39:47

وَلَوۡ أَنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ جَمِيعٗا وَمِثۡلَهُۥ مَعَهُۥ لَٱفۡتَدَوۡاْ بِهِۦ مِن سُوٓءِ ٱلۡعَذَابِ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۚ وَبَدَا لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَمۡ يَكُونُواْ يَحۡتَسِبُونَ

Walaw anna lillatheena thalamoo ma fee alardi jameeAAan wamithlahu maAAahu laiftadaw bihi min sooi alAAathabi yawma alqiyamati wabada lahum mina Allahi ma lam yakoonoo yahtasiboona

And if those who did wrong had all that is in the earth entirely and the like of it with it, they would [attempt to] ransom themselves thereby from the worst of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection. And there will appear to them from Allah that which they had not taken into account.

Word by word
  1. وَلَوۡAnd if
  2. أَنَّAnd if
  3. لِلَّذِينَthose who
  4. ظَلَمُواْdid wrong
  5. مَا(had) whatever
  6. فِي(is) in
  7. ٱلۡأَرۡضِthe earth
  8. جَمِيعٗاall
  9. وَمِثۡلَهُۥand (the) like of it
  10. مَعَهُۥwith it
  11. لَٱفۡتَدَوۡاْthey would ransom
  12. بِهِۦwith it
  13. مِنfrom
  14. سُوٓءِ(the) evil
  15. ٱلۡعَذَابِ(of) the punishment
  16. يَوۡمَ(on the) Day
  17. ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِۚ(of) the Resurrection
  18. وَبَدَاAnd (will) appear
  19. لَهُمto them
  20. مِّنَfrom
  21. ٱللَّهِAllah
  22. مَاwhat
  23. لَمۡnot
  24. يَكُونُواْthey had
  25. يَحۡتَسِبُونَtaken into account
Az-Zumar · 39:47Makkah

The whole earth twice over would not buy a way out.

What they never reckoned with


The offer
all on earthand the same again
offered as
ransomnot accepted
What appears
what they expectedit won't be that bad
what they never imaginednow plain before them

Ibn Kathir says no ransom will be accepted, even an earth full of gold. Then there will appear to them from Allah what they never reckoned, a reality they never imagined.

You work extra shifts to build a buffer: savings, insurance, a second property. Good planning for this life. But nothing in the bank pays for the next one. Only what you did with it.

Enough money can solve almost any problem.

Not even the whole earth twice over could buy safety on that Day.

Try this

Spend one small amount today purely for Allah, as an investment that actually crosses.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 39:46)

Say: "O Allah! Creator of the heavens and the earth! All-Knower of the unseen and the seen! You will judge between your servants about that wherein they used to differ. (46)And those who did wrong, if they had all that is on the earth and therewith as much again, they verily, would offer it to ransom themselves therewith on the Day of Resurrection from the evil torment; and there will become apparent to them from Allah what they had not been reckoning (47)And the evils of that which they earned will become apparent to them, and that which they used to mock at will encircle them (48)

How to supplicate

After condemning the idolators for their love of Shirk and their hatred of Tawhid, Allah then says:

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ

(Say: "O Allah! Creator of the heavens and the earth! All-Knower of the unseen and the seen!...") meaning, 'call you upon Allah Alone with no partner or associate, Who has created the heavens and the earth and originated them,' i.e., made them like nothing that ever before existed.

عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ

(All-Knower of the unseen and the seen!) means, what is secret and what is open.

أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِي مَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ

(You will judge between your servants about that wherein they used to differ.) means, in this world; 'You will judge between them on the Day when they are resurrected and brought forth from their graves.' In his Sahih, Muslim recorded that Abu Salamah bin 'Abdur-Rahman said, "I asked 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ started his prayer when he stood up to pray at night. She said, may Allah be pleased with her: 'When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up to pray at night, he would start his prayer with the words:

اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّ جِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ وَإِسْرَافِيلَ، فَاطِرَ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ، أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ، اهْدِنِي لِمَا اخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِكَ، إِنَّكَ تَهْدِي مَنْ تَشَاءُ إِلىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

(O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mika'il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You will judge between Your servants concerning that wherein they differ. Guide me with regard to that wherein there is dispute concerning the truth by Your leave, for You guide whomsoever You will to the straight path.)"

No Ransom will be accepted on the Day of Resurrection

وَلَوْ أَنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا

(And those who did wrong,) means, the idolators.

مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ

(if they had all that is in earth and therewith as much again,)

لَافْتَدَوْا بِهِ مِنْ سُوءِ الْعَذَابِ

(they verily, would offer it to ransom themselves therewith from the evil torment;) means, that which Allah has decreed for them on the Day of Resurrection. But the ransom will not be accepted from them, even if it were to be an earth-full of gold as He mentioned elswhere (3:91). Then Allah says:

وَبَدَا لَهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَحْتَسِبُونَ

(and there will become apparent to them from Allah what they had not been reckoning.) which means, when they come to realize what Allah's punishment for them will be, which they had never before imagined.

وَبَدَا لَهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَسَبُوا

(And the evils of that which they earned will become apparent to them,) means, they will see the punishment for the forbidden actions and sins which they committed in this world.

وَحَاقَ بِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ

(and that which they used to mock at will encircle them.) means, the punishment which they used to make fun of in this world will encompass them.