What does Quran 16:21 mean?

Quran 16:21 (Surah An-Nahl, Ayah 21) translates to: "They are, [in fact], dead, not alive, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected."

Which Surah and Juz is Quran 16:21 from?

This ayah is from Surah An-Nahl (The Bee), the 16th surah of the Quran. It appears in Juz 14.

Are there hadiths related to Quran 16:21?

Yes — there are 2 hadiths related to this ayah from Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud.

What tafsir is available for Quran 16:21?

Commentary on this ayah is available from Ibn Kathir, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Abbas, Al-Jalalayn — classical scholars of Quranic exegesis.

What topics does Quran 16:21 relate to?

This ayah connects to these Quranic topics: Idolatry, Rejection of Polytheism, Day of Judgment, False Deities, Tawhid.

Ayah 20

وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَا يَخْلُ...

16:21An-Nahl

Ayah 22

إِلَٰهُكُمْ إِلَٰهٌۭ وَٰحِدٌۭ ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُ...

أَمْوَٰتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَآءٍۢ ۖ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ

Amwaatun ghairu ahyaaa'inw wa maa yash'uroona aiyaana yub'asoon

They are, [in fact], dead, not alive, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.

Themes in this ayah

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Day of Judgment65

Scores run 0–100: how strongly this ayah speaks to a theme. 70+ is central, 50+ is clear, under 50 is weak.

3 other themes with weak connections

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Day of Judgment

16:21Ayah 1128

14 ayahs in An-Nahl are strongly about the Day of Judgment.

Next on Day of Judgment →16:25That they may bear their own burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection and some of the burdens of those whom they misguide without knowledge. Unquestionably,

Tafsir

Scholars largely agree on this ayah

View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 16:21→

They are dead possessing no life amwātun ‘dead’ is a second predicate not living an emphasis and they the idols are not aware when is the time in which they shall be raised that is creatures so how can they be worshipped? For only the Creator the Living the Knower of the Unseen can be a God.

He (Ibn 'Umar) missed (the point). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had (in fact) said: He (the dead) is punished for his faults or for his sins, and the members of his family are wailing for him now. (This misunderstanding of Ibn 'Umar is similar to his saying: ) The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood by the well in which were lying the dead bodies of those polytheists who had been killed on the Day of Badr, and he said to them what he had to say, i. e.: They hear what I say. But he (Ibn 'Umar) misunderstood. The Prophet (ﷺ) had only said: They (the dead) understand that what I used to say to them was truth. She then recited:" Certainly, thou canst not make the dead hear the call" (xxvii. 80), nor can you make those hear who are in the graves, nor can you inform them when they have taken their seats in Hell.

Sunan Abu Dawud #3136Narrated Anas ibn Malik:

The martyrs of Uhud were not washed, and they were buried with their blood. No prayer was offered over them.