Hellfire
The consequence of persistent denial — allegorical imagery of spiritual torment, not literal fire
208 verse references across 83 surahs
And if you cannot do it - and most certainly you cannot do it - then be conscious of the fire whose fuel is human beings and stones which awaits all who deny the truth!
Verily, We have sent thee [O Prophet] with the truth, as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner: and thou shalt not be held accountable for those who are destined for the blazing fire.
Behold, as for those who are bent on denying the truth and die as deniers of the truth - their due is rejection by God, and by the angels, and by all [righteous] men.
[On that Day] it will come to pass that those who had been [falsely] adored shall disown their followers, and the latter shall see the suffering [that awaits them], with all their hopes cut to pieces!
But there are among them such as pray, "O our Sustainer! Grant us good in this world and good in the life to come, and keep us safe from suffering through the fire":
BEHOLD, as for those who are bent on denying the truth - neither their worldly possessions nor their offspring will in the least avail them against God; and it is they, they who shall be the fuel of the fire!
Say unto those who are bent on denying the truth: "You shall be overcome and gathered unto hell - and how evil a resting-place!"
[But,] behold, as for those who are bent on denying the truth - neither their worldly possessions nor their children will in the least avail them against God: and it is they who are destined for the fire, therein to abide.
and beware of the fire which awaits those who deny the truth!
Into the hearts of those who are bent on denying the truth We shall cast dread in return for their ascribing divinity, side by side with God, to other beings - [something] for which He has never bestowed any warrant from on high; and their goal is the fire - and how evil that abode of evildoers!
Is then he who strives after God's goodly acceptance like unto him who has earned the burden of God's condemnation and whose goal is hell? - and how vile a journey's end!
"O our Sustainer! Whomsoever Thou shalt commit to the fire, him, verily, wilt Thou have brought to disgrace [in this world]; and such evildoers will have none to succour them.
and among them are such as [truly] believe in him, and among them are such as have turned away from him. And nothing could be as burning as [the fire of] hell:
But whoever deliberately slays another believer, his requital shall be hell, therein to abide; and God will condemn him, and will reject him, and will prepare for him awesome suffering.
Behold, those whom the angels gather in death while they are still sinning against themselves, [the angels] will ask, "What was wrong with you?" They will answer: "We were too weak on earth." [The angels] will say: "Was, then, God's earth not wide enough for you to forsake the domain of evil?" For such, then, the goal is hell - and how evil a journey's end!
NO GOOD comes, as a rule, out of secret confabulations - saving such as are devoted to enjoining charity, or equitable dealings, or setting things to rights between people:138 and unto him who does this out of a longing for God's goodly acceptance We shall in time grant a mighty reward.
) Such as these have hell for their goal: and they shall find no way to escape therefrom.
but the road that leads to hell, therein to abide beyond the count of time: and this is indeed easy for God.
whereas they who are bent on denying the truth and giving the lie to Our messages they are destined for the blazing fire.
They will wish to come out of the fire, but they shall not come out of it; and long-lasting suffering awaits them.
Indeed, the truth deny they who say, "Behold, God is the Christ, son of Mary" - seeing that the Christ [himself] said, "O children of Israel! Worship God [alone], who is my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer." Behold, whoever ascribes divinity to any being beside God, unto him will God deny paradise, and his goal shall be the fire: and such evildoers will have none to succour them!
whereas they who are bent on denying the truth and giving the lie to Our messages - they are destined for the blazing fire.
If thou couldst but see [them] when they will be made to stand before the fire and will say, "Oh, would that we were brought back [to life]: then we would not give the lie to our Sustainer's messages, but would be among the believers!"
And leave to themselves all those who, beguiled by the life of this world, have made play and passing delights their religion; but remind [them] herewith that [in the life to come] every human being shall be held in pledge for whatever wrong he has done, and shall have none to protect him from God, and none to intercede for him; and though he offer any conceivable ransom, it shall not be accepted from him. It is [people such as] these that shall be held in pledge for the wrong they have done; for them there is [in the life to come] a draught of burning despair, and grievous suffering awaits them because of their persistent refusal to acknowledge the truth.
AND ON THE DAY when He shall gather them [all] together, [He will say:] "O you who have lived in close communion with [evil] invisible beings! A great many [other] human beings have you ensnared!" And those of the humans who were close to them will say: "O our Sustainer! We did enjoy one another's fellowship [in life]; but (now that] we have reached the end of our term - the term which Thou hast laid down for us - (we see the error of our ways]!" [But] He will say: "The fire shall be your abode, therein to abide - unless God wills it otherwise." Verily, thy Sustainer is wise, all-knowing. 111 Lit., "and this thy Sustainer's way is straight" - i.e., unchanging in its application of the law of cause and effect to man's inner life as well.- The term rijs occurring in the preceding sentence, and rendered by me as "horror", signifies anything that is intrinsically loathsome, horrible or abominable; in this case, it would seem to denote that awesome feeling of utter futility which, sooner or later, overcomes everyone who does not believe that life has meaning and purpose. 112 According to most of the commentators, the invisible beings (al-jinn) referred to here are the "evil forces" (shayatin) among them, such as are spoken of in verse 112 of this surah. It is generally assumed that these very beings or forces are addressed here; but the primary meaning of the term ma'shar appearing in this context warrants, in my opinion, a different conclusion. It is true that this term is often used to denote a group or community or genus of sentient beings which have certain characteristics in common: a conventional - and undoubtedly justifiable - use based on the verb 'asharahu, "he consorted [or "was on intimate terms"] with him" or "lived in close communion with him". But it is precisely this verbal origin of the term ma'shar which gives us a clue as to what is really meant here. Since, in its primary significance, a person's ma'shar denotes those who are on intimate terms or in close communion with him (cf. Lisan al-'Arab: "A man's ma'shar is his family"), we may well assume that it has a similar significance in the above Qur'anic phrase. Thus, to my mind, the allocution yd ma'shar al-jinn does not denote, "O you community of [evil] invisible beings" but, rather, "O you who are [or "have lived"] in close communion with [evil] invisible beings": in other words, it is addressed to the misguided human beings - who have been seduced by "glittering half-truths meant to delude the mind" (verse 112). This interpretation is reinforced by the words, "Have there not come unto you apostles from among yourselves", occurring in verse 130 below: for the Qur'an speaks always only of apostles who belonged to the human race, and never of apostles from among the jinn. (As regards the wide significance of this latter term, see Appendix III.) 113 Le., close to the evil invisible beings. It is to be remembered that the primary meaning of wali (of which awliya' is the plural) is "one who is close [to another]". 114 I.e., unless He graces them with His mercy (see verse 12 of this surah, and the corresponding note). Some of the great Muslim theologians conclude from the above and from the similar phrase occurring in 11:107 (as well as from several well-authenticated sayings of the Prophet) that contrary to the bliss of paradise, which will be of unlimited duration - the suffering of the sinners in the life to come will be limited by God's mercy. (See in this connection the hadith quoted in note 10 on 40:12.)
[And God] said: "Go forth from here, disgraced and disowned! [And] as for such of them as follow thee - I will most certainly fill hell with you all! 11 Or: "allowed me to fall into error". The term aghwahu denotes both "he caused [or "allowed"] him to err" or "he caused him to be disappointed" or "to fail in attaining his desire" (cf. Lane VI, 2304 f.). Since. in this case, the saying of Iblis refers to the loss of his erstwhile position among the angels, the rendering adopted by me seems to be the most appropriate. 12 Lit., "from between their hands and from behind them". Regarding this idiomatic expression and my rendering of it, see the similar phrase in 2:255 ("He knows all that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them"). The subsequent phrase "from their right and from their left" signifies "from all directions and by all possible means".
but they who give the lie to Our messages and scorn them in their pride - these are destined for the fire, therein to abide. 23 Lit., "take to your adornment (zinah)". According to Raghib (as quoted in Lane III, 1279 f.), the proper 'meaning of zinah is "a [beautifying] thing that does not disgrace or render unseemly ... either in the present world or in that which is to come": thus, it signifies anything of beauty in both the physical and moral connotations of the word. 24 By declaring that all good and beautiful things of life - i.e., those which are not expressly prohibited - are lawful to the believers, the Qur'an condemns, by implication, all forms of life-denying asceticism, world-renunciation and self-mortification. While, in the life of this world, those good things are shared by believers and unbelievers alike, they will be denied to the latter in the hereafter (cf. verses 50- of this surah). 25 Lit., "for every community (ummah) there is a term": i.e., all people have a life-term decreed by God, during which they are at liberty to accept or to reject the guidance offered them through revelation. The word ummah often denotes "living beings" - in this context, "people". 26 In Arabic usage, the term sa'ah (lit., "hour") signifies not merely the astronomical hour i.e., the twenty-fourth part of a mean solar day - but also "time" in an absolute sense, or any fraction of it, whether large or small. In the above context, it has obviously been used in the sense of "a least fraction of time" or "a single moment".
[And God] will say: "Join those hosts of invisible beings and humans who have gone before you into the fire!" [And] every time a host enters [the fire], it will curse its fellow-host - so much so that, when they all shall have passed into it, one after another, the last of them will speak [thus] of the first of them:28 "O our Sustainer! It is they who have led us astray:. give, them, therefore, double suffering through fire!" He, will reply: "Every one of you deserves double suffering - but you know it not."
Hell will be their resting-place and their covering as well:33 for thus do We requite the evildoers. 27 Lit., "their share of the [divine] decree (al-kitab) will reach them": i.e., they will have in their lifetime, like all other people, all the good or bad fortune envisaged for them in God's eternal decree. The "messengers" (rusul) referred to in the next clause are, apparently, the angels of death. 28 The terms "first" and "last" refer here either to a sequence in time ("those who came earlier" and "those who came later") or in status ("leaders" and "followers"); and in both cases they relate, as the next sentence indicates, to the evil influence which the former exerted on the latter during their lifetime - either directly, as leaders of thought and persons of distinction, or indirectly, as forerunners in time, whose example was followed by later generations. 29 Lit., "to everyone a double [suffering]": i.e., for having gone astray and for having, by his example, led others astray. Cf. 16:25 - "on Resurrection Day they shall bear the full weight of their own burdens, as well as some of the burdens of those ignorant ones whom they have led astray". 30 I.e., "You went the wrong way, as we did, out of your own free will, and you bear the same responsibility as we do." Another possible interpretation is: "You are not superior to us because you have learnt nothing from our mistakes." 31 According to Ibn 'Abbas (as quoted by Razi), this metaphor signifies that God will not accept any of the good deeds of such sinners, nor their subsequent supplications. 32 Lit., "until (hatta) a twisted rope passes through a needle's eye"; since this phrase is meant to express an impossibility, the rendering of hatta as "any more than" seems to be appropriate here. As for the word jamal occurring in this sentence, there is hardly any doubt that its translation, in this context, as "camel" is erroneous. As pointed out by Zamakhshari (and confirmed by other classical commentators, including Razi), Ibn 'Abbas used to read the word in the spelling jummal, which signifies "a thick rope" or "a twisted cable"; and the same reading is attributed to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (Taj al-'Arus). It is to be noted that there are also several other dialectical spellings of this word, namely, jumal, juml, jumul and, finally, jamal (as in the generally-accepted version of the Qur'an) - all of them signifying "a thick, twisted rope" (Jawhari), and all of them used in this sense by some of the Prophet's Companions or their immediate successors (tabi'un). Ibn 'Abbas is also quoted by Zamakhshari as having said that God could not have coined so inappropriate a metaphor as "a camel passing through a needle's eye" - meaning that there is no relationship whatsoever between a camel and a needle's eye whereas, on the other hand, there is a definite relationship between the latter and a rope (which, after all, is but an extremely thick thread). On all accounts, therefore, the rendering of jamal as "a twisted rope" is, in this context, infinitely preferable to that of "a camel". The fact that the latter rendering occurs in a somewhat similar phrase in the Greek version of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew xix, 24, Mark x, 25 and Luke xviii, 25) does not affect this contention. One should remember that the Gospels were originally composed in Aramaic, the language of Palestine at the time of Jesus, and that those Aramaic texts are now lost. It is more than probable that, owing to the customary absence of vowel signs in Aramaic writing, the Greek translator misunderstood the consonant spelling g-m-l (corresponding to the Arabic j-m-l), and took it to mean "a camel": a mistake repeated since, with regard to the above Qur'an-verse, by many Muslims and all, non-Muslim orientalists as well. 33 Lit., "for them there will be a resting-place of [the fires of] hell and, from above them, coverings [thereof]".
And the inmates of the fire will call out unto the inmates of paradise: "Pour some water upon us, or some of the sustenance [of paradise] which God has provided for you!" [The inmates of paradise] will reply: "Verily, God has denied both to those who have denied the truth -
And most certainly have We destined for hell many of the invisible beings 143 and men who have hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which they fail to hear. They are like cattle - nay, they are even less conscious of the right way:144 it is they, they who are the [truly] heedless!
for, whoever on that day turns his back on them - unless it be in a battle manoeuvre or in an endeavour to join another troop [of the believers] - shall indeed have earned the burden of God's condemnation, and his goal shall be hell: and how vile a journey's end!
Behold, those who are bent on denying the truth are spending their riches in order to turn others away from the path of God; and they will go on spending them until they become [a source of] intense regret for them; and then they will be overcome! And those who [until their death] have denied the truth shall be gathered unto hell,
AND IF thou couldst but see [how it will be] when He causes those who are bent on denying the truth to die: the angels will strike their faces: and their backs, and [will say]: "Taste suffering through fire
IT IS NOT for those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God to visit or tend God's houses of worship, the while [by their beliefs] they bear witness against themselves that they are denying the truth. It is they whose works shall come to nought, and they who in the fire shall abide!
on the Day when that [hoarded wealth] shall be heated in the fire of hell and their foreheads and their sides and their backs branded therewith, [those sinners shall be told:] "These are the treasures which you have laid up for yourselves! Taste, then, [the evil of] your hoarded treasures!"
And among them there was [many a one] who said, "Grant me permission [to remain at home], and do not put me to too hard a test!" Oh, verily, [by making such a request] they had [already failed in their test and] succumbed to a temptation to evil:72 and, behold, hell will indeed encompass all who refuse to acknowledge the truth!
Do they not know that for him who sets himself against God and His Apostle there is in store the fire of hell, therein to abide - that most awesome disgrace?
God has promised the hypocrites, both men and women - as well as the [outright] deniers of the truth - the fire of hell, therein to abide: this shall be their allotted portion. For, God has rejected them, and long-lasting suffering awaits them.
O PROPHET! Strive hard against the deniers of the truth and the hypocrites, and be adamant with them. And [if they do not repent,] their goal shall be hell - and how vile a journey's end!
THOSE [hypocrites] who were left behind rejoiced in their staying away [from war] after [the departure of] God's Apostle, for they hated the thought of striving with their possessions and their lives in God's cause; and they had [even] said [to the others], "Do not go forth to war in this heat!" Say: "The fire of hell is hotter by far!" Had they but grasped this truth!
When you will have returned to them, (O believers,] they will swear to you by God, [repeating their excuses,] with a view to your letting them be. Let them be, then: behold, they are loathsome, and hell is their goal in recompense for what they were wont to do.
Which then, is the better: he who has founded his building on God-consciousness and [a desire for] His goodly acceptance - or he who has founded his building on the edge of a water-worn, crumbling river-bank, so that it [is bound to] tumble down with him into the fire of hell? For, God does not grace with His guidance people who [deliberately] do wrong:
IT DOES NOT behove the Prophet and those who have attained to faith to pray that they who ascribed divinity to aught beside God be forgiven [by Him] even though they happened to be [their] near of kin - after it has been made clear unto them that those [dead sinners] are destined for the blazing fire.
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their goal is the fire in return for all [the evil] that they were wont to do.
But us for those who have done evil deeds - the recompense of an evil, deed shall be the like thereof: 42- and since they will have none to defend them against God - ignominy will overshadow them as though their faces were veiled by the night's own darkness:43 it is they who are destined for the fire, therein to abide.
[yet] it is they who, in the life to come, shall have nothing but the fire - for in vain shall be all that they wrought in this [world], and worthless all that they ever did!
Can, then, [he who cares for no more than the life of this world be compared with28] one who takes his stand on a clear evidence from his Sustamer, conveyed through [this] testimony from Him, as was the revelation vouchsafed to Moses aforetime - [a divine writ ordained by Him] to be a guidance and grace [unto man]? They [who understand this message - it is they alone who truly] believe in it; whereas for any of those who, leagued together [in common hostility], deny its truth - the fire shall be their appointed state [in the life to come]. And so, be not in doubt about this [revelation]: behold, it is the truth from thy Sustainer, even though 33 most people will not believe in it.
[And so] he shall go before his people on the Day of Resurrection, having led them [in this world] towards the fire [of the life to come]; and vile was the destination towards which they were led -
Now as for those who [by their deeds] will have brought wretchedness upon themselves, [they shall live] in the fire, where they will have [nothing but] moans and sobs [to relieve their pain],
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[all of them,] save those upon whom thy Sustainer has bestowed His grace. And to this end has He created them [all]. But [as for those who refuse to avail themselves of divine guidance,] that word of thy Sustainer shall be fulfilled: "Most certainly will I fill hell with invisible beings as well as with humans, all together!" 148 See surah 6, note 116. 149 This passage connects with the concluding clause of the preceding verse, "and lost themselves in sinning". According to most of the classical commentators, the term zulm (lit., "wrong" or "evildoing") is in this context synonymous with "wrong beliefs" amounting to a denial of the truths revealed by God through His prophets, a refusal to acknowledge His existence, or the ascribing of divine powers or qualities to anyone or anything beside Him. Explaining the above verse in this sense, Razi says: "God's chastisement does not afflict any people merely on account of their holding beliefs amounting to shirk and kufr, but afflicts them only if they persistently commit evil in their mutual dealings, and deliberately hurt (other human beings] and act tyranically [towards them]. Hence, those who are learned in Islamic Law (al-fuqaha') hold that men's obligations towards God rest on the principle of [His] forgiveness and liberality, whereas the rights of man are of a stringent nature and must always be strictly observed" - the obvious reason being that God is almighty and needs no defender, whereas man is weak and needs protection. (Cf. the last sentence of 28:59 and the corresponding note 61.) 150 I.e., about everything, even about the truths revealed to them by God. - For a discussion of the term ummah wahidah ("one single community") and its wider implications, see surah 2, notes 197 and 198; the second part of 2:253 and the corresponding note 245; and the second part of 5 :48 and the corresponding notes 66 and 67. Thus, the Qur'an stresses once again that the unceasing differentiation in men's views and ideas is not incidental but represents a God-willed, basic factor of human existence. If God had willed that all human beings should be of one persuasion, all intellectual progress would have been ruled out, and "they would have been similar in their social life to the bees and the ants, while in their spiritual life they would have been like the angels, constrained by their nature always to believe in what is true and always to obey God" (Manar XII, 193) - that is to say, devoid of that relative free will which enables man to choose between right and wrong and thus endows his life - in distinction from all other sentient beings - with a moral meaning and a unique spiritual potential. 151 I.e., those who avail themselves of His grace, consisting of the God-given ability to realize His existence (cf. 7:172 and the corresponding note 139) and the guidance which He offers to mankind through His prophets (Razi). 152 Some of the earliest commentators (e.g., Mujahid and 'Ikrimah) are of the opinion that the expression li-dhalika (rendered by me as "to this end") refers to God's bestowal of His grace upon man, while others (e.g., Al-Hasan and 'Ata) relate it to men's ability to differ intellectually from one another. According to Zamakhshari, it refers to the freedom of moral choice which characterizes man and is spoken of in the preceding passages: and since it is this freedom which constitutes God's special gift to man and raises him above all other created beings (cf. the parable of Adam and the angels in 2:30-34), Zamakhshari's interpretation is, in my opinion, the most comprehensive of all. 153 The "word of God" reiterated here as well as in 32:13 has originally been pronounced in 7:18 with reference to the "followers of Satan", i.e., those who reject the guidance offered them by God; hence my interpolation at the beginning of the paragraph. As regards the meaning of jinn (rendered by me in this and similar instances as "invisible beings"), see Appendix III.
BUT IF thou art amazed [at the marvels of God's creation], amazing, too, is their saying, "What! After we have become dust, shall we indeed be [restored to life] in a new act of creation?" It is they who [thus show that they] are bent on denying their Sustainer; and it is they who carry the shackles [of their own making] around their necks; and it is they who are destined for the fire, therein to abide.
of those who have responded to their Sustainer with a goodly response, and of those who did not respond to Him. [As for the latter,] if they possessed all that is on earth, and twice as much, they would surely offer it as ransom [on the Day of Judgment]:41 a most evil reckoning awaits them, and their goal is hell: and how evil a resting-place!
THE PARABLE of the paradise promised to those who are conscious of God [is that of a garden] through which running waters flow:65 [but, unlike an earthly garden,] its fruits will be everlasing, and [so will be] its shade. Such will be the destiny of those who remain conscious of God - just as the destiny of those who deny the truth will be the fire.
with hell awaiting him; and he shall be made to drink of the water of most bitter distress,
For on that Day thou wilt see all who were lost in sin linked together in fetters,
and for all such, behold, hell is the promised goal.
Hence, enter the gates of hell, therein to abide!" And evil, indeed, shall be the state of all who are given to false pride!
As it is, they ascribe to God something that they [themselves] dislike - and [all the while] their tongues utter the lie that [by doing so] they earn supreme merit! Truly, they earn but the fire, and will be left out [of God's grace]!
Your Sustainer may well show mercy unto you; but if you revert [to sinning], We shall revert [to chastising you]. And [remember this:] We have ordained that [in the hereafter] hell shall close upon all who deny the truth.
Unto him who cares for [no more than the enjoyment of] this fleeting life We readily grant thereof as much as We please, [giving] to whomever it is Our will [to give]; but in the end We consign him to [the suffering of] hell; which he will have to endure disgraced and disowned!
(25) Your Sustainer is fully aware of what is in your hearts. If you are righteous, [He will forgive you your errors]:29 for, behold, He is much-forgiving to those who turn unto Him again and again.
this is part of that knowledge of right and wrong with which thy Sustainer has inspired thee. Hence, do not set up any other deity side by side with God, lest thou be cast into hell, blamed [by thyself] and rejected [by Him]!
And lo! We said unto thee, [O Prophet:] "Behold, thy Sustainer encompasses all mankind [within His knowledge and might]: and so We have ordained that the vision which We have shown thee - as also the tree [of hell,] cursed in this Qur'an - shall be but a trial for men. Now [by Our mentioning hell] Weconvey a warning to them: but [if they are bent on denying the truth,] this [warning] only increases their gross, overweening arrogance."
[God] answered: "Go [the way thou hast chosen]! But as for such of them as shall follow thee - behold, hell will be the recompense of you (all], a recompense most ample!
And he whom God guides, he alone has found the right way; whereas for those whom He lets go astray thou canst never find anyone to protect them from Him: and [so, when] We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection, [they will lie] prone upon their faces, blind and dumb and deaf, with hell as their goal; [and] every time [the fire] abates, We shall increase for them [its] blazing flame."
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And those who were lost in sin will behold the fire, and will know that they are bound to fall into it, and will find no way of escape therefrom.
And on that Day We shall place hell, for all to see, before those who denied the truth -
That will be their recompense - [their] hell - for having denied the truth and made My messages and My apostles a target of their mockery.
And so, by thy Sustainer, [on Judgment Day] We shall most certainly bring them forth together with the satanic forces [which impelled them in life]52and then We shall most certainly gather them, on their knees, around hell;
for, indeed, We know best as to which of them is most deserving of the fires of hell.
and drive those who were lost in sin unto hell as a thirsty herd is driven to a well -
VERILY, as for him who shall appear before his Sustainer [on Judgment Day] lost in sin - his [portion], behold, shall be hell: he will neither die therein nor live;
If they but knew - they who are bent on denying the truth - [that there will come] a time when they will not be able to ward off the fire from their faces, nor from their backs, and will not find any succour!
[Then they will be told:] "Verily, you and all that you [were wont to] worship instead of God are but the fuel of hell: that is what you are destined for.
about which it has been decreed that whoever entrusts himself to it, him will it lead astray and guide towards the suffering of the blazing flame!
scornfully turning aside [from the truth] so as to lead [others] astray from the path of God. Disgrace [of the spirit] is in store for him in this world; and on the Day of Resurrection We shall make him taste suffering through fire;
These two contrary kinds of man have become engrossed in contention about their Sustainer. But [thus it is:] as for those who are bent on denying the truth - garments of fire shall be cut out for them [in the life to come]; burning despair will be poured over their heads,
whereas those who strive against Our messages, seeking to defeat their purpose - they are destined for the blazing fire.
As it is, whenever Our messages are conveyed unto them in all their clarity, thou canst perceive utter repugnance on the faces of those who are bent on denying the truth: they would almost assault those who convey Our messages unto them! Say: "Shall I, then, tell you of something worse than what you feel at present? It is the fire [of the hereafter] that God has promised to those who are bent on denying the truth: and how vile a journey's end!"
whereas they whose weight is light in the balance - it is they who will have squandered their own selves, [destined] to abide in hell:
And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and to be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms [in public] beyond what may [decently] be apparent thereof; hence, let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms. And let them not display [more of] their charms to any but their husbands, or their fathers, or their husbands' fathers, or their sons, or their husbands' sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or those whom they rightfully possess, or such male attendants as are beyond all sexual desire, or children that are as yet unaware of women's nakedness; and let them not swing their legs [in walking] so as to draw attention to their hidden charms. And [always], O you believers - all of you - turn unto God in repentance, so that you might attain to a happy state!
(And] think not that those who are bent on denyiug the truth can elude [their final reckoning even if they remain unscathed] on earth:76 the fire is their goal [in the life to come] - and vile indeed is such a journey's end!
But nay! It is (the very coming of] the Last Hour to which they give the lie! However, for such as give the lie to [the announcement of] the Last Hour We have readied a blazing flame:
[And so, tell those who are bent on denying the truth that] they who shall be gathered unto hell upon their faces - it is they who [in the life to come] will be worst in station and still farther astray from the path [of truth]!
and who pray: "O our Sustainer, avert from us the suffering of hell - for, verily, the suffering caused by it is bound to be a torment dire:
whereas the blazing fire will be laid open before those who had been lost in grievous error;
Thereupon they will be hurled into he1143 - they, as well as all [others] who had been lost in grievous error,
But they who shall come with evil deeds - their faces will be thrust into the fire, [and they will be asked:] "Is this aught but a just requital 81 for what you were doing [in life]?"
[We destroyed them,] and We set them up as archetypes [of evil] that show the way to the fire [of hell]; and [whereas] no succour will come to them on Resurrection Day,
And [Abraham] said: "You have chosen to worship idols instead of God for no other reason than to have a bond of love, in the life of this world, between yourselves [and your forebears]:20 but then, on Resurrection Day, you shall disown one another and curse one another - for the goal of you all will be the fire, and you will have none to succour you.
They challenge thee to hasten the coming upon them of [God's] chastisement: but, verily, hell is bound to encompass all who deny the truth -
And who could be more wicked than he who attributes his own lying inventions to God, or gives the lie to the truth when it comes unto him [through revelation]? Is not hell the [proper] abode for all who [thus] deny the truth?
and when such [people] are told to follow that which God has bestowed from on high, they answer, "Nay, we shall follow that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing!" Why - [would you follow your forefathers] even if Satan had invited them unto the suffering of the blazing flame?
Yet had We so willed, We could indeed have imposed Our guidance upon every human being:12 but [We have not willed it thus - and so] that word of Mine has come true: "Most certainly will I fill hell with invisible beings as well as with humans, all together!"
but as for those who are lost in iniquity - their goal is the fire: as oft as they will try to come out of it, they will be thrown back into it; and they will be told, "Taste [now] this suffering through fire which you were wont to call a lie!"
(59) O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters, as well as all (other] believing women, that they should draw over themselves some of their outer garments [when in public]: this will be more conducive to their being recognized [as decent women] and not annoyed. But [withal,] God is indeed much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!
Verily, God has rejected the deniers of the truth, and has readied for them a blazing fire,
On the Day when their faces shall be tossed about in the fire, they will exclaim, "Oh, would that we had paid heed unto God, and paid heed unto the Apostle!"
AND UNTO Solomon (We made subservient] the wind: its morning course [covered the distance of] a month's journey, and its evening course, a month's journey. And We caused a fountain of molten copper to flow at his behest; and [even] among the invisible beings there were some that had [been constrained] to labour for him 16 by his Sustainer's leave and whichever of them deviated from Our command, him would We let taste suffering through a blazing flame -:
And [on that Day God will say]: "None of you [created beings] has today any power to benefit or to harm another!" And [then] We shall say unto those who had been bent on evildoing: "Taste [now] that suffering through fire which you were wont to call a lie!"
Behold, Satan is a foe unto you: so treat him as a foe. He but calls on his followers to the end that they might find themselves among such as are destined for the blazing flame -
But as for those who are bent on denying the truth - the fire of hell awaits them: no end shall be put to their lives so that they could die, nor shall aught of the suffering caused by that [fire] be lightened for them: thus shall We requite all who are bereft of gratitude.
"This, then, is the hell of which you were warned again and again:31
but if anyone does succeed in snatching a glimpse [of such knowledge], he is [henceforth] pursued by a piercing flame.
instead of God, and lead them all onto the way to the blazing fire,
and then he looks and sees that [companion of his] in the midst of the blazing fire,
Is such [a paradise] the better welcome - or the [hellish] tree of deadly fruit?
Verily, We have caused it to be a trial for evildoers:23
And once again:26 Verily, the blazing fire is their ultimate goal -
unless it be such as rushes towards the blazing fire [of his own accord]!
AND [thus it is:] We have not created heaven and earth and all that is between them without meaning and purpose, as is the surmise of those who are bent on denyin the truth:25 but then, woe from the fire [of hell] unto all who are bent on denying the truth!
hell will they have to endure - and how vile a restingplace!
This, [then, for them -] so let them taste it: burning despair and ice-cold darkness
[And they will say to One another: "Do you see] this crowd of people who rushed headlong [into sin] with you?"' No welcome to them! Verily, they [too] shall have to endure the fire!"
[And] they will pray: "O our Sustainer! Whoever has prepared this for us, double Thou his suffering in the fire !"
Such, behold, will in truth be the [confusion and) mutual wrangling of the people of the fire!
Most certainly will I fill hell with thee and such of them as shall follow thee, all together!"
NOW [thus it is:] when affliction befalls man, he is likely to cry out to his Sustainer, turning unto Him [for help]; but as soon as He has bestowed upon him a boon by His grace, he forgets Him whom he invoked before, and claims that there are other powers that could rival God - and thus leads [others] astray from His path. Say [unto him who sins in this way]: "Enjoy thyself for a while in this thy denial of the truth; [yet,] verily, thou art of those who are destined for the fire!
Clouds of fire will they have above them, and [similar] clouds beneath them...." In this way does God imbue His servants with fear. O you servants of Mine! Be, then, conscious of Me -
On the other hand, could one on whom [God's] sentence of suffering has been passed [be rescued by man]? Couldst thou, perchance, save one who is [already, as it were,] in the fire?
And who could be more wicked than he who invents lies about God, and gives the lie to the truth as soon as it has been placed before him? Is not hell the [proper] abode for all who deny the truth?
And [so,] on the Day of Resurrection thou wilt see all who invenied lies about God [with] their faces darkened [by grief and ignominy]. Is not hell the [proper] abode for all who are given to false pride?
And those who were bent on denying the truth will be urged on in throngs towards hell till, when they reach it, its gates will be opened, and its keepers will ask them, "Have there not come to you apostles from among yourselves, who conveyed to you your Sustainer's messages and warned you of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]?" They will answer: "Yea, indeed!" But the sentence of suffering will [already] have fallen due upon the deniers of the truth;
[and] they will be told, "Enter the gates of hell, therein to abide!" And how vile an abode for those who were given to false pride! 66 I.e., the whole universe is as nothing before Him: for this specific allegory of God's almightiness, see 21:104. There are many instances, in the Qur'an as well as in authentic ahadith, of the clearly metaphorical use of the term "hand" in allusions to God's absolute power and dominion. The particular reference, in the above, to the Day of Resurrection is due to the fact that it will be only on his own resurrection that a human being shall fully grasp the concept of God's almightiness; referred to in the subsequent words, "limitless is He in His glory" (subhanahu)". 67 As is evident from 27:89, the above is an allusion to the unbroken spiritual life in this world and, therefore, happiness in the hereafter - of those who have attained to faith and have done righteous deeds. Cf. 21:103 - "the supreme awesomeness [of the Day of Resurrection] will cause them no grief". 68 Cf. 37:19. 69 I.e., with a clear revelation of His will. See also 14:48, where it is stated that on Resurrection Day "the earth shall be changed into another earth, as shall be the heavens". A further allusion to this transformation (and not annihilation) of the universe is found in 20:105-107. 70 Cf. 17:13- (and the corresponding note 18); also 18:49. 71 See 4:41 and the corresponding note 52. Accordingly, the above phrase may well have the meaning of "all the prophets as witnesses", i.e., for or against those to whom they conveyed God's message. In all probability, however, the term shuhada' (or ashhad in 40:51) signifies here - as its singular shahid obviously does in 50:21 - man's newly-awakened consciousness, which will compel him to bear witness against himself on Judgment Day (cf. 6: 130, 17:14, 24:24, 36:65, 41:20 ff.). 72 Cf. 99:7-8, "he who shall have done an atom's weight of good, shall behold it; and he who shall have done an atom's weight of evil, shall behold it". 73 I.e., as an ineluctable consequence of their unrepented sinning. 74 Sc., "and therefore refused to submit to the guidance offered them by God's apostles": cf. 96:6- - "man becomes grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient". See also 16:22 and the corresponding note 15.
And thus shall thy Sustainer's word come true against all who are bent on denying the truth: they shall find themselves in the fire [of hell].
THEY WHO BEAR [within themselves the knowledge of] the throne of [God's] almightiness, as well as all who are near it, extol their Sustainer's limitless glory and praise, and have faith in Him, and ask forgiveness for all [others] who have attained to faith: "O our Sustainer! Thou embracest all things within [Thy] grace and knowledge: forgive, then, their sins unto those who repent and follow Thy path, and preserve them from suffering through the blazing fire!
"And, O my people, how is it that I summon you to salvation, the while you summon me to the fire?
"There is no doubt that what you summon me to is something that has no claim to being invoked either in this world or in the life to come - as [there is no doubt] that unto God is our return, and that they who have wasted their own selves shall find themselves in the fire:
the fire [of the hereafter - that fire] which they had been made to contemplate [in vain], morning and evening:31 for on the Day when the Last Hour dawns [God will say], "Make Pharaoh's folk enter upon suffering most severe!"
AND LO! They [who in life were wont to deny the truth] will contend with one another in the fire [of the hereafter]; and then the weak will say unto those who had gloried in their arrogance, "Behold, we were but your followers: can you, then, relieve us of some [of our] share of this fire?" -
And they who are in the fire will say to the keepers of hell, "Pray unto your Sustainer that He lighten, [though it be] for one day [only], this suffering of ours!"
But your Sustainer says: "Call unto Me, [and) I shall respond to you! Verily, they who are too proud to worship Me will enter hell, abased!"
into burning despair, and in the end become fuel for the fire (of hell].
Enter [now) the gates of hell, therein to abide: and how vile an abode for all who are given to false pride!"
Hence, [warn all men of] the Day when the enemies of God shall be gathered together before the fire, and then shall be driven onward,
And then, [even] if they endure [their lot] in patience, the fire will still be their abode; and if they pray to be allowed to make amends, they will not be allowed to do so:23
That requital of God's enemies will be the fire [of the hereafter]: in it will they have an abode of unmeasurable duration as an outcome of their having knowingly rejected Our messages.
VERILY, they who distort the meaning of Our messages are not hidden from Us: hence, which [of the two) will be in a better state - he that is [destined to be] cast into the fire, or he that shall come secure [before Us) on Resurrection Day? Do what you will: verily, He sees all that you do.
[Thou art but entrusted with Our message:] and so We have revealed unto thee a discourse in the Arabic tongue in order that thou mayest warn the foremost of all cities and all who dwell around it - to wit, warn [them) of the Day of the Gathering, [the coming of) which is beyond all doubt: [the Day when] some shall find themselves in paradise, and some in the blazing flame.
[But,] behold, they who are lost in sin shall abide in the suffering of hell:53
[And the word will be spoken:] "Seize him, [O you forces of hell,] and drag him into the midst of the blazing fire:
and neither shall they taste death there after having passed through their erstwhile death. Thus will He have preserved them from all suffering through the blazing fire -
Hell is ahead of them; and all that they may have gained [in this world] shall be of no avail whatever to them, and neither shall any of those things which, instead of God, they have come to regard as their protectors:7 for, awesomc suffering awaits them.
And [the word] will be spoken: "Today We shall be oblivious of you as you were oblivious of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]; and so your goal is the fire, and you shall have none to succour you:
this, because you made God's messages the target of your mockery, having allowed the life of this world to beguile you!" On that Day, therefore, they will not be brought out of the fire, nor will they be allowed to make amends.
And on the Day when those who were bent on denying the truth will be brought within sight of the fire, [they will be told:] "You have exhausted your [share of] good things in your worldly life, having enjoyed them [without any thought of the hereafter]: and so today you shall be requited with the suffering of humiliation for having gloried on earth in your arrogance, offending against all that is right, and for ill your iniquitous doings!"
And so, on the Day when those who were bent on denying the truth will be brought within sight of, the fire [and will be asked), "Is not this the truth?" - they will answer, "Yea, by Our Sustainer!" [And] He will say: "Taste, then, this suffering as an outcome of your denial of the truth!"
Verily, God will admit all who attain to faith and do righteous deeds into gardens through which running waters flow, whereas they who are bent on denying the truth shall have - even though they may enjoy their life [in this world] and eat as cattle eat - the fire [of the hereafter] for their abode.
[And can] the parable of the paradise which the God-conscious are promised - [a paradise] wherein there are rivers of water which time does not corrupt, and rivers of milk the taste whereof never alters, and rivers of wine delightful to those who drink it, and rivers of honey of all impurity cleansed, and the enjoyment of all the fruits [of their good deeds] and of forgiveness from their Sustainer -: can this [parable of paradise] be likened unto [the parable of the recompense of16] such as are to abide in the fire and be given waters of burning despair to drink, so that it will tear their bowels asunder?
And [God has willed] to impose suffering [in the life to come] on the hypocrites, both men and women, and on those who ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, both men and women: all who entertain evil thoughts about God. Evil encompasses them from all sides, and God's condemnation rests upon them; and He has rejected them [from His grace], and has readied hell for them: and how evil a journey's end!
Now as for those who will not believe in God and His Apostle - verily, We have readied a blazing flame for all [such] deniers of the truth!
[Whereupon God will command:] "Cast, cast into hell every [such) stubborn enemy of the truth,
On that Day We will ask hell, "Art thou filled?" - and it will answer, "[Nay,] is there yet more [for me]?"
[It will be] a Day when they will be sorely tried by the fire,
on the Day when they shall be thrust into the fire with [an irresistible] thrust, [and will be told:]
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On the Day when they shall be dragged into the fire on their faces, [they will be told:] "Taste now the touch of hell-fire!"
This will be the hell which those who are lost in sin [now] call a lie:
you will indeed have to taste of the tree of deadly fruit,
Have you ever considered the fire which you kindle?
and the heat of a blazing fire!
"And so, no ransom shall be accepted today from you, and neither from those who were [openly] bent on denying the truth. Your goal is the fire: it is your [only] refuge - and how evil a journey's end!"
For, they who have attained to faith in God and His Apostle - it is they, they who uphold the truth, and they who bear witness [thereto] before God:28 [and so] they shall have their reward and their light! But as for those who are bent on denying the truth and on giving the lie to Our messages - it is they who are destined for the blazing fire!
Art thou not aware of such as have been forbidden [to intrigue through] secret confabulations, and yet [always] revert to that which they have been forbidden, and conspire with one another with a view to sinful doings, and aggressive conduct, and disobedience to the Apostle? Now whenever such [people] approach thee, [O Muhammad,] they salute thee with a greeting which God has never countenanced; and they say to themselves, "Why does not God chastise us for what we are saying?" Hell shall be their allotted portion: they shall [indeed] enter it - and how vile a journey's end!
Neither their worldly possessions nor their offspring will be of the least avail to them against God: it is they who are destined for the fire, therein to abide!
And had it not been for God's having ordained banishment for them, He would indeed have imposed [yet greater] suffering on them in this world: still, in the life to come there awaits them suffering through fire:
Thus, in the end, both (the deniers of the truth and the hypocrites] will find themselves in the fire, therein to abide: for such is the recompense of evildoers.
Not equal are those who are destined for the fire and those who are destined for paradise: those who are destined for paradise - it is they, they [alone] who shall triumph [on Judgment Day]!
But as for those who are bent on denying the truth and on giving the lie to Our messages - they are destined for the fire, therein to abide: and how vile a journey's end!
O YOU who have attained to faith! Ward off from yourselves and those who are close to you that fire [of the hereafter] whose fuel is human beings and stones:12 [lording] over it are angelic powers awesome [and] severe, who do not disobey God in whatever He has commanded them, but [always] do what they are bidden to do.
O PROPHET! Strive hard against the deniers of the truth and the hypocrites, and be adamant with them. And [if they do not repent,] their goal shall be hell - and how vile a journey's end!
For those who are bent on denying the truth God has propounded a parable in [the stories of] Noah's wife and Lot's wife: they were wedded to two of Our righteous servants, and each one betrayed her husband; and neither of the two [husbands] will be of any avail to these two women when they are told [on Judgment Day], "Enter the fire with all those [other sinners] who enter it!"
And, indeed, We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth with lights, and have made them the object of futile guesses for the evil ones [from among men]:5 and for them have We readied suffering through a blazing flame
and then let him enter hell,
and then thrust him into a chain [of other sinners like him - a chain] the length whereof is seventy cubits:18
But nay! Verily, all [that awaits him] is a raging flame,
And so, because of their sins, they were drowned [in the great flood], and were doomed to suffer the fire [of the hereafter]; and they found none who could succour them against God.
but as for those who abandon themselves to wrongdoing - they are indeed but fuel for [the fires of] hell!'"
if I should fail to convey [to the world whatever illumination comes to me] from God and His messages." Now as for him who rebels against God and His Apostle - verily, the fire of hell awaits him, therein to abide beyond the count of time.
for, behold, heavy fetters [await them] with Us, and a blazing fire,
[Hence,] I shall cause him to endure hell-fire [in the life to come]!
"What has brought you into hell-fire?"
[Now,] behold, for those who deny the truth We have readied chains and shackles, and a blazing flame
that will offer no [cooling] shade and will be of no avail against the flame
[On that Day,] verily, hell will lie in wait [for those who deny the truth]
In it shall they remain for a long time.
and the blazing fire [of hell] will be laid open before all who [are destined to] see it.
that blazing fire will truly be the goal!
and when the blazing fire [of hell] is kindled bright,
whereas, behold, the wicked will indeed be in a blazing fire
and then, behold, they shall enter the blazing fire
but he will enter the blazing flame.
Verily, as for those who persecute believing men and believing women, and thereafter do not repent, hell's suffering awaits them: yea, suffering through fire awaits them!
he who [in the life to come] shall have to endure the great fire
wherein he will neither die nor remain alive.
about to enter a glowing fire,
And on that Day hell will be brought [within sight]; on that Day man will remember [all that he did and failed to do]: but what will that remembrance avail him?
[with] fire closing in upon them.
and so I warn you of the raging fire -
Verily, those who [despite all evidence] are bent on denying the truth - [be they] from among the followers of earlier revelation or from among those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God - will find themselves in the fire of hell, therein to abide: they are the worst of all creatures.
sparks of fire striking,
shall be engulfed by an abyss.
you would indeed, most surely, behold the blazing fire [of hell]!
A fire kindled by God,
[In the life to come] he shall have to endure a fire fiercely glowing;