وَقَالَ قَرِينُهُۥ هَـٰذَا مَا لَدَىَّ عَتِيدٌ 23
Translations
And his companion, [the angel], will say, "This [record] is what is with me, prepared."
Transliteration
Wa qāla qarīnuhu hādhā mā ladayya 'atīd
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah depicts the evil companion (qarīn) of a person in the Hereafter presenting the deeds that were prepared and ready for judgment. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the qarīn refers to the angel or jinn assigned to each person, or symbolically represents one's own evil deeds, which testify against the person on the Day of Judgment. Al-Qurtubi notes that 'atīd (ready/prepared) emphasizes that all deeds are meticulously recorded and present before Allah, awaiting accountability.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Qaf's vivid description of the Day of Judgment and the resurrection. It is part of a sequence (verses 19-26) depicting how people will be brought to account, with their deeds and companions presenting evidence against them. The surah's Meccan context emphasizes the certainty of the afterlife to those who denied resurrection.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Each one of you will meet Allah as if he were alone.' (Sahih Bukhari 3237) - emphasizing individual accountability. Also related is the hadith about one's deeds being one's companion: 'A man's deeds are his best companion.' (Tirmidhi)
Themes
Key Lesson
Every action we perform is preserved and ready to confront us on the Day of Judgment; we should therefore be mindful that our deeds today become our witnesses tomorrow. This ayah reminds us that spiritual negligence now will manifest as evidence against us, making sincere repentance and righteous action essential in this life.