Surah Al-Jathiyah 45:21
سُورَةُ الجَاثِيَةِ · Meccan · Verse 21 of 37
أَمْ حَسِبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱجْتَرَحُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ سَوَآءًۭ مَّحْيَاهُمْ وَمَمَاتُهُمْ ۚ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
Translation
Do those who commit evil deeds really think that We will deal with them in the same way as those who believe and do righteous deeds, that they will be alike in their living and their dying? How badly they judge!
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Wording
In the profound address of Surah 45, verse 21, Allah asks a rhetorical question that pierces through human assumptions about justice and consequence:
أَمْ حَسِبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱجْتَرَحُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ سَوَآءًۭ مَّحْيَاهُمْ وَمَمَاتُهُمْ ۚ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
The verse challenges the deeply flawed thinking of those who commit evil deeds, specifically addressing the disbelievers and those who deny Allah's messages. It asserts a fundamental principle of divine justice: the righteous and the wicked cannot, and will not, be treated the same, either in this life or the next.
A Powerful Question
The verse opens with "أَمْ" (am), a particle that, in this context, conveys a strong, indignant denial, often translated as "Do they really think...?" or "Or do they imagine...?" As scholars like al-Zamakhshari and Ibn Ashur explain, this is not a literal question seeking an answer, but a rhetorical one. It's an expression of disbelief at the audacity of such a thought, setting a tone of sharp disapproval for their assumption.
Earning Sins, Not Just Committing Them
The Quran uses the phrase "اجْتَرَحُوا ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ" (ijtarahū as-sayyi'āt) for those who commit evil deeds. The word "اجترحوا" (ijtarahū) is particularly striking. Ibn Ashur notes that it comes from the root *jurḥ*, meaning "to wound." While it means to "earn" or "acquire," its specific form here (the *ifti'āl* form) suggests a deliberate, often forceful, and intensive acquisition of sins. It evokes the image of hunting animals, where one actively seeks out and "wounds" to acquire sustenance. This choice of word implies that these individuals don't just passively fall into wrongdoing; they actively, almost aggressively, pursue and accumulate their evil deeds, wounds they inflict upon themselves and others.
No Equality in Life or Death
The core of the denial rests on the idea of making the evildoers "كَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ" (like those who believed and did righteous deeds). This comparison is then amplified by "سَوَآءًۭ مَّحْيَاهُمْ وَمَمَاتُهُمْ" (their life and death being equal). This phrase, as al-Razi explains, could mean several things, all pointing to the absolute distinction. It denies that their lives are equal in terms of true blessing and guidance, and crucially, that their deaths and what follows will be the same. While the wicked might enjoy worldly provisions, their lives are devoid of the tranquility and purpose found in faith. In death, the stark contrast will be fully revealed: glad tidings and reward for the believers, and despair and torment for the disbelievers. The grammatical structure emphasizes this denial applies to their entire existence, from the beginning of life until after death.
A Wretched Judgment
The verse concludes with "سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ" (saa'a mā yaḥkumūn), meaning "Evil is what they judge." This is a definitive statement that condemns their distorted perception. It’s not just a mistake in calculation, but a fundamentally corrupt judgment about reality and divine justice. This closing phrase powerfully asserts that such an assumption of equality between good and evil is a wicked thought itself, completely at odds with Allah's wisdom and justice.
The verse, through its precise wording, leaves no room for doubt about the profound distinction between those who strive in goodness and those who plunge into evil, assuring believers of Allah's perfect justice and serving as a potent warning to the complacent.
Sources: al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi), Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Jalalayn, al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb)
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Jathiyah 45:21 is discussed in 3 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Jathiyah 45:21 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.