Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:85
سُورَةُ الوَاقِعَةِ · Meccan · Verse 85 of 96
وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنكُمْ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تُبْصِرُونَ
Translation
We are nearer to him than you, though you do not see Us-
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'And We are nearer to him than you, but you do not see.' Ibn Ashur and al-Biqa'i note the astonishing statement, 'nahnu aqrabu ilayhi minkum': at the very moment of death, when the grieving family stands closest, God is nearer still to the dying soul than they are, though unseen. Ask yourself: I imagine death as the ultimate abandonment, the soul slipping away utterly alone. This verse overturns that: no one is nearer to the dying than God Himself. The One I could not see was closer than the loved ones at the bedside. It transforms the loneliest moment into the most accompanied. And it whispers a truth for now, not just the end: He is always this near, nearer than those beside me, though I do not perceive it. Do I live as though I am ever truly alone, when the verse says the nearest presence is the one I fail to see?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i, al-Saadi.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:85 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-Waqi'ah 56:85 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.