Text of verse 74:38
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ ٣٨
Transliteration
kullu nafsin bimā kasabat rahīnatun
Translation
Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained1795
Notes
[1795] i.e., subject or held responsible.
سورة المدثر، الآية ٣٨
كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ ٣٨
kullu nafsin bimā kasabat rahīnatun
Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained1795
[1795] i.e., subject or held responsible.
Verse 38 of Surah Al-Muddaththir (74:38), a Meccan surah, is in juz 29, on page 576 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.
79 recitations by 73 reciters: pick one and it plays in the player.
Every soul will be taken to task for the actions that it did. Either its actions will destroy it or they will release and rescue it from destruction.
Every soul is held in pledge9 for its deeds,
[9] i.e., held responsible.
Every person is a pledge for what he has earned,
Every soul is a pledge for its own deeds;
Every soul will be (held) in pledge for its deeds.
Every soul is held in pledge for what it earns,
Every self will be pledged for whatever it has earned.
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
أَفَمَنْ هُوَ قَآئِمٌ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ قُلْ سَمُّوهُمْ أَمْ تُنَبِّـُٔونَهُۥ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَم بِظَٰهِرٍ مِّنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ بَلْ زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مَكْرُهُمْ وَصُدُّوا۟ عَنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍ
Then is He who is a maintainer of every soul, [knowing] what it has earned, [like any other]? But to Allāh they have attributed partners. Say, "Name them. Or do you inform Him of that which He knows not upon the earth or of what is apparent [i.e., alleged] of speech?" Rather, their [own] plan has been made attractive to those who disbelieve, and they have been averted from the way. And whomever Allāh sends astray - there will be for him no guide.
ٱلْيَوْمَ تُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ لَا ظُلْمَ ٱلْيَوْمَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ
This Day every soul will be recompensed for what it earned. No injustice today! Indeed, Allāh is swift in account.
وَخَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَلِتُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
And Allāh created the heavens and earth in truth and so that every soul may be recompensed for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged.
وَذَرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَذَكِّرْ بِهِۦٓ أَن تُبْسَلَ نَفْسٌۢ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِىٌّ وَلَا شَفِيعٌ وَإِن تَعْدِلْ كُلَّ عَدْلٍ لَّا يُؤْخَذْ مِنْهَآ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا۟ بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ
And leave those who take their religion as amusement and diversion and whom the worldly life has deluded. But remind with it [i.e., the Qur’ān], lest a soul be given up to destruction for what it earned; it will have other than Allāh no protector and no intercessor. And if it should offer every compensation, it would not be taken from it [i.e., that soul]. Those are the ones who are given to destruction for what they have earned. For them will be a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment because they used to disbelieve.
إِنَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ ءَاتِيَةٌ أَكَادُ أُخْفِيهَا لِتُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا تَسْعَىٰ
Indeed, the Hour is coming - I almost conceal it - so that every soul may be recompensed according to that for which it strives.