Tafseer of The Exile · Al-Hashr · 59:18
O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow - and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Acquainted with what you do.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
His saying: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ("O you who believe, fear Allah"). The Exalted, whose remembrance is sublime, says: O you who have held Allah to be true and have acknowledged Him as One, fear Allah by fulfilling His obligations and avoiding disobedience toward Him.
His saying: وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ ("and let every soul look to what it has sent forward for the morrow"). He says: let every one of you look to what he has sent forward of deeds for the Day of Resurrection — is it of the good deeds that will save him, or of the evil deeds that will ruin him?
And in accordance with what we have said about this, the scholars of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His saying: اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ ("Fear Allah, and let every soul look to what it has sent forward for the morrow"): your Lord has continued to bring the Hour ever nearer, until He has made it as a morrow; and "the morrow" is the Day of Resurrection.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ ("and let every soul look to what it has sent forward for the morrow") — that means the Day of Resurrection.
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His saying: مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ ("what it has sent forward for the morrow") — that means the Day of Resurrection.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, and he recited the saying of Allah, Mighty and Exalted: وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ ("and let every soul look to what it has sent forward for the morrow") — that means the Day of Resurrection, the good and the evil. He said: "yesterday" is in this world (al-dunyā), and "the morrow" in the Hereafter (al-ākhira). And he recited: كَأَنْ لَمْ تَغْنَ بِالأَمْسِ ("as though it had not flourished yesterday"); he said: as though it had not existed in this world.
His saying: وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ("and fear Allah"). He says: and fear Allah by fulfilling His obligations and avoiding disobedience toward Him. إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ ("indeed, Allah is fully aware of what you do"). He says: indeed, Allah has complete knowledge and awareness of your deeds, the good of them and the evil; nothing of that remains hidden from Him, and He will requite you for all of it.
