Al-Qur'an Surah Fussilat Verse 21

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And they will say to their skins, “Why did you testify against us?” They (the skins) will say, “We were made to speak by Allah, the One who has made every thing to speak.” And He had created you the first time, and to Him you are going to be returned.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

They will ask their skin ˹furiously˺, “Why have you testified against us?” It will say, “We have been made to speak by Allah, Who causes all things to speak. He ˹is the One Who˺ created you the first time, and to Him you were bound to return.

Ruwwad Translation Center

They will say to their skins, “Why did you testify against us?” They will say, “It is Allah Who made us to speak, the One Who made everything speak. It is He Who created you the first time, and to Him you will be returned.

A. J. Arberry

and they will say to their skins, 'Why bore you witness against us?' They shall say, 'God gave us speech, as He gave everything speech. He created you the first time, and unto Him you shall be returned.

Abdul Haleem

They will say to their skins, ‘Why did you testify against us?’ and their skins will reply, ‘God, who gave speech to everything, has given us speech- it was He who created you the first time and to Him you have been returned-

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And they will say Unto their skins: wherefore bear ye witness against us They will say: Allah hath caused us to speak, Who causeth everything to speak, and Who created you the first time and Unto whom ye are now caused to return.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

They will say to their skins; "Why bear ye witness against us?" They will say; "Allah hath given us speech,- (He) Who giveth speech to everything; He created you for the first time, and unto Him were ye to return.

Abul Ala Maududi

They will ask their skins: “Why did you bear witness against us?” The skins will reply: “Allah gave us speech, as He gave speech to all others. He it is Who created you for the first time and it is to Him that you will be sent back.

Ahmed Ali

And they will say to their bodies: "Why did you testify against us?" They will answer: "God, who gave all things power of articulation, made us speak. It is He who created you the first time, and to Him you will return.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And they will say to their skins, “Why did you testify against us?"; they will say, “Allah has made us talk, Who has given all things the power of speech, and it is He Who created you the first time, and it is to Him that you have to return.”

Ali Quli Qarai

They will say to their skins, ‘Why did you bear witness against us?’ They will say, ‘We were given speech by Allah, who gave speech to all things. He created you the first time, and you are being brought back to Him.

Ali Ünal

They will ask their skins, "Why have you borne witness against us?" They will answer: "God Who makes everything speak has made us speak." It is He Who has created you in the first instance, and to Him you are being brought back.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And they will say to their skins, `Why did you bear witness against us?´ They will reply, `Allâh made us speak as He had given speech to everything else. And (disbelievers!) it is He Who created you the first time and to Him you have been brought back.

English Literal

And they said to their skins: "Why (did) you witness/testify on us?" They said: "God who made every thing speak, made us speak, and He created you (the) first/beginning time , and to Him you are being returned."

Faridul Haque

And they will say to their skins, “Why did you testify against us?"; they will say, “Allah has made us talk, Who has given all things the power of speech, and it is He Who created you the first time, and it is to Him that you have to return.”

Hamid S. Aziz

And they shall say to their skins, "Why have you borne witness against us?" They shall say, "Allah Who gives speech to all things has given us speech, and He Who created you at first, unto Him you are returning.

Hilali & Khan

And they will say to their skins, "Why do you testify against us?" They will say: "Allah has caused us to speak, as He causes all things to speak, and He created you the first time, and to Him you are made to return."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Until, when they come to it, their ears and their eyes and their skins will bear witness against them as to what they did.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And they shall say to their skins: Why have you borne witness against us? They shall say: Allah Who makes everything speak has made us speak, and He created you at first, and to Him you shall be brought back.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And they say unto their skins: Why testify ye against us? They say: Allah hath given us speech Who giveth speech to all things, and Who created you at the first, and unto Whom ye are returned.

Muhammad Sarwar

They will ask their own skin, "Why did you testify against us?" They will reply, "God, who has made everything speak, made us also speak. It was He Who created you in the first place and to Him you have returned.

Qaribullah & Darwish

'Why did you bear witness against us' they will ask their skins, and they will reply: 'Allah has given us speech, as He has given speech to everything. It was He who created you the first time, and to Him you shall return.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And they will say to their skins, "Why do you testify against us" They will say: "Allah has caused us to speak - as He causes all things to speak, and He created you the first time, and to Him you are made to return."

Wahiduddin Khan

And they will ask their skins, "Why did you bear witness against us?" and their skins will reply, "God, who gives speech to all things, has given speech to us [as well], it was He who created you in the first instance and to Him you are [now] brought back,

Talal Itani

And they will say to their skins, “Why did you testify against us?” They will say, “God, Who made all things speak, made us speak. It is He who created you the first time, and to Him you are returned.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And they will say to their skins, `Why did you bear witness against us?' They will say, `God made us speak, Who gave speech to all things, in other words, [all things] which He wanted to [be able to] speak. And He created you the first time, and to Him you will be returned; it is said that this statement is made by their skins; but it is also said to be God's words, as is the case with what follows, for it is similar in context to what preceded, namely, that the One with the power to originate you without any precedent and restore you to life after death, also has the power to make your skins and your limbs speak.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَقَالُوا لِجُلُودِهِمْ لِمَ شَهِدتُّمْ عَلَيْنَا

And they will say to their skins, "Why do you testify against us?"

they will blame their limbs and their skins when they testify against them, at which point their limbs will answer;

قَالُوا أَنطَقَنَا اللَّهُ الَّذِي أَنطَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ

وَهُوَ خَلَقَكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ

They will say;"Allah has caused us to speak -- as He causes all things to speak, and He created you the first time,

means, and He cannot be opposed or resisted,

وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ



and to Him you are made to return."

i.e. and to Him you will return.

Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr Al-Bazzar narrated that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

"The Messenger of Allah laughed and smiled one day, and said;Will you not ask about why I laughed"

They said, "O Messenger of Allah, why did you laugh"

He said;

عَجِبْتُ مِنْ مُجَادَلَةِ الْعَبْدِ رَبَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَقُولُ

أَيْ رَبِّي أَلَيْسَ وَعَدْتَنِي أَنْ لَا تَظْلِمَنِي

قَالَ بَلَى

فَيَقُولُ فَإِنِّي لَا أَقْبَلُ عَلَيَّ شَاهِدًا إِلاَّ مِنْ نَفْسِي

فَيَقُولُ اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَوَلَيْسَ كَفَى بِي شَهِيدًا وَبِالْمَلَيِكَةِ الْكِرَام الْكَاتِبِينَ

قال فَيُرَدِّدُ هذَا الْكَلَمَ مِرَارًا

قال فَيُخْتَمُ عَلى فِيهِ وَتَتَكَلَّمُ أَرْكَانُهُ بِمَا كَانَ يَعْمَلُ فَيَقُولُ بُعْدًا لَكُنَّ وَسُحْقًا عَنْكُنَّ كُنْتُ أُجَادِل

I was amazed at how a servant will dispute with his Lord on the Day of Resurrection. He will say,

"My Lord, did You not promise me that you would not treat me unjustly?"

Allah will say, "Yes."

The man will say, "I will not accept any witness against me except from myself."

Allah will say, "Is it not sufficient that I and the angels, the noble scribes, are witnesses?"

These words will be repeated several times, then a seal will be placed over his mouth and his organs (or limbs) will speak about what he used to do. Then he will say,

"Away with you! It was only for your sake that I was arguing!""

It was recorded by him and Ibn Abi Hatim.

It was also recorded by Muslim and An-Nasa'i.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Burdah said that Abu Musa said,

"The disbeliever or the hypocrite will be called to account and his Lord will show him his deeds, but he will deny them and say, `O Lord, by Your glory, this angel has written about me something that I did not do.'

The angel will say to him, `Did you not do such and such on such and such a day in such and such a place?'

He will say, `No, by Your glory O Lord, I did not do it.'

When he does that, a seal will be placed over his mouth."

Al-Ash`ari, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

"I think that the first part of his body to speak will be his right thigh."

Allah's saying