Surah An-Nahl · Ayah 21·Makkī

21

وَمَا أَيَّانَ ﴿٢١﴾

Translation

Saheeh International

They are, [in fact], dead, not alive, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.

Compare all 34 translations →

Tafsīr

No commentary indexed for this ayah yet.

Verse DNA · this āyah at a glance

Vocabulary and recitation are counted from the morphology and the Uthmani marks; commentary reports whether an authored tafsīr entry reaches this āyah. A structural read, not a judgement — a denser strip is not a weightier verse.

Vocabulary · 5 roots in 5 of 7 words

Recitation · 11 points across 5 rule families

  • Iẓhār shafawī1
  • Madd ṭabīʿī5
  • Iẓhār2
  • Heavy rāʾ2
  • Qalqalah1

Commentary

No tafsīr entry reaches this āyah yet — the interpretive layer covers a pilot, not the whole Book.

Shape

7 words · 31 letters · āyah 21 of 128

once in the Qurʾān2–10×11–50×51–300×300+×

Similar verses by meaning

Ranked by semantic similarity over translation embeddings — a model’s proxy for meaning, not a claim about it, and not tafsīr. Verses may be kin in theme while differing entirely in wording.

  • Quran 23:82 · Al-Muminoonclose

    قَالُوٓا۟ أَءِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَٰمًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ

    They said, "When we have died and become dust and bones, are we indeed to be resurrected?

  • Quran 2:154 · Al-Baqaraclose

    وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَن يُقْتَلُ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَمْوَٰتٌۢ بَلْ أَحْيَآءٌ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُونَ

    And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, "They are dead." Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not.

  • Quran 21:21 · Al-Anbiyaaclose

    أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ ءَالِهَةً مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ هُمْ يُنشِرُونَ

    Or have men taken for themselves gods from the earth who resurrect [the dead]?

  • Quran 6:29 · Al-An'aamrelated

    وَقَالُوٓا۟ إِنْ هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ

    And they say, "There is none but our worldly life, and we will not be resurrected."

  • Quran 54:7 · Al-Qamarrelated

    خُشَّعًا أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ ٱلْأَجْدَاثِ كَأَنَّهُمْ جَرَادٌ مُّنتَشِرٌ

    Their eyes humbled, they will emerge from the graves as if they were locusts spreading,

  • Quran 56:83 · Al-Waaqiarelated

    فَلَوْلَآ إِذَا بَلَغَتِ ٱلْحُلْقُومَ

    Then why, when the soul at death reaches the throat

Verses built from the same roots

Ranked by shared vocabulary (idf-cosine over each verse’s root-set). Shared words are a fact about form — they do not by themselves mean two verses are about the same thing.

Questions

Which verses are similar to Quran 16:21?

Verses close in meaning to Quran 16:21 include Quran 23:82 (Surah Al-Muminoon), Quran 2:154 (Surah Al-Baqara), Quran 21:21 (Surah Al-Anbiyaa), and Quran 6:29 (Surah Al-An'aam). For example, 23:82 reads: “They said, "When we have died and become dust and bones, are we indeed to be resurrected?” These are ranked by comparing translations of every verse in the Qurʾān, so they are a measure of similar wording and theme — not a tafsīr ruling.

What does Quran 16:21 say?

In Saheeh International, Quran 16:21 (Surah An-Nahl, The Bee) reads: “They are, [in fact], dead, not alive, and they do not perceive when they will be resurrected.”

Which surah is verse 16:21 in?

Quran 16:21 is āyah 21 of Surah An-Nahl (The Bee), chapter 16 of the Qurʾān — a Meccan (Makkī) surah of 128 verses.

In how many languages can I read Quran 16:21?

Tartīl presents Quran 16:21 in the original Arabic alongside 34 translations, with audio recitation.