Al-Qur'an Surah Ali 'Imran Verse 102

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who believe, fear Allah, as He should be feared, and let not yourself die save as Muslims.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O believers! Be mindful of Allah in the way He deserves,[[ Meaning, always be conscious of Him; obedient and grateful to Him.]] and do not die except in ˹a state of full˺ submission ˹to Him˺.[[ lit., except as Muslims.]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

A. J. Arberry

O believers, fear God as He should be feared, and see you do not die, save in surrender.

Abdul Haleem

You who believe, be mindful of God, as is His due, and make sure you devote yourselves to Him, to your dying moment.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O Ye who believe! fear Allah with fear due to Him, and die not except ye be Muslims.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.

Abul Ala Maududi

Believers! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and see that you do not die save in the state of submission to Allah.

Ahmed Ali

O believers, fear God as He should be feared, and do not die but submitting (to Him).

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People who Believe! Fear Allah in the manner He should rightfully be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who have faith! Be wary of Allah with the wariness due to Him and do not die except as Muslims.

Ali Ünal

O you who believe! Keep from disobedience to God in reverent piety with all the reverence that is due to Him, and see that you do not die save as Muslims (submitted to Him exclusively).

Amatul Rahman Omar

O you who believe! Observe your duty to Allâh as it ought to be observed, and let not death overtake you unless you be in a state of complete submission (to your Lord).

English Literal

You, you those who believed fear and obey God, His real/deserved fear and obedience, and do not die (E) except and you are submitters/surrenderers/Moslems.

Faridul Haque

O People who Believe! Fear Allah in the manner He should rightfully be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

Hamid S. Aziz

Hold fast, all together, to the cable of Allah, and do not separate (divide or part in sects); but remember the favours of Allah towards you, when you were enemies and He made friendship between your heart, and on the morrow you became brothers, by His grace. You were on the edge of an abyss of fire, but He rescued you there from. Thus does Allah show to you His revelations; perchance you may be guided;

Hilali & Khan

O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allah.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And how can you disbelieve while to you are recited the messages of Allah, and among you is his Messenger? And whoever holds fast to Allah, he indeed is guided to a right path.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah with the care which is due to Him, and do not die unless you are Muslims.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye who believe! Observe your duty to Allah with right observance, and die not save as those who have surrendered (unto Him)

Muhammad Sarwar

Believers, have fear of God as you should and die only as Muslims (having submitted to the will of God).

Qaribullah & Darwish

Believers, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah as is His due, and die not except as (true) Muslims.

Wahiduddin Khan

Believers, fear God as is His due, and when death comes, be in a state of complete submission to Him.

Talal Itani

O you who believe! Revere God with due reverence, and do not die except as Muslims.

Tafsir jalalayn

O you who believe, fear God as He should be feared, so that He is obeyed and not disobeyed, thanked and not shown ingratitude, remembered and not forgotten. They said, `Who, O Messenger of God, is strong enough for this [task]?' But it was then abrogated by His statement; So fear God as much as you can [Q. 64;16]; and do not die, except as Muslims, professing the Oneness of God.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Meaning of `Taqwa of Allah

Allah says,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ

O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah as is His due,

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abdullah bin Mas`ud commented on the Ayah,
اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ
(Have Taqwa of Allah as is His due),

"That He is obeyed and not defied, remembered and not forgotten and appreciated and not unappreciated."

This has an authentic chain of narration to Abdullah bin Mas`ud.

Al-Hakim collected this Hadith in his Mustadrak, from Ibn Mas`ud, who related it to the Prophet.

Al-Hakim said, "It is authentic according to the criteria of the Two Sheikhs (Al-Bukhari and Muslim), and they did not record it."

This is what he said, but it appears that it is only a statement of Abdullah bin Mas`ud, and Allah knows best.

It was also reported that Anas said,

"The servant will not have Taqwa of Allah as is His due until he keeps his tongue idle."

Allah's statement,

وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ



and die not except as (true) Muslims.

means, preserve your Islam while you are well and safe, so that you die as a Muslim.

The Most Generous Allah has made it His decision that whatever state one lives in, that is what he dies upon and is resurrected upon. We seek refuge from dying on other than Islam.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Mujahid said,

"The people were circling around the Sacred House when Ibn Abbas was sitting, holding a bent-handled walking stick. Ibn Abbas said, The Messenger of Allah (recited)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
(Have Taqwa of Allah as is His due, die not except as (true) Muslims) then he said;

وَلَوْ أَنَّ قَطْرَةً مِنَ الزَّقُّومِ قُطِرَتْ لَاَمَرَّتْ عَلى أَهْلِ الاْرْضِ عِيشَتَهُمْ فَكَيْفَ بِمَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ طَعَامٌ إِلاَّ الزَّقُّومُ



Verily, if a drop of Zaqqum (a tree in Hell) falls, it will spoil life for the people of earth. What about those whose food is only from Zaqqum?"

This was recorded by At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban in his Sahih and Al-Hakim his Mustadrak.

At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih," while Al-Hakim said; "It meets the conditions of the Two Sahihs and they did not record it."

Imam Ahmad recorded that Jabir said that;

three nights before the Messenger of Allah died he heard him saying;

لَاا يَمُوتَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلاَّ وَهُوَ يُحْسِنُ الظَّنَّ بِاللهِ عَزَّ وَجَل

None of you should die except while having sincere trust in Allah, the Exalted and Most Honorable.

Muslim also recorded it.

The Two Sahihs record that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,

يَقُولُ اللهُ أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي

Allah said, "I am as My servant thinks of Me."
The Necessity of Holding to the Path of Allah and the Community of the Believers

Allah said next