wamā yastawī l-aḥyāu walā l-amwātu inna l-laha yus'miʿu man yashāu wamā anta bimus'miʿin man fī l-qubūri
Translation
And not equal are the living and the dead. Indeed, Allāh causes to hear whom He wills, but you cannot make hear those in the graves.1249
Notes
[1249] The four comparisons given by Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) in verses 19-22 are those of the believer and unbeliever, various kinds of misbelief and (true) belief, Paradise and Hellfire, and those receptive to guidance and those unreceptive.
Verse 22 of Surah Fatir (35:22), a Meccan surah, is in juz 22, on page 437 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.
Listen to verse 22 of Surah Fatir
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Tafsir of verse 22
Al-Mukhtasar
And the believers and disbelievers are not the same, just as the living and the dead are not the same. Allah makes those whom He wants to guide hear. And you, O Messenger, cannot make the disbelievers who are like the dead in the graves hear.
Nor are the living and the dead equal. Allah makes to hear whom He wills, but you cannot make to hear those who are in the graves10.
Notes
[10] It refers to believers and disbelievers.
Nor are (alike) the living (i.e. the believers) and the dead (i.e. the disbelievers). Verily, Allâh makes whom He wills to hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in graves.
Nor are the living equal with the dead. Lo! Allah maketh whom He will to hear. Thou canst not reach those who are in the graves.
Nor are alike those that are living and those that are dead. Allah can make any that He wills to hear; but thou canst not make those to hear who are (buried) in graves.
Neither are the living and the dead alike. Surely Allah makes whom He pleases hear, and you cannot make those hear who are in the graves.
And in no way are the living and the dead equal. Surely Allah makes to hear whomever He decides; and in no way can you ever make (the ones) in the tombs to hear.
And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge therefrom? Thus it has been made pleasing to the disbelievers that which they were doing.
