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Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-Isra 17:13

Word by word

وَكُلَّ إِنسَـٰنٍ أَلْزَمْنَـٰهُ طَـٰٓئِرَهُۥ فِى عُنُقِهِۦ ۖ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ كِتَـٰبًا يَلْقَىٰهُ مَنشُورًا

And [for] every person We have imposed his fate upon his neck, and We will produce for him on the Day of Resurrection a record which he will encounter spread open.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Every Person will have the Book of his Deeds with Him

After mentioning time, and the deeds of the son of Adam that take place therein, Allah says:وَكُلَّ إِنْسَـنٍ أَلْزَمْنَـهُ طَـئِرَهُ فِى عُنُقِهِ(And We have fastened every man's Ta'irah (deeds) to his neck,) The word Ta'irah (lit. something that flies) refers to man's deeds which fly from him, as Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and others said. It includes both good deeds and bad deeds, he will be forced to acknowledge them and will be rewarded or punished accordingly.فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْراً يَرَهُ - وَمَن يَعْـمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرّاً يَرَهُ (So whosoever does good equal to the weight of a speck of dust shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of a speck of dust shall see it.) (99:7-8). Allah says:إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى الْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ - مَّا يَلْفِظُ مِن قَوْلٍ إِلاَّ لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌ ((Remember) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or her actions).

Not a word does he (or she) utter but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).) (50:17-18)وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ لَحَـفِظِينَ - كِرَاماً كَـتِبِينَ - يَعْلَمُونَ مَا تَفْعَلُونَ (But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge of mankind) to watch you, Kiraman (Honorable) Katibin - writing down (your deeds), they know all that you do.) (82:10-12)إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ(You are only being requited for what you used to do.) 52:16مَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا يُجْزَ بِهِ(whosoever works evil, will have the recompense thereof.) 4:123 The meaning is that the deeds of the sons of Adam are preserved, whether they are great or small, and they are recorded night and day, morning and evening.وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَـهُ مَنْشُوراً(and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall bring out for him a Book which he will find wide open.) meaning, `We will collect all of his deeds for him in a Book which will be given to him on the Day of Resurrection, either in his right hand, if he is one of the blessed, or in his left hand if he is one of the wretched.'مَنْشُوراً(wide open) means, it will be open for him and others to read all of his deeds, from the beginning of his life until the end.يُنَبَّأُ الإِنسَـنُ يَوْمَئِذِ بِمَا قَدَّمَ وَأَخَّرَ - بَلِ الإِنسَـنُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بَصِيرَةٌ - وَلَوْ أَلْقَى مَعَاذِيرَهُ (On that Day man will be informed of what (deeds) he sent forward, and what (deeds) he left behind.

Nay! Man will be a witness against himself, though he may put forth his excuses.) (75:13-15) Allah says:اقْرَأْ كَتَـبَكَ كَفَى بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا ((It will be said to him): "Read your Book. You yourself are sufficient as a reckoner against you this Day.") meaning, you have not been treated unjustly and nothing has been recorded against you except what you have done, because you remember everything that you have done, and no one will forget anything that he did. Everyone will be able to read his Book, whether he is literate or illiterate.أَلْزَمْنَـهُ طَـئِرَهُ فِى عُنُقِهِ(And We have fastened every man's Ta'irah (deeds) to his neck,) The neck is mentioned because it is a part of the body that has no counterpart, and when one is restrained by it, he has no escape.

Ma`mar narrated from Qatadah, "His deeds,وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ(and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall bring out for him) We shall bring forth those deeds."كِتَابًا يَلْقَـهُ مَنْشُوراً(a Book which he will find wide open.) Ma`mar said: Al-Hasan recited,عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ الشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ(one sitting on the right and one on the left. ) 50:17 And he said; "O son of Adam, your Book has been opened for you, and two noble angels have been entrusted to accompany you, one on your right and one on your left. The one who is on your right records your good deeds, and the one who is on your left records your bad deeds. `So do whatever you want, a lot or a little, until you die, then I will fold up your Book and tie it to your neck with you in your grave. Then when you come out on the Day of Resurrection, you will find the Book wide open, so read your Book.' By Allah, the One Who makes you accountable for your own deeds is being perfectly just." These are some of the best words Al-Hasan ever spoke, may Allah have mercy on him.

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

The sense of the book of deeds tied to the neck

It means that one's book of deed stays with the doer no matter where or in whatever condition one is. What he or she does continues to get recorded there. When death comes, the 'book' is closed and set aside safely. After that, when comes the Last Day, the Day of Judgment, this book of deeds will be placed in everyone's hand in order that he would himself read it and also decide himself whether he is deserving of reward or deserving of punishment. It has been reported from Qatadah (رح) that it will be a day when even an illiterate person will be able to read his book of deeds. On this occasion, al-lsbahani has reported on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Umamah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of Qiyamah, when the book of deeds belonging to people will be given in their hand, someone will notice that some of his good deeds were not recorded there. He will tell his Lord about the particular deeds missing from there. His Lord will tell him that He had erased those deeds for he used to speak ill of people on their backs. (Mazhari)

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

وكل إنسان يجعل الله ما عمله مِن خير أو شر ملازمًا له، فلا يحاسَب بعمل غيره، ولا يحاسَب غيره بعمله، ويخرج الله له يوم القيامة كتابًا قد سُجِّلت فيه أعماله يراه مفتوحًا.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

يقول تعالى بعد ذكر الزمان وذكر ما يقع فيه من أعمال بني آدم : ( وكل إنسان ألزمناه طائره في عنقه ) وطائره : هو ما طار عنه من عمله ، كما قال ابن عباس ومجاهد وغير واحد : من خير وشر ، يلزم به ويجازى عليه ( فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة خيرا يره ومن يعمل مثقال ذرة شرا يره ) [ الزلزلة : 5 ، 6 ] ، وقال تعالى : ( عن اليمين وعن الشمال قعيد ما يلفظ من قول إلا لديه رقيب عتيد ) [ ق : 17 ، 18 ] ، وقال تعالى : ( وإن عليكم لحافظين كراما كاتبين يعلمون ما تفعلون إن الأبرار لفي نعيم وإن الفجار لفي جحيم ) [ الانفطار : 10 - 14 ] ، قال : ( إنما تجزون ما كنتم تعملون ) [ الطور : 16 ] وقال : ( من يعمل سوءا يجز به ) [ النساء : 123 ] .والمقصود أن عمل ابن آدم محفوظ عليه ، قليله وكثيره ، ويكتب عليه ليلا ونهارا ، صباحا ومساء .وقال الإمام أحمد : حدثنا قتيبة ، حدثنا ابن لهيعة ، عن أبى الزبير ، عن جابر : سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول : " لطائر كل إنسان في عنقه " .

قال ابن لهيعة : يعني الطيرة .وهذا القول من ابن لهيعة في تفسير هذا الحديث ، غريب جدا ، والله أعلم .وقوله [ تعالى ] ( ونخرج له يوم القيامة كتابا يلقاه منشورا ) أي : نجمع له عمله كله في كتاب يعطاه يوم القيامة ، إما بيمينه إن كان سعيدا ، أو بشماله إن كان شقيا ) منشورا ) أي : مفتوحا يقرؤه هو وغيره ، فيه جميع عمله من أول عمره إلى آخره ( ينبأ الإنسان يومئذ بما قدم وأخر بل الإنسان على نفسه بصيرة ولو ألقى معاذيره ) [ القيامة : 13 - 15 ]

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.