سُوْرَةُ اٰلِ عِمْرٰنَ
Surah Aal-i-Imraan (3) — Ayah 169
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمْوَٰتًۢا ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ ﴿169﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allâh as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provision.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَا
walā
And (do) not
تَحْسَبَنَّ
taḥsabanna
think
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
(of) those who
قُتِلُوا۟
qutilū
are killed
فِى
fī
in
سَبِيلِ
sabīli
(the) way
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
أَمْوَٰتًۢا ۚ
amwātan
(as) dead
بَلْ
bal
Nay
أَحْيَآءٌ
aḥyāon
They are alive
عِندَ
ʿinda
near
رَبِّهِمْ
rabbihim
their Lord
يُرْزَقُونَ
yur'zaqūna
they are given provision
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.
169. And never think of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive [169], receiving provision from their Lord.
[169] The connection of the soul and the body is called life, and their separation is called death. In the Quran, two lives and two deaths are mentioned, and their order is as follows:
(1) Death, that is, the time before the birth of a human, which is called the Realm of Souls (Alam-e-Arwah). (2) Life, that is, the time from birth to death. (3) Death, that is, the time from death until the Resurrection (Hashr). And (4) Life, that is, from the Resurrection onwards for an infinite, never-ending period (either in Paradise or in Hell). Another noteworthy point is that even during the period of death, complete death does not occur; rather, some effects of life remain present in it. For example, in the Realm of Souls, all human beings who were to be born were made to take the covenant of "Alastu bi Rabbikum" (Am I not your Lord?), and similarly, in the Realm of Barzakh, the dead receive punishment or reward. These periods are called the period of death because the effects of life are faint and the effects of death are dominant in them.
The Stages of Life and Death of the Martyrs:
A third noteworthy point is that there can be a shortcut in these stages, but the order cannot be changed. For example, if a child dies immediately after birth, he enters directly from the period of life into the Realm of Barzakh (the period of death). Or, as in the case of a martyr, as soon as he dies, he skips the Realm of Barzakh and enters directly into Paradise (the Hereafter), as mentioned in the above three verses. And the fourth noteworthy point is that return (raj‘at) in these stages is impossible. For example, a person who is born cannot go back to the Realm of Souls. Similarly, one who has reached the Realm of Barzakh cannot return to the world. Since the martyr immediately reaches the Hereafter (Paradise), it is impossible for him to return to the Realm of Barzakh or the worldly realm. As is made clear by the following two hadiths:
1. Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ met me and asked, "What is the matter, Jabir? I see you broken-hearted." I replied, "O Messenger of Allah! My father was martyred (in the Battle of Uhud) and left behind debt and small children." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Shall I not give you glad tidings of how he met Allah?" I replied, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, please tell me." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Allah does not speak to anyone except from behind a veil, but He brought your father to life and spoke to him face to face and asked, 'Wish for something, and I will grant it to you.' Your father said, 'O my Lord! Return me to life so that I may be martyred again in Your path.' Allah said, 'It has already been decreed that people will not return to the world.'" The narrator says, this verse was revealed about this matter. [ترمذي، ابواب التفسير]
2. Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud ؓ narrates that we asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about this verse, and he said that the souls of the martyrs will be in the form of green birds. For them, some lanterns are hanging at the Divine Throne. These souls roam freely in Paradise wherever they wish, then return to those lanterns. Their Lord looked at them and asked, "Do you desire anything?" They replied, "What could we desire? We roam wherever we wish in Paradise." Their Lord asked them this question three times. When they saw that they could not avoid answering, they said, "O our Lord! We wish that You return our souls (to the world) so that we may again strive in Your path and be martyred once more." [مسلم، کتاب الأمارۃ، باب فی بیان ان ارواح الشھداء فی الجنة وانھم احیاء عندربھم یرزقون]
In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 154, it is stated that do not consider the martyrs as dead. These statements of the Quran regarding the martyrs are not merely honorary; rather, the virtue of the martyrs is that as soon as they depart from the worldly realm, they immediately reach Paradise. The Realm of Barzakh, that is, the third period of death, does not come upon them.
[169] The connection of the soul and the body is called life, and their separation is called death. In the Quran, two lives and two deaths are mentioned, and their order is as follows:
(1) Death, that is, the time before the birth of a human, which is called the Realm of Souls (Alam-e-Arwah). (2) Life, that is, the time from birth to death. (3) Death, that is, the time from death until the Resurrection (Hashr). And (4) Life, that is, from the Resurrection onwards for an infinite, never-ending period (either in Paradise or in Hell). Another noteworthy point is that even during the period of death, complete death does not occur; rather, some effects of life remain present in it. For example, in the Realm of Souls, all human beings who were to be born were made to take the covenant of "Alastu bi Rabbikum" (Am I not your Lord?), and similarly, in the Realm of Barzakh, the dead receive punishment or reward. These periods are called the period of death because the effects of life are faint and the effects of death are dominant in them.
The Stages of Life and Death of the Martyrs:
A third noteworthy point is that there can be a shortcut in these stages, but the order cannot be changed. For example, if a child dies immediately after birth, he enters directly from the period of life into the Realm of Barzakh (the period of death). Or, as in the case of a martyr, as soon as he dies, he skips the Realm of Barzakh and enters directly into Paradise (the Hereafter), as mentioned in the above three verses. And the fourth noteworthy point is that return (raj‘at) in these stages is impossible. For example, a person who is born cannot go back to the Realm of Souls. Similarly, one who has reached the Realm of Barzakh cannot return to the world. Since the martyr immediately reaches the Hereafter (Paradise), it is impossible for him to return to the Realm of Barzakh or the worldly realm. As is made clear by the following two hadiths:
1. Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah ؓ narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ met me and asked, "What is the matter, Jabir? I see you broken-hearted." I replied, "O Messenger of Allah! My father was martyred (in the Battle of Uhud) and left behind debt and small children." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Shall I not give you glad tidings of how he met Allah?" I replied, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, please tell me." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Allah does not speak to anyone except from behind a veil, but He brought your father to life and spoke to him face to face and asked, 'Wish for something, and I will grant it to you.' Your father said, 'O my Lord! Return me to life so that I may be martyred again in Your path.' Allah said, 'It has already been decreed that people will not return to the world.'" The narrator says, this verse was revealed about this matter. [ترمذي، ابواب التفسير]
2. Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud ؓ narrates that we asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about this verse, and he said that the souls of the martyrs will be in the form of green birds. For them, some lanterns are hanging at the Divine Throne. These souls roam freely in Paradise wherever they wish, then return to those lanterns. Their Lord looked at them and asked, "Do you desire anything?" They replied, "What could we desire? We roam wherever we wish in Paradise." Their Lord asked them this question three times. When they saw that they could not avoid answering, they said, "O our Lord! We wish that You return our souls (to the world) so that we may again strive in Your path and be martyred once more." [مسلم، کتاب الأمارۃ، باب فی بیان ان ارواح الشھداء فی الجنة وانھم احیاء عندربھم یرزقون]
In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 154, it is stated that do not consider the martyrs as dead. These statements of the Quran regarding the martyrs are not merely honorary; rather, the virtue of the martyrs is that as soon as they depart from the worldly realm, they immediately reach Paradise. The Realm of Barzakh, that is, the third period of death, does not come upon them.
