What does Quran 78:39 mean?

Quran 78:39 (Surah An-Naba, Ayah 39) translates to: "That is the True Day; so he who wills may take to his Lord a [way of] return."

Which Surah and Juz is Quran 78:39 from?

This ayah is from Surah An-Naba (The Announcement), the 78th surah of the Quran. It appears in Juz 30.

Are there hadiths related to Quran 78:39?

Yes — there are 4 hadiths related to this ayah from Sahih Muslim, Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Sahih al-Bukhari.

What tafsir is available for Quran 78:39?

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

What topics does Quran 78:39 relate to?

This ayah connects to these Quranic topics: Al-Haqq, Day of Judgment, Tawhid, Divine Majesty, Divine Mercy.

Ayah 38

يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلرُّوحُ وَٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ صَفًّۭا ...

78:39An-Naba

Ayah 40

إِنَّآ أَنذَرْنَٰكُمْ عَذَابًۭا قَرِيبًۭا يَوْمَ ي...

ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۖ فَمَن شَآءَ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ مَـَٔابًا

Zaalikal yaumul haqqu faman shaa-at ta khaaza ill-laa rabbihi ma-aaba

That is the True Day; so he who wills may take to his Lord a [way of] return.

Themes in this ayah

Explore in Habl →

Day of Judgment73 Repentance57

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

15 other themes with weak connections

Labeled by AI and people · How this works

Follow this theme through An-NabaFollow this theme

78:39Ayah 140

8 ayahs in An-Naba are strongly about the Day of Judgment. This is one of them.

← Previous on Day of Judgment78:38The Day that the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they will not speak except for one whom the Most Merciful permits, and he will say what is correct.Next on Day of Judgment →78:40Indeed, We have warned you of a near punishment on the Day when a man will observe what his hands have put forth and the disbeliever will say, "Oh,

Tafsir

Scholars offer complementary perspectives

View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 78:39→

That is the True Day whose coming to pass is definite namely the Day of Resurrection. So whoever wishes to let him seek resort with his Lord a return to Him that is to say let him return to God by being obedient to Him so that he may be secure from chastisement in it.

'Ashura is one of the days of Allah, so he who wished should observe fast and he who wished otherwise should abandon it.

Sahih Muslim #2531'Abdullah b. Umar (Allah be pleased with them) reported that the day of 'Ashura was mentioned before the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said:Sahih

It is a day when the people in the pre-Islamic days need to observe fast, so he who wishes to observe fast should do so, and he who wishes to abandon it should do so.

Jami` at-Tirmidhi #3173Narrated 'Ali:Hasan

"The day of Al-Hajj Al-Akbar is the day of An-Nahr."

Sahih al-Bukhari #960Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah:Sahih

On the Day of `Id the Prophet (ﷺ) used to return (after offering the `Id prayer) through a way different from that by which he went.