سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءِ
Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 1
ٱقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ ﴿1﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱقْتَرَبَ
iq'taraba
(Has) approached
لِلنَّاسِ
lilnnāsi
for [the] mankind
حِسَابُهُمْ
ḥisābuhum
their account
وَهُمْ
wahum
while they
فِى
fī
(are) in
غَفْلَةٍۢ
ghaflatin
heedlessness
مُّعْرِضُونَ
muʿ'riḍūna
turning away
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.
1. The time for people's reckoning has drawn near [1], yet they turn away [2] in heedlessness.
[1]
Your Being the Last Prophet is a Sign of the Nearness of the Day of Judgment:
That is, the time of the Day of Judgment has drawn near, because the advent of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that is, the Last of the Prophets, is itself a sign that the final era of the habitation of the children of Adam on earth has begun. Once, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ pointed towards his index and middle fingers and said: "I and the Day of Judgment are like these two fingers." [بخاری: کتاب الرقاق، باب قول النبی بعثت انا والساعہ کھاتین]
This hadith has two meanings: one is that the length of the index finger represents the time from Adam ؑ to Muhammad ﷺ, and the length by which the middle finger exceeds the index finger represents the time from me to the Day of Judgment. In this sense, about five parts of the period have passed and one part remains. The second meaning is that just as there is nothing between these two fingers, similarly, after me and until the Day of Judgment, no prophet will be sent. This too is a sign of the nearness of the Day of Judgment. Also, another meaning of this phrase is that their time of death is near, and with death, their reckoning and the process of reward and punishment will begin. Although this reckoning and reward and punishment will be on a much lighter scale compared to that of the Day of Judgment, and the proof for this meaning is your blessed saying: "Whoever dies, his Day of Judgment has been established." [مشکوٰۃ۔ کتاب الفتن۔ باب فی قرب الساعۃ]
[2] That is, the Prophet is informing them of their evil end, but they are so heedlessly intoxicated that they do not even wish to hear such a thing.
[1]
Your Being the Last Prophet is a Sign of the Nearness of the Day of Judgment:
That is, the time of the Day of Judgment has drawn near, because the advent of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that is, the Last of the Prophets, is itself a sign that the final era of the habitation of the children of Adam on earth has begun. Once, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ pointed towards his index and middle fingers and said: "I and the Day of Judgment are like these two fingers." [بخاری: کتاب الرقاق، باب قول النبی بعثت انا والساعہ کھاتین]
This hadith has two meanings: one is that the length of the index finger represents the time from Adam ؑ to Muhammad ﷺ, and the length by which the middle finger exceeds the index finger represents the time from me to the Day of Judgment. In this sense, about five parts of the period have passed and one part remains. The second meaning is that just as there is nothing between these two fingers, similarly, after me and until the Day of Judgment, no prophet will be sent. This too is a sign of the nearness of the Day of Judgment. Also, another meaning of this phrase is that their time of death is near, and with death, their reckoning and the process of reward and punishment will begin. Although this reckoning and reward and punishment will be on a much lighter scale compared to that of the Day of Judgment, and the proof for this meaning is your blessed saying: "Whoever dies, his Day of Judgment has been established." [مشکوٰۃ۔ کتاب الفتن۔ باب فی قرب الساعۃ]
[2] That is, the Prophet is informing them of their evil end, but they are so heedlessly intoxicated that they do not even wish to hear such a thing.
