يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَلۡتَنظُرۡ نَفۡسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتۡ لِغَدٍ ۖ وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ
O you who have believed, fear Allah. And let every soul look to what it has put forth for tomorrow - and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Aware of what you do.
Allah addresses the believers directly with one of the most beautiful passages in the Qur’an regarding the protection of imaan. The command begins:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ
O you who have believed, fear Allah.
Then comes a profound instruction:
وَلۡتَنظُرۡ نَفۡسٌ
And let every soul look
Every person should keep watch.
The word نَظَرَ in Arabic means to look, but it implies something deeper than a casual glance. It means to look for a long time, to maintain constant vigilance.
Every soul should keep long, constant watch over what?
مَّا قَدَّمَتۡ لِغَدٍ
to what it has put forth for tomorrow
What it has invested for tomorrow, what it has sent forward for the morrow.
The classical translation says ‘what the soul sent forth for the morrow,’ but this means: what have you invested into your future? Tomorrow here refers to the Day of Reckoning.
It shows the urgency of that Day – it’s not some distant event, it’s as if it’s happening tomorrow.
What have I done today so I can stand before Allah tomorrow? Am I watching myself with that level of awareness?
That’s real taqwa.
The ayah concludes by repeating the command:
وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ
and fear Allah.
Why does the Qur’an say it twice? First, watch yourself – examine what you’re sending forward. Then, have taqwa of Allah again.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ
Indeed, Allah is Aware of what you do.