Quran Universe
21:34

وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا لِبَشَرٖ مِّن قَبۡلِكَ ٱلۡخُلۡدَۖ أَفَإِيْن مِّتَّ فَهُمُ ٱلۡخَٰلِدُونَ

Wama jaAAalna libasharin min qablika alkhulda afain mitta fahumu alkhalidoona

And We did not grant to any man before you eternity [on earth]; so if you die - would they be eternal?

Word by word
  1. وَمَاAnd not
  2. جَعَلۡنَاWe made
  3. لِبَشَرٖfor any man
  4. مِّنbefore you
  5. قَبۡلِكَbefore you
  6. ٱلۡخُلۡدَۖ[the] immortality
  7. أَفَإِيْنso if
  8. مِّتَّyou die
  9. فَهُمُthen (would) they
  10. ٱلۡخَٰلِدُونَlive forever
Al-Anbya · 21:34Makkah

No one before you lived forever. Will they?

Waiting for someone else to die changes nothing

Their hope
the Prophet ﷺwill die
and they
live on?forever after him
no oneeverything passes
Who is mortal
the othersnot me, not yet
everyoneno human is immortal

Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ that no human before him was given immortality in this world. His opponents hoped they would live on after him, the tafsir says, but that will not happen; everything will pass away.

You wait for a difficult boss to retire, or a rival to move away, as if then life begins. It is easy to live as if you are the one who stays. You are on the same clock as everyone else.

Things will be better once certain people are gone.

No one stays. My time is as short as theirs, so I use it now.

Try this

Stop waiting on one person to change. Do one thing today that does not depend on them.

Related55:26
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And We granted not to any human being immortality before you; then if you die, would they live forever (34)Everyone is going to taste death, and We shall test you with evil and with good by way of trial. And to Us you will be returned (35)

No One has been granted Immortality in this World

وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ

(And We granted not to any human being immortality before you;) means, O Muhammad.

الْخُلْدَ

(immortality) means, in this world. On the contrary,

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ - وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

(Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of majesty and honor will remain forever.)(55:26-27).

أَفَإِن مِّتَّ

(then if you die) means, O Muhammad,

فَهُمُ الْخَالِدُونَ

(would they live forever?) means, they hope that they will live forever after you, but that will not happen; everything will pass away. So Allah says:

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ

(Everyone is going to taste death,)

وَنَبْلُوكُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً

(and We shall test you with evil and with good by way of trial.) Meaning, "We shall test you, sometimes with difficulties and sometimes with ease, to see who will give thanks and who will be ungrateful, who will have patience and who will despair." 'Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn 'Abbas:

وَنَبْلُوكُم

(and We shall test you) means, We will test you,

بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً

(with evil and with good by way of trial.) means, with difficulties and with times of prosperity, with health and sickness, with richness and poverty, with lawful and unlawful, obedience and sin, with guidance and misguidance.

وَإِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ

(And to Us you will be returned.) means, and We will requite you according to your deeds.