Many critics of Islam blame "Allah" of scares the man of His wrath and chastisement in Qur'an and give them no hope of good. This assertion is altogether incorrect and based on baseless assumptions for at many places Allah reassures men who follow the path of the righteous treasures of Paradise in the life of the Hereafter. As for death, it is not mentioned to create a scary parable but to tell the man that his present life is transitory and death is only a cutoff point from the life in this world and beginning of a new life of the Hereafter.
There are many verses in Qur'an about death:
- 3:185: “Every soul shall taste death, and you will only be given your full compensation on the Day of Resurrection…”
- 62:8: “The death you flee from will surely meet you, then you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and seen…”
- 21:35: Repeats the same wording, linking life’s trials with certainty of death.
Relevant Hadith:
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Remember often the destroyer of pleasures — death.” (Tirmidhī, 2307; Nasā’ī)
- When passing by graves, he ﷺ would remind: “Peace be upon you, O dwellers of the graves. You preceded us, and we are to follow you.” (Muslim, 975)
These hadith emphasize awareness of mortality as a way to stay humble and focused on the Hereafter.
However, one of the oft referred verses is from Surah Al-‘Ankabūt (29:57) given herein under:
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْنَا تُرْجَعُونَ
“Every soul shall taste death. Then to Us you will be returned.”
In order to under the verse completely, let us link it with previous and following verses in its full Qur’anic flow, to see how it fits with what comes before and after.
The Verses (29:56–60)
We begin with the verse 56 and go up to verse 60 as these are inter woven and present the context:
- 29:56
- “O My servants who have believed, indeed My earth is spacious, so worship only Me.”
- Addressing persecuted believers in Makkah who faced hardship for their faith.
- If they can’t freely worship in Makkah, Allah reminds them His earth is wide — they can migrate (Hijrah) for the sake of religion.
- 29:57: Now coming over to the verse specifically about death and what death means: “Every soul shall taste death. Then to Us you will be returned.”
- Universality of Death:
- No exception: There is no exception to who tastes the death. Even prophets beside sinners, rich or poor — have all tasted death and this cycle will go on till the Day of Resurrection.
- In the verse, “Taste” (dhawq) means an inevitable, personal experience.
- Return to Allah:
- Death is not the end; it is the beginning of accountability.
- The verse shifts focus: not just dying, but returning to your Lord.
- Life is a test, not the final destination.
- Encouragement to Believers:
- For the persecuted Muslims in Makkah, this was a reminder: hardships end, but reward awaits.
- For disbelievers: worldly power and pleasure won’t save them from returning to Allah.
- 29:58–59
- “Those who believe and do righteous deeds – We shall lodge them in lofty dwellings of Paradise, beneath which rivers flow… those who are patient and upon their Lord they rely.”
- This verse is in the form of Consolation: For hardships in this world are temporary; eternal reward awaits.
- It links patience (ṣabr) and reliance (tawakkul) with success.
- 29:60
- “And how many a creature carries not its provision! Allah provides for it and for you, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”
- This verse is of Reassurance: Don’t fear poverty or hunger in migration. Just as Allah provides for birds and animals, He will provide for you if you strive for His sake.
Contextual Flow
- 29:56 (Hijrah command): If oppressed, move for Allah’s worship.
- 29:57 (Death reminder): Don’t cling to dunya or fear leaving home — death will come regardless.
- 29:58–59 (Promise of Paradise): Your patience will be rewarded with eternal dwellings.
- 29:60 (Provision): Don’t fear hunger or loss, Allah sustains all creatures.
Why Man is Reminded of Death Here
- To break fear of sacrifice: People often hesitate to migrate or struggle for faith out of fear of losing comfort, wealth, or life. Allah reminds them: life itself is temporary — death will come anyway.
- To shift perspective: Death is not the end; it’s the return to Allah, where real reward or punishment begins.
- To encourage courage: If death is certain, better to die obeying Allah than living comfortably in disobedience.
- To strengthen patience: Hardships of migration and persecution are momentary compared to eternal reward.
Lessons for Today
- We fear losing jobs, wealth, or social standing for practicing Islam — this verse reminds us that death is inevitable; compromise won’t delay it.
- Migration for faith isn’t only geographical — sometimes it means leaving sinful environments or changing lifestyles.
- Reliance on Allah’s provision (29:60) gives courage to pursue righteousness even if it seems risky.
- This passage is a full manual for resilience under trials:
- Worship Allah alone (29:56).
- Accept mortality (29:57).
- Be patient and rely on Allah (29:58–59).
- Trust His provision (29:60).
Surah Al-‘Ankabūt 29:57 sits at the heart of a passage guiding persecuted believers: worship Allah alone, migrate if needed, remember death is inevitable, be patient for Paradise, and trust in Allah’s provision. Man is reminded of death here to remove fear of worldly loss and anchor the believer’s focus on the eternal return to Allah.
Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may refer for more Selected Verses from Sürah 29. Al-‘Ankabūt "العنكبوت" (The Spider) already published.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
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