20:100

مَّنۡ أَعۡرَضَ عَنۡهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَحۡمِلُ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ وِزۡرًا

Man aAArada AAanhu fainnahu yahmilu yawma alqiyamati wizran

Whoever turns away from it - then indeed, he will bear on the Day of Resurrection a burden,

Word by word
  1. مَّنۡWhoever
  2. أَعۡرَضَturns away
  3. عَنۡهُfrom it
  4. فَإِنَّهُۥthen indeed,he
  5. يَحۡمِلُwill bear
  6. يَوۡمَ(on the) Day
  7. ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ(of) Resurrection
  8. وِزۡرًاa burden
Taha · 20:100Makkah

Turning away from the Reminder becomes a heavy load.

What you walk away from, you carry


Two paths
follow itrightly guided
turn awayseek guidance elsewhere
becomes
a burdenon the Day
What turning away is
staying neutraljust not interested
picking up weightsin carried forward

Ibn Kathir explains turning away means denying it and not following its commands, while seeking guidance from other than it. The burden here means sin. The Quran is a final warning for everyone it reaches.

You have the Quran on your phone, on the shelf, in your ears at the masjid. It has reached you. Leaving it closed is not neutral. The kind answer is to let it in, a little at a time.

If I simply ignore it, I am not doing anything wrong.

Once it has reached me, ignoring it is a choice with weight.

Try this

Read one page of Quran today with its meaning, even if you only manage one.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 20:99)

Thus We relate to you some information of what happened before. And indeed We have given you from Us a Reminder (99)Whoever turns away from it, verily, they will bear a heavy burden on the Day of Resurrection (100)They will abide in that – and evil indeed will it be that load for them on the Day of Resurrection (101)

The Entire Qur'an is the Remembrance of Allah and mentioning the Punishment of Those Who turn away from It

Allah, the Exalted, is saying to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, 'We have told you (O Muhammad) the story of Musa and what happened with him, Fir'awn and his armies, just as it actually happened. Likewise, We relate to you the information of the past just as it happened, without any increase or decrease. We also gave you a remembrance from Us, the Mighty Qur'an, no falsehood comes to it from before it or behind it.' It is a revelation from One Most Wise, Most Praiseworthy. No Prophet was given any Book like it or more complete than it, since the time of the previous Prophets who were sent, until their being sealed off with the coming of Muhammad ﷺ. No Prophet was given any Book containing as much information than the Qur'an about what has past and what would be. The judgement concerning the distinction between mankind is taken from it. Therefore, Allah says about it,

مَّنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ

(Whoever turns away from it,) This means whoever denies it and turns away from following its commands and instructions, while seeking guidance from other than it, then Allah will mislead him and send him on the path to Hell. This is why Allah says,

مَّنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَحْمِلُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وِزْرًا

(Whoever turns away from it, verily, they will bear a heavy burden on the Day of Resurrection.) .Burden here means sin. This is as Allah says,

وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِهِ مِنَ الْأَحْزَابِ فَالنَّارُ مَوْعِدُهُ

(But those of the sects that reject it, the Fire will be their promised meeting place.)[11:17] This applies generally to whoever the Qur'an reaches of the Arabs, the non-Arabs, the People of the Book and others. This is as Allah says,

لِأُنذِرَكُم بِهِ وَمَن بَلَغَ

(That I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach.)[6:19] The Qur'an is a final warning for everyone it reaches. Whoever follows it, then he is rightly guided and whoever opposes it and turns away from it, then he is misguided. He will be wretched in this life, and he is promised that on the Day of Resurrection his abode will be the Hellfire. For this reason Allah says,

مَّنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَحْمِلُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وِزْرًا - خَالِدِينَ فِيهِ

(Whoever turns away from it, verily, they will bear a heavy burden on the Day of Resurrection. They will abide in that.)(20:100-101) They will not be able to avoid this or escape it.

وَسَاءَ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ حِمْلًا

(And evil indeed will it be that load for them on the Day of Resurrection.)