Surah Al-Isra — Verse 71

Word Meanings:

• "Bi-imamihim" (بإمامهم): With their leader or guide—the one they followed in worldly life, whether a prophet, a scholar, or a leader of righteousness or misguidance.
• "Fateel" (فتيلاً): The thin thread-like membrane inside the date pit (the film found in the groove of a date stone)—used as a metaphor for the tiniest, most insignificant amount.

Tafsir (Explanation):

O Messenger, remind the people of the Day of Resurrection—a day of both glad tidings and warning—when Allah will call every group of people along with their leader (imam) whom they followed in this world. Each community will be summoned with the prophet, scholar, or ruler they took as their guide, so that their deeds may be witnessed and judged accordingly.

On that Day, those who are given their book of deeds in their right hand—these are the blessed ones, the people of happiness. They will read their book with joy and delight, finding in it their good deeds recorded and their efforts accepted. They will rejoice in what they see, and their faces will shine with gladness. Allah, in His perfect justice, will not wrong any soul in the slightest—not even by the amount of the thin membrane inside a date pit. No good deed will be diminished, no reward will be reduced, and no act of obedience will be lost. Every atom of good they did will be fully accounted for and generously rewarded.

As for the wretched ones, they are not mentioned here in detail, for they too will be given their books—but in their left hands or behind their backs. When they read what is in them, they will be overcome with fear and shame, unable to speak clearly of what they find, unlike the blessed who read their books openly and joyfully.

A Da'wah Reflection:

This verse carries a profound and beautiful message for every soul: your deeds are not lost, and your efforts are not in vain. The One who calls you on that Day is the Most Merciful, the Most Just—He does not wrong anyone, not even by a hair's breadth. So let this fill your heart with hope and motivation: every good deed you do, every step you take toward righteousness, every word of truth you speak—it is all being recorded, preserved, and will be returned to you in full on a Day when you will read your book with joy and pride.

Imagine the sweetness of that moment when you receive your book in your right hand, reading through a life lived in obedience to Allah, and finding that He has multiplied your rewards beyond what you ever imagined. That is the ultimate success. So strive today, dear believer, to follow the best of imams—the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the righteous guides who call to Allah with wisdom and mercy—so that when you are summoned on that Day, you will be among those who read their books with radiant faces, never wronged even by a thread.