سُوْرَةُ اٰلِ عِمْرٰنَ
Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 145
وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ كِتَـٰبًا مُّؤَجَّلًا ۗ وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ ٱلدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِۦ مِنْهَا وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِۦ مِنْهَا ۚ وَسَنَجْزِى ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ ﴿145﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And no person can ever die except by Allâh’s Leave and at an appointed term. And whoever desires a reward in (this) world, We shall give him of it; and whoever desires a reward in the Hereafter, We shall give him thereof. And We shall reward the grateful.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمَا
wamā
And not
كَانَ
kāna
is
لِنَفْسٍ
linafsin
for a soul
أَن
an
that
تَمُوتَ
tamūta
he dies
إِلَّا
illā
except
بِإِذْنِ
bi-idh'ni
by (the) permission
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
كِتَـٰبًۭا
kitāban
(at a) decree
مُّؤَجَّلًۭا ۗ
mu-ajjalan
determined
وَمَن
waman
And whoever
يُرِدْ
yurid
desires
ثَوَابَ
thawāba
reward
ٱلدُّنْيَا
l-dun'yā
(of) the world
نُؤْتِهِۦ
nu'tihi
We will give him
مِنْهَا
min'hā
thereof
وَمَن
waman
and whoever
يُرِدْ
yurid
desires
ثَوَابَ
thawāba
reward
ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ
l-ākhirati
(of) the Hereafter
نُؤْتِهِۦ
nu'tihi
We will give him
مِنْهَا ۚ
min'hā
thereof
وَسَنَجْزِى
wasanajzī
And We will reward
ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ
l-shākirīna
the grateful ones
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.
145. No soul can ever die except by Allah’s permission. [132] The time of death is decreed. Whoever desires a reward in this world, We will grant him some of it; and whoever desires a reward in the Hereafter, We will grant him some of it. And soon We will reward the grateful. [133]
[132]
The Connection of Death with the Battlefield is Not Final, and This is the Reason for the Believer’s Bravery:
In this verse, Muslims are taught a very courageous lesson, which greatly increases their bravery and valor in displaying their qualities on the battlefield. That is, death has absolutely no connection with the battlefield; it can come even at home. It has a fixed time. Now, see for yourself: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Rightly Guided Caliphs participated in countless battles, but since their time of death had not yet come, they kept returning safely. And when the time of death arrives, a person cannot escape it even at home. Similarly, everyone knows the status of Khalid bin Walid ؓ as a commander-in-chief. His entire life was spent in battles. There was no part of his body without a mark of sword or spear. But death did not come on the battlefield; rather, it came at home, on the deathbed. This clearly shows that death has no connection with war or the battlefield. It has its own appointed time, and when it comes, no human effort can save the dying person from the jaws of death.
[133] There is a mutawatir hadith: «اِنَّمَا الاَعْمَال بالنِّيَاتِ» That is, whatever intention a person has while doing an action, he will be rewarded accordingly. The same action, with a change of intention, becomes something entirely different. For example, during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, a companion placed a window of his house facing the Prophet’s Mosque. The Prophet ﷺ asked: “Why have you placed this window?” He replied, “So that air can come and go.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “If you had intended that the sound of the adhan would come from here, you would have continued to receive reward, and the air would have come anyway.” If you reflect, this is the case with many of a person’s actions. For example, every person, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, considers it his duty to raise and spend on his children. Now, if a Muslim does this considering it Allah’s command, he will also receive the reward of charity in the Hereafter. That is, those who seek only worldly benefit, Allah gives them that, and those who seek benefit in the Hereafter, Allah certainly gives them the reward of the Hereafter. In addition, He also grants them as much worldly benefit as is destined for them.
[132]
The Connection of Death with the Battlefield is Not Final, and This is the Reason for the Believer’s Bravery:
In this verse, Muslims are taught a very courageous lesson, which greatly increases their bravery and valor in displaying their qualities on the battlefield. That is, death has absolutely no connection with the battlefield; it can come even at home. It has a fixed time. Now, see for yourself: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Rightly Guided Caliphs participated in countless battles, but since their time of death had not yet come, they kept returning safely. And when the time of death arrives, a person cannot escape it even at home. Similarly, everyone knows the status of Khalid bin Walid ؓ as a commander-in-chief. His entire life was spent in battles. There was no part of his body without a mark of sword or spear. But death did not come on the battlefield; rather, it came at home, on the deathbed. This clearly shows that death has no connection with war or the battlefield. It has its own appointed time, and when it comes, no human effort can save the dying person from the jaws of death.
[133] There is a mutawatir hadith: «اِنَّمَا الاَعْمَال بالنِّيَاتِ» That is, whatever intention a person has while doing an action, he will be rewarded accordingly. The same action, with a change of intention, becomes something entirely different. For example, during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, a companion placed a window of his house facing the Prophet’s Mosque. The Prophet ﷺ asked: “Why have you placed this window?” He replied, “So that air can come and go.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “If you had intended that the sound of the adhan would come from here, you would have continued to receive reward, and the air would have come anyway.” If you reflect, this is the case with many of a person’s actions. For example, every person, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, considers it his duty to raise and spend on his children. Now, if a Muslim does this considering it Allah’s command, he will also receive the reward of charity in the Hereafter. That is, those who seek only worldly benefit, Allah gives them that, and those who seek benefit in the Hereafter, Allah certainly gives them the reward of the Hereafter. In addition, He also grants them as much worldly benefit as is destined for them.
