Tafsir of Al-`Ankabut 29:57

(Every soul shall taste death; then unto Us you shall be returned.)

This is an inaugural sentence brought forth to urge the sincerity of worship and migration for the sake of Allah the Exalted, as it conveys that the worldly life is not a permanent abode and that beyond it lies the abode of requital. That is, every soul among the souls shall inevitably experience the bitterness of death and separation from the body; therefore, you must taste it, and then you shall be returned to Our judgment and Our recompense according to your deeds. Whoever has such an end must necessarily provide provisions and prepare for it.

In His, the Exalted’s, saying: (tasting death), there is a metaphor likening death to a matter with a detestable, bitter taste. The shift from [using the verb] "to taste death" [to the active participle "tasting death"] is to signify certainty. The "then" (thumma) denotes a delay in time or a delay in status.

Abu Haywah read "tasting" (dha'iqatun) with tanwin, and "death" (al-mawta) in the accusative case. Ali—may Allah the Exalted honor his face—read "you shall be returned" (turja'una) in the active voice. Asim narrated it as "they shall be returned" (yurja'una) with the third-person prefix.