يَومَئِذٍ تُعرَضونَ لا تَخفىٰ مِنكُم خافِيَةٌ
That day you will be exposed: none of your secrets will remain hidden.
EXEGESIS
Tuʿraḍūn (you will be exposed) is from ʿarḍ, to display or present, for example, when a seller displays his commodity in a showroom (maʿriḍ) for potential buyers. It is a term used not only for the exposure of people’s secrets on the Day of Judgement (40:16, 86:9) but also for mankind being ‘presented’ before their Lord (11:18, 18:48; see also 14:21).
None of your secrets will remain hidden includes one’s faith and intentions besides one’s actions.
This transformation of the unseen to the manifest and all that is secret to public is regarded to be more momentous than the shattering of the mountains and the levelling of the earth or splitting of the skies, for it will bring in its wake utter disgrace for the wretched and unimaginable honour and glory for the righteous.
EXPOSITION
All the matters that God enumerates as special features of the Day of Resurrection, such as the presence of the angels before God, the command being only His (82:19), there being no refuge except with Him (75:10-12) and no escaping from Him (88:25), the presenting of creation before Him, the exposure of their deeds and nothing being hidden from Him (86:9), and so on, are all true even now and are a constant fact for God. But the meaning of all such descriptions is that these matters will become manifest and evident to all of His creation on that day, in a manner that they cannot be veiled, ignored, denied, or glossed over with pretensions and lies. It will bring a stark realisation and become obvious beyond doubt to even the most stubborn denier of God that everything was always ‘presented’ before God and He was always the final authority and power over all matters. The only difference will be from man’s perspective because the reality that was hidden from him and about him will be exposed and showcased for him, and in some cases, for all others to witness.
Man will be ‘naked’ not just in the body but in his actions and secrets as well: On that day neither humans will be questioned about their sins nor jinn … The guilty will be recognised by their mark (55:39-41). See also 28:78.
A less popular but also valid interpretation for the verse is: none of you shall be hidden, instead of none of your secrets will remain hidden, to mean no human can evade God’s judgement on that day. It corroborates with the verse, We shall muster them, and We will not leave out anyone of them (18:47).
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- From the Prophet: ‘People will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection for three arraignments: during the first two arraignments they will argue and make excuses: at the third, the scrolls will be cast into their hands; so some will take it with their right hand and others with their left.’
Note: For the scrolls of deeds being placed into the right and left hands, see verses 19 and 25 of this surah.
[1] Qurtubi, 18/268.
[2] Ibn Kathir, 8/229, from Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah; Qurtubi, 18/267-8; Razi, 30/627; Suyuti, 6/261; Tabari, 29/38.