Ar-Rahman · Madani · ayah 39 of 78

Ar-Rahman 55:39

فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُسْـَٔلُ عَن ذَنۢبِهِۦٓ إِنسٌ وَلَا جَآنٌّ

“Then on that Day none will be asked about his sin among men or jinn.[1602]”

Saheeh International

Essence

On that Day no one is asked about his sin, not because it is overlooked but because it is known; the asking belongs to tonight.

A reflection

Not "no questions asked": no questions needed

In modern English, "no questions asked" is the language of amnesty. Think of the knife bin outside a police station: drop it in, walk away, no questions asked. A reader meeting this ayah in translation could hear something similar. On that Day no human and no jinn will be asked about his sin. As if the slate were simply wiped.

The commentaries read it almost the opposite way.

Two early authorities explain. They are not asked about their sins in order to find them out, because Allah already knows them and the angels have written them down. A report from a Companion says the same. The question is not needed. The record is complete.

Another early authority links it to the next ayah. The angels do not need to ask who the criminals are, because the criminals are recognised by their marks (55:41). The face has already answered.

And another describes the sequence. There was questioning, he says. Then the mouths of the people were sealed, and their hands and their feet spoke of what they used to do.

So this is not amnesty. It is the point beyond which asking has no purpose. When an auditor already holds every receipt, he does not ask what you spent. When the camera has recorded the whole evening, the interview is short.

The ayah describes a silence that is worse than interrogation. Interrogation at least leaves room for explanation. Here there is nothing left to explain.

That is why the moment to be asked is now. Today your sins are still something you can bring up yourself, confess, regret and leave. Today a question can still be a door. On that Day the knowledge is already total, and the questions have stopped.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.