Surah Al-Hashr 59:19
سُورَةُ الحَشۡرِ · Medinan · Verse 19 of 24
وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَأَنسَىٰهُمْ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَٰسِقُونَ
Translation
Do not be like those who forget God, so God causes them to forget their own souls: they are the rebellious ones-
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Wording
This verse offers a profound warning to believers, following the previous command to fear Allah and prepare for the Day of Judgment. It cautions us against becoming like a particular group of people.
The Grave Forgetting
The verse begins: "And do not be like those who forgot Allah" (وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ). The word `نسوا` (nasū) here isn't about accidental forgetfulness, like misplacing your keys. As scholars like Ibn Ashur explain, it signifies a deliberate act: an intentional abandonment and turning away from Allah's commands and rights. It's a conscious neglect of their covenant with Him, their faith, and the guidance He sent. The choice to explicitly mention `ٱللَّهَ` (Allah) instead of simply "Him" (نسوه) underscores the profound gravity of this act. It highlights that the object of their forgetfulness is none other than their Creator and Sustainer, the One who created and guided them, making the abandonment all the more abhorrent.
The Consequence: Forgetting Oneself
The verse continues: "So He made them forget themselves" (فَأَنسَىٰهُمْ أَنفُسَهُمْ). The `فَ` (fa), which means "so" or "then," indicates a direct consequence. Because they deliberately neglected Allah, Allah, in turn, caused them to neglect their own true welfare. It's a divine punishment. This "forgetting themselves" is explained in two powerful ways by scholars like al-Zamakhshari and al-Razi:
1. They became heedless of what truly benefits them in the Hereafter. They forgot to prepare for their eternal life, neglecting the good deeds and guidance that would save them. They were too busy with worldly pursuits to invest in their own spiritual salvation.
2. It could also mean that on the Day of Judgment, they will be so overwhelmed by the terrors and horrors that they will literally forget themselves and their own identity in their state of utter despair.
Ibn Ashur further clarifies that this means Allah deprived them of the capacity to properly understand Islamic guidance and work for their own good in this life and the next. Their intentional turning away led to Allah creating in them this forgetfulness of their own souls.
The Ultimate Label
The verse concludes with "Those are the disobedient ones" (أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَٰسِقُونَ). The demonstrative pronoun `أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ` (those) serves to highlight and expose these people. The word `ٱلْفَٰسِقُونَ` (al-fāsiqūn) describes those who have `فِسْق` (fisq), which literally means to "exit" or "depart" from something. In religious terms, it means to depart from obedience to Allah. The structure of the sentence, particularly the use of `هُمُ` (humu, 'they are the'), conveys an extreme form of emphasis. It suggests that their *fisq* is so profound that it makes the disobedience of others seem insignificant by comparison. They have not merely committed acts of disobedience; they *are* the embodiment of grave rebellion against Allah. This verse thus serves as a powerful reminder to believers that our relationship with Allah is paramount, and neglecting it ultimately leads to neglecting our own selves and our eternal well-being.
Sources: al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb), Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Jalalayn, al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi)
Worldly Mirror
This powerful verse, addressing the believers (أيها المؤمنون), delivers a profound warning directly from Allah. It cautions us against a specific state of being, urging us not to become like those who neglected their duties to Allah, leading to a profound consequence.
The Warning: Forgetting Allah
The ayah begins with a prohibition: "Do not be like those who forgot Allah" (وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ نَسُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ). This "forgetting" isn't merely a lapse of memory, but a conscious neglect of Allah's rights and commands, a turning away from His obedience, as explained by al-Muyassar and al-Munir. It implies letting worldly concerns overshadow one's connection to the Divine, failing to live up to the responsibilities of being a worshipper.
The Consequence: Forgetting Oneself
The grave consequence of forgetting Allah is that "He made them forget themselves" (فَأَنسَىٰهُمْ أَنفُسَهُمْ). This is the heart of the reflection. As Sayyid Qutb beautifully puts it, it's an "amazing state" where a person forgets their own self, their true human status. Dr. Israr Ahmad elaborates deeply, explaining that it's not forgetting one's physical needs, but losing touch with one's essential spiritual reality – the *ruh* (spirit) Allah breathed into us. When we forget Allah, we become disconnected from this divine essence, reducing ourselves to an animalistic existence, focused only on physical desires and instincts. This profound insight, he notes, is the very source of Allama Iqbal's philosophy of *khudi* (selfhood). Such a state means failing to prepare for the afterlife, the "long life" that Sayyid Qutb mentions, neglecting the good deeds that would benefit one in the ultimate reckoning, as also stated by al-Munir and Ibn al-Jawzi.
The Identity: Transgressors
The verse concludes by labeling such individuals: "Those are the transgressors" (أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْفَٰسِقُونَ). *Fāsiqūn* are those who deviate from the straight path, those who are completely disobedient and outside of Allah's command, as detailed in al-Muyassar and al-Munir. This is a spiritual diagnosis, a stark reminder that neglecting our Creator ultimately means neglecting our own best interests and straying from the very purpose of our creation.
A Mirror for Today
For us, this verse is a potent mirror. It invites us to examine our own lives: Do we sometimes, inadvertently, forget Allah by prioritizing fleeting worldly gains over spiritual duties? Are we so consumed by material pursuits that we lose sight of our true human dignity, our purpose, and our eternal destiny? Dr. Israr Ahmad warns that modern civilization, with its emphasis on material evolution, often encourages this very self-forgetfulness, pushing humans towards an animalistic worldview devoid of moral and spiritual boundaries. The ayah is a call to awaken, to remember Allah so that we may remember our true selves, our unique spiritual essence, and prepare diligently for the endless tomorrow.
Sources: Sayyid Qutb (Fi Zilal al-Quran), Israr Ahmad (Bayan ul Quran), Tazkirul Quran, al-Munir (Wahba al-Zuhayli), Ibn al-Jawzi (Zad al-Masir)
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Hashr 59:19 is discussed in 2 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
- Forgetfulness (Nisyan) (key verse)
- Preservation (Hifz)
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Hashr 59:19 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.