Surah Al-Mutaffifin 83:15
سُورَةُ المُطَفِّفِينَ · Meccan · Verse 15 of 36
كَلَّآ إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ
Translation
No indeed! On that Day they will be screened off from their Lord,
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Wording
This powerful verse, Surah 83:15, delivers a severe warning to those who deny the Day of Judgment, beginning with an emphatic rejection of their false beliefs. Allah says, "No! Indeed, from their Lord, that Day, they will surely be veiled." (كَلَّآ إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ) Let us ponder the profound weight of its words.
A Resounding Rejection
The verse opens with the emphatic Arabic word *Kallā* (كَلَّآ), which means "No!" or "Certainly not!" This is not just a simple negation. Scholars like al-Zamakhshari explain it as a stern rebuke, forcefully rejecting the disbelievers' false claims and their persistent accumulation of sins that hardened their hearts. It serves as a strong warning to stop their heedlessness and denial.
A Veiled Reality
Following *Kallā* is the strong affirmation *innahum* (إِنَّهُمْ), meaning "indeed they," intensified by the particle *inna* and the additional emphasis of the *lam* (لَـ) in *lamahjooboon* (لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ). This grammatical structure underscores the certainty of what awaits them. The core of their punishment lies in the phrase *'an Rabbihim* (عَن رَّبِّهِمْ), "from their Lord." The word *mahjooboon* (مَّحْجُوبُونَ) comes from the root for veiling, screening, or preventing.
Scholars delve into what this "veiling" means. Some, like al-Jadwal, interpret it as being veiled "from seeing their Lord." This implies that while the righteous believers will be honored with the vision of Allah, the deniers will be deprived of this ultimate bliss and greatest honor. Ibn Ashur notes that the wording "from their Lord" (عَن رَّبِّهِمْ) is broad enough to mean both being veiled from seeing Him and being prevented from entering His divine presence, denying them any honor or proximity. This contrasts sharply with the state of the righteous, who will "look" (يَنْظُرُونَ) upon their Lord, as mentioned elsewhere in the Quran.
Al-Razi highlights that this denial of vision or closeness is a specific punishment, which in turn affirms the mainstream understanding that believers *will* be granted the profound blessing of seeing Allah. It underscores the immense loss for those who disbelieve.
The Weight of "That Day"
The phrase *yawma'idhin* (يَوْمَئِذٍۢ) means "that Day" – referring to the Day of Judgment. The nuance of the Arabic here implies a fuller context: "the day when people stand up before their Lord." It reminds us that this veiling is a specific, ultimate consequence on a day of universal reckoning, where every soul faces its deeds.
This verse, through its precise and emphatic wording, brings to our hearts the profound importance of faith and accountability. It starkly illustrates the difference between those who will be honored with proximity and vision of their Lord, and those who, through their denial, will face the ultimate deprivation.
Sources: al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi), al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), al-Jalalayn, Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb)
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Mutaffifin 83:15 is discussed in 9 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-Mutaffifin 83:15 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.