Transliteration:( Wa maa kuntum tastatiroona ai-yashhada 'alaikum sam'ukum wa laaa absaarukum wa laa juloodukum wa laakin zanantum annal laaha laa ya'lamu kaseeram mimmaa ta'maloon )
And how could you veil [57] yourselves that your ears and your eyes and your skins would bear witness against you? You thought [58] that Allah did not know most of your doings [59].
This is either the speech of their own limbs or Allah’s rebuke.
The meaning is: “You used to hide your sins from people, but forgot that Allah was watching, and **your own limbs were recording every act.”
You failed to realise that your ears, eyes, and skin—used in sin—would one day testify against you.
You could deceive others, but not your own body, and certainly not your Creator.
They did not truly believe that Allah is All-Knowing.
Had they sincerely believed that Allah sees and knows everything, they would not have dared to sin so boldly.
This highlights the root of many sins: a weak belief in Allah’s omniscience.
Certain disbelievers of Arabia believed that while Allah knows our outer actions, He is unaware of our inner secrets—a false notion similar to what some ancient philosophers held.
They thought Allah knows the bigger realities, but not minute details.
The Qur'an rejects such beliefs and affirms that nothing is hidden from Allah, whether it is apparent or concealed.
This verse serves as a reminder to all, that true faith includes belief in Allah's complete and all-encompassing knowledge—both of the seen and the unseen, the public and the private, and the outer and the inner.
The tafsir of Surah Fussilat verse 22 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Fussilat ayat 19 which provides the complete commentary from verse 19 through 24.
(41:22) When you used to conceal yourselves (while committing misdeeds) you never thought that your ears or your eyes or your skins would ever bear witness against you; you rather fancied that Allah does not know a great deal of what you do.
There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.
[1389]- With righteousness or by fearing Allāh.
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