Tafseer of The Announcement · An-Naba · 78:40
Indeed, We have warned you of a near punishment on the Day when a man will observe what his hands have put forth and the disbeliever will say, "Oh, I wish that I were dust!"
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 word: إِنَّا أَنْذَرْنَاكُمْ عَذَابًا قَرِيبًا ("We have warned you of a near punishment") — He says: We have warned you, O people, of a punishment (ʿadhāb) that has already drawn near to you and come close, and that is يَوْمَ يَنْظُرُ الْمَرْءُ ("on the Day when man shall behold") — the believer — مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ ("what his hands have sent forth"): of good that he has acquired in the worldly life, or of evil that he has committed. Then he hopes for the reward of Allah for his virtuous deeds, and he fears His punishment for his evil deeds.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have also spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Mubārak, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning يَوْمَ يَنْظُرُ الْمَرْءُ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ , he said: Man is the believer; he takes heed regarding the small sin and fears the great sin.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Jaḥḥāda, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning يَوْمَ يَنْظُرُ الْمَرْءُ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ , he said: Man, that is the believer.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Abū Aḥmad related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Jaḥḥāda, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning His word: يَوْمَ يَنْظُرُ الْمَرْءُ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ , he said: Man, that is the believer.
And His word: وَيَقُولُ الْكَافِرُ يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ تُرَابًا ("and the disbeliever (kāfir) will say: 'Oh, would that I had been dust!'") — the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: And the disbeliever will say on that Day, out of longing, because of the punishment of Allah that he undergoes and that He has prepared for the disbelievers who do not believe in Him: Oh, would that I had been dust, like the animals that have been turned to dust.
And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation have also spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar and Ibn Abī ʿAdī related to us, both said: ʿAwf related to us, on the authority of Abū al-Mughīra, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr, he said: "When the Day of Resurrection comes, the surface is spread out, and the beasts of burden, the cattle, and the wild animals are gathered. Then retaliation (qiṣāṣ) takes place between the animals among themselves: for the hornless sheep retaliation is taken from the horned sheep that gored it. Then, when the retaliation between the animals is completed, it is said to them: 'Become dust.' He said: At that moment the disbeliever says: 'Oh, would that I had been dust.'"
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar; he said: And Jaʿfar ibn Burqān related to me, on the authority of Yazīd ibn al-Aṣamm, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, he said: "Truly, Allah gathers all the creatures, every beast of burden and every bird and every human being, and He says to the cattle and the birds: 'Become dust.' And at that moment the disbeliever says: 'Oh, would that I had been dust.'"
Abū Kurayb related to us, he said: al-Muḥāribī ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad related to us, on the authority of Ismāʿīl ibn Rāfiʿ al-Madanī, on the authority of Yazīd ibn Ziyād, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quraẓī, on the authority of a man of the Anṣār, on the authority of Abū Hurayra, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Allah will judge between His creatures — the jinn, the humans, and the beasts — and on that Day He will indeed take retaliation for the hornless one from the horned one, until there remains no claim with any animal against another. Then Allah says: 'Become dust.' And at that moment the disbeliever says: 'Oh, would that I had been dust.'"
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: يَوْمَ يَنْظُرُ الْمَرْءُ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ وَيَقُولُ الْكَافِرُ يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ تُرَابًا . He is the lost one, the transgressor, the powerless one. And what would prevent him from saying that, while the shameful defects of his deeds have burst forth over him, and he has come before the Most Merciful while He is angry with him? Thus on that Day he wished for death, whereas in the worldly life there was nothing more hateful to him than death.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Yaʿqūb related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Abū al-Zinād ʿAbd Allāh ibn Dhakwān, he said: When judgment has been passed between the people, and the command has been given for the people of the Fire to go to the Fire, it is said to the believers among the jinn and to all the other communities except the children of Ādam: 'Become dust.' And when the disbelievers look at them and see that they have become dust, the disbeliever says: 'Oh, would that I had been — oh, would that I had been — dust.'
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, concerning His word: وَيَقُولُ الْكَافِرُ يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ تُرَابًا , he said: When it is said to the beasts: 'Become dust,' the disbeliever says: 'Oh, would that I had been dust.'
End of the interpretation of Surah ʿAmma yatasāʾalūn.
