the people on the Day of Resurrection' (Sahih Muslim 2791), relating to the intense heat and light of that day. Additionally, 'Each soul will know what it has sent forward and kept back' (Quran 82:5) is thematically connected, as mentioned in various hadith collections about the manifestation of deeds on Judgment Day.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that all hidden deeds will be revealed and judged with absolute fairness on the Day of Judgment, providing comfort to the oppressed and warning to wrongdoers. It emphasizes that believers should live with consciousness of accountability, knowing that divine justice is certain and no injustice can escape Allah's knowledge.