Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: I am confused about verse 39 in Surah Rahman. The translation of the meaning says, “On that day neither man nor jinn will be asked about his sin”, and verse 41 goes on to mention that the guilty will be known by their marks. In many other verses of the Qur’an, though, Allah says that everyone will indeed be questioned about what they did in their lives. Why does 55:39 say this?
Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.
Shaykh al-Islam Abu Su`ud answers this question in his Qur’anic exegesis, Irshad al-`Aql al-Salim, “‘On that day neither man nor jinni will be questioned of his sin.’ –- as they will be known by their marks; and that is when they initially come out of their graves… As for the words of Allah Most High, ‘Them, by thy Lord, We shall question, every one.’ [15:92] and other similar verses, it refers to the time of their reckoning.”
“On that day neither man nor jinni will be questioned of his sin. Which is it, of the favours of your Lord that ye deny? The guilty will be known by their marks, and will be taken by the forelocks and the feet.” [55: 39-41]
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam,
Tabraze Azam
Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani