Skip to content

An-Nahl 38

Ayah 38 of 128 · Meccan

وَأَقۡسَمُواْ بِٱللَّهِ جَهۡدَ أَيۡمَٰنِهِمۡ لَا يَبۡعَثُ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَمُوتُۚ بَلَىٰ وَعۡدًا عَلَيۡهِ حَقّٗا وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ ٣٨

And they swear by Allāh their strongest oaths [that] Allāh will not resurrect one who dies. But yes - [it is] a true promise [binding] upon Him, but most of the people do not know.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. وَأَقۡسَمُواْAnd they swearwa-aqsamū
  2. بِٱللَّهِby Allahbil-lahi
  3. جَهۡدَstrongestjahda
  4. أَيۡمَٰنِهِمۡ(of) their oathsaymānihim
  5. لَاAllah will not resurrectlā
  6. يَبۡعَثُAllah will not resurrectyabʿathu
  7. ٱللَّهُAllah will not resurrectl-lahu
  8. مَن(one) whoman
  9. يَمُوتُۚdiesyamūtu
  10. بَلَىٰNaybalā
  11. وَعۡدًا(it is) a promisewaʿdan
  12. عَلَيۡهِupon Himʿalayhi
  13. حَقّٗا(in) truthḥaqqan
  14. وَلَٰكِنَّbutwalākinna
  15. أَكۡثَرَmostakthara
  16. ٱلنَّاسِ(of) the mankindl-nāsi
  17. لَا(do) notlā
  18. يَعۡلَمُونَknowyaʿlamūna

Tafsir

These deniers swore their most serious oaths: Allah will not resurrect anyone who dies, without their having any proof of that. Yes indeed, Allah will resurrect everyone who dies, being His binding promise, because the one who brought them to life from non-existence without any precedent is able to bring them back to life after having caused them to die. But most people do not know that Allah will resurrect the dead and they therefore deny the resurrection.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran