Question No. 3653 10 September 2026 Official answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) verified Content level: Intermediate

Where Does the Unbeliever’s Sense of Possession in the Hereafter Come From?

Primary reference: See the answer text 68 views 23 explanatory notes and annotations

Verified answer Documented and evidence-based

Dear questioner, Master Ali Saei

Tracking code: #Q-3653

Dear teacher, some verses of the Quran describe the condition of the unbelievers on the Day of Resurrection. In verses 11 and 12 of Surat al-Maʿarij, for example, the unbeliever wishes he could ransom himself with his children, his wife or his brother, and so escape the punishment…

Where does this sense of possession come from? Once a person dies, their ownership comes to an end—so how could it persist on the Day of Resurrection?
َّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ

Subject category: Theology and Creed

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

The severity of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection will make the unbeliever wish he could offer up everything he owns and everyone he loves—including his children, wife, brother and clan—to escape it. This shows that worldly pleasures and possessions are worthless beside the punishment of the Hereafter, and that a person would be willing to sacrifice them all to be delivered from it.

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural Center

The noble verse points to this truth: the punishment of the Day of Resurrection will be so severe that a person will wish to give up everything he possesses to escape it—even his most cherished and precious possessions and attachments.

In truth, he will feel no sense of ownership. He will be willing to surrender anything over which he had once been tested in exchange for release from the punishment. And even if the entire universe belonged to him, he would readily part with all of it.

The verse thus emphasizes a profound truth: no amount of worldly possession or pleasure can compare with even a single moment of punishment in the Hereafter!

يُبَصَّرُونهَُمْ يَوَدُّ الْمُجْرِمُ لَوْ يَفْتَدِى مِنْ عَذَابِ يَوْمِئذِ بِبَنِيهِ(11) Al-Maʿārij
وَ صَاحِبَتِهِ وَ أَخِيهِ(12)
وَ فَصِيلَتِهِ الَّتىِ تُْوِيهِ(13)
وَ مَن فىِ الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا Then he might be saved (14)

They will be shown to one another, but each will be absorbed in his own plight. The sinner will wish to ransom his children from the punishment of that Day,
his wife and his brother,
his clan, who had always stood by him,
and everyone on earth, so that they might save him.

Did you find this answer illuminating? Your feedback helps us refine our responses and organize future sessions.

Audio attachment: This question currently has no audio file; the answer is provided in written form, with supporting arguments.

Where Does the Unbeliever’s Sense of Possession in the Hereafter Come From?

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

Related questions