سُوْرَةُ النَّحْلِ
Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 70
وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُمْ ۚ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَىٰٓ أَرْذَلِ ٱلْعُمُرِ لِكَىْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ ﴿70﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And Allâh has created you and then He will cause you to die; and of you there are some who are sent back to senility, so that they know nothing after having known (much). Truly! Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَٱللَّهُ
wal-lahu
And Allah
خَلَقَكُمْ
khalaqakum
created you
ثُمَّ
thumma
then
يَتَوَفَّىٰكُمْ ۚ
yatawaffākum
will cause you to die
وَمِنكُم
waminkum
And among you
مَّن
man
(is one) who
يُرَدُّ
yuraddu
is sent back
إِلَىٰٓ
ilā
to
أَرْذَلِ
ardhali
the worst
ٱلْعُمُرِ
l-ʿumuri
(of) the age
لِكَىْ
likay
so that
لَا
lā
not
يَعْلَمَ
yaʿlama
he will know
بَعْدَ
baʿda
after
عِلْمٍۢ
ʿil'min
knowledge
شَيْـًٔا ۚ
shayan
a thing
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱللَّهَ
l-laha
Allah
عَلِيمٌۭ
ʿalīmun
(is) All-Knowing
قَدِيرٌۭ
qadīrun
All-Powerful
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
70. Allah created you, then He will cause you to die, and among you are those who are brought back to the most abject stage of life [69], so that after having knowledge, they know nothing. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.
[69]
No Creature Can Exceed Its Appointed Limit:
After these external examples, Allah Almighty has presented the example of man himself: first, he is a child, he eats food for his upbringing, through which his height increases, his strength grows, and his intellect and knowledge also increase, which stops after reaching a specific limit. After that, man continues to eat the same foods he used to eat before, but their effects begin to appear completely opposite. Instead of strength, weakness starts to occur in his body, his intellect diminishes greatly, his memory weakens, to the extent that he even begins to forget things he had learned before. His limbs become feeble, and despite his grown stature, he starts to speak like children, insist like children, and act like children, to the extent that he is no longer aware of his own body. Even though he eats the same food he used to eat in childhood, or even better foods, still he has to drink the bitter cup of death.
Refuge from the Most Decrepit Age:
Has man ever thought why this happens? Or what conclusion can be drawn from this? It shows that there is a Powerful and Wise Being who, according to His will, brings about such changes in man and can do so, and there is no deity besides Allah who can prevent these changes. Yes, if Allah wills, He can protect a person from such humiliation even in this most decrepit age. Thus, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to seek refuge from such a life. [بخاري، كتاب التفسير]
And there are two ways to avoid such an age: one is that Allah Almighty grants death before such a time comes; the second is that even when such a time comes, He keeps the person healthy and preserves his senses, and Allah is capable of both these things.
[69]
No Creature Can Exceed Its Appointed Limit:
After these external examples, Allah Almighty has presented the example of man himself: first, he is a child, he eats food for his upbringing, through which his height increases, his strength grows, and his intellect and knowledge also increase, which stops after reaching a specific limit. After that, man continues to eat the same foods he used to eat before, but their effects begin to appear completely opposite. Instead of strength, weakness starts to occur in his body, his intellect diminishes greatly, his memory weakens, to the extent that he even begins to forget things he had learned before. His limbs become feeble, and despite his grown stature, he starts to speak like children, insist like children, and act like children, to the extent that he is no longer aware of his own body. Even though he eats the same food he used to eat in childhood, or even better foods, still he has to drink the bitter cup of death.
Refuge from the Most Decrepit Age:
Has man ever thought why this happens? Or what conclusion can be drawn from this? It shows that there is a Powerful and Wise Being who, according to His will, brings about such changes in man and can do so, and there is no deity besides Allah who can prevent these changes. Yes, if Allah wills, He can protect a person from such humiliation even in this most decrepit age. Thus, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to seek refuge from such a life. [بخاري، كتاب التفسير]
And there are two ways to avoid such an age: one is that Allah Almighty grants death before such a time comes; the second is that even when such a time comes, He keeps the person healthy and preserves his senses, and Allah is capable of both these things.
