Tafsir of Al Imran 3:185

"Every soul shall taste death..."

Al-Yazidi read it as dhā’iqatu al-mawt (taster of death) according to the original grammatical rule. Al-A‘mash read it as dhā’iqatu al-mawt by dropping the tanwīn while maintaining the accusative case, similar to the saying: "And none remember Allah except a little."

If you ask: How does the statement "And you will only be paid your rewards in full" connect to this?

I say: Its connection is based on the fact that you will all die—death is inevitable—but you will not be paid your rewards for your acts of obedience or disobedience immediately upon your death. Rather, you will be paid them in full on the day you rise from your graves.

If you ask: Does this not imply a negation of the tradition which states, "The grave is either a garden from the gardens of Paradise or a pit from the pits of Hell"?

I say: The word "full payment" (tawfiya) removes this illusion. The meaning is that the full payment and completion of rewards occur on that Day. Whatever happens before that is only a portion of the reward.

"Zuhziha" (removed): To move aside and distance. It is a repetition of the root zah (to pull or push with haste).

"He has certainly attained success": He has achieved absolute success, encompassing everything that can be attained. There is no goal beyond salvation from the wrath of Allah and eternal punishment, and the attainment of Allah’s pleasure and everlasting bliss.

O Allah, grant us success in attaining that by which we may achieve victory in the Return.

It is narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ): "Whoever wishes to be removed from the Fire and admitted into Paradise, let his death come to him while he believes in Allah and the Last Day, and let him treat people as he would love to be treated." This encompasses both the preservation of the rights of Allah and the rights of His servants.

He likened the worldly life to merchandise used to deceive a prospective buyer, enticing him until he purchases it, only for its corruption and inferiority to be revealed to him later. The Devil is the deceiver and the deluder.

Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: This applies only to those who prefer this world over the Hereafter. As for those who seek the Hereafter through it, it is merely a provision and a means of reaching the goal. The believers were addressed with this so that they might prepare themselves to endure the harm and hardships they will encounter, and to be patient with them. Thus, when they meet these trials while prepared, they will not be overwhelmed as one who is struck by hardship suddenly, which he denies and from which his soul recoils.