Quran Universe
31:33

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ وَٱخۡشَوۡاْ يَوۡمٗا لَّا يَجۡزِي وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِۦ وَلَا مَوۡلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِۦ شَيۡـًٔاۚ إِنَّ وَعۡدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقّٞۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلۡغَرُورُ

Ya ayyuha alnnasu ittaqoo rabbakum waikhshaw yawman la yajzee walidun AAan waladihi wala mawloodun huwa jazin AAan walidihi shayan inna waAAda Allahi haqqun fala taghurrannakumu alhayatu alddunya wala yaghurrannakum biAllahi algharooru

O mankind, fear your Lord and fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all. Indeed, the promise of Allah is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the Deceiver.

Word by word
  1. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاO
  2. ٱلنَّاسُmankind
  3. ٱتَّقُواْFear
  4. رَبَّكُمۡyour Lord
  5. وَٱخۡشَوۡاْand fear
  6. يَوۡمٗاa Day
  7. لَّاnot
  8. يَجۡزِيcan avail
  9. وَالِدٌa father
  10. عَن[for]
  11. وَلَدِهِۦhis son
  12. وَلَاand not
  13. مَوۡلُودٌa son
  14. هُوَhe
  15. جَازٍ(can) avail
  16. عَن[for]
  17. وَالِدِهِۦhis father
  18. شَيۡـًٔاۚanything
  19. إِنَّIndeed
  20. وَعۡدَ(the) Promise
  21. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  22. حَقّٞۖ(is) True
  23. فَلَاso let not deceive you
  24. تَغُرَّنَّكُمُso let not deceive you
  25. ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُthe life
  26. ٱلدُّنۡيَا(of) the world
  27. وَلَاand let not deceive you
  28. يَغُرَّنَّكُمand let not deceive you
  29. بِٱللَّهِabout Allah
  30. ٱلۡغَرُورُthe deceiver
Luqman · 31:33Makkah

A Day when no father can help his son.

Do not be fooled by this life or the Deceiver

On that Day
fatherwould give himself
sonwould give himself
neither
acceptedeach carries his own
Two deceivers
this worldly lifecomfort makes you forget
the Deceiverpromises with no substance

Ibn Kathir says even if a father offered himself for his son, it would not be accepted. Do not let contentment with this life make you forget the Hereafter, and do not let Shaytan's empty promises deceive you about Allah.

You tell yourself your parents prayed enough for the family. Or that your kids will sort out your dua later. On that Day each person stands alone. Today is still yours to prepare for it.

My family's goodness will somehow cover me.

No one can carry me on that Day, so I prepare my own way now.

Try this

Pick one good habit you have left to others in your family, and do it yourself today.

Related4:120
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord, and fear a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. Verily, the promise of Allah is true, let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the chief deceiver deceive you about Allah (33)

The Command to fear Allah and remember the Day of Resurrection

Here Allah warns people about the Day of Resurrection, and commands them to fear Him and remember the Day of Resurrection when

لَا يَجْزِي وَالِدٌ عَنْ وَلَدِهِ

(no father can avail aught for his son,) which means, even if he wanted to offer himself as a sacrifice for his son, it would not be accepted from him. The same will apply in the case of a son who wants to sacrifice himself for his father – it will not be accepted from him. Then Allah reminds them once again with the words:

فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا

(let not then this present life deceive you,) meaning, do not let your feelings of contentment with this life make you forget about the Hereafter.

وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُمْ بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ

(nor let the chief deceiver deceive you about Allah.) refers to the Shaytan. This was the view of Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and Qatadah. The Shaytan makes promises to them and arouses in them false desires, but there is no substance to them, as Allah says:

يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ ۖ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا 

(He makes promises to them, and arouses in them false desires; and Shaytan's promises are nothing but deceptions.)(4:120). Wahb bin Munabbih said: 'Uzayr, peace be upon him, said: "When I saw the misfortune of my people, I felt very sad and distressed, and I could not sleep, so I prayed to my Lord and fasted, and I called upon Him weeping. There came to me an angel and I said to him: 'Tell me, will the souls of the righteous intercede for the wrongdoers, or the fathers for their sons?' He said: 'On the Day of Resurrection all matters will be settled, and Allah's dominion will be made manifest and no exceptions will be made. No one will speak on that Day except with the permission of the Most Merciful. No father will answer for his son, or any son for his father, or any man for his brother, or any servant for his master. No one will care about anybody except himself, or feel grief or compassion for anyone except himself. Everyone will be worried only about himself. No one will be asked about anybody else. Each person will be concerned only about himself, weeping for himself and carrying his own burden. No one will carry the burden of another.'" This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim.