Al-Muddaththir 74:31
The Cloaked One · Juz 29 · Page 576
وَمَا جَعَلۡنَآ أَصۡحَٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَٰٓئِكَةٗۖ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا عِدَّتَهُمۡ إِلَّا فِتۡنَةٗ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِيَسۡتَيۡقِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَيَزۡدَادَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِيمَٰنٗا وَلَا يَرۡتَابَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَلِيَقُولَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٞ وَٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلٗاۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهۡدِي مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَمَا يَعۡلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَۚ وَمَا هِيَ إِلَّا ذِكۡرَىٰ لِلۡبَشَرِ ٣١
And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve - that those who were given the Scripture will be convinced and those who have believed will increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is disease [i.e., hypocrisy] and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allāh intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allāh send astray whom He wills and guide whom He wills. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. And it [i.e., mention of the Fire] is not but a reminder to humanity.
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Commentary on 74:31
I did not make the wardens of the Fire except angels, so humans do not have the power to face them. Abu Jahl was lying when he and his people claimed that they have the ability to attack them and then they will come out of the Fire. I did not make this number of theirs except to test those who reject Allah, so that the Jews who were given the Torah and the Christians who were given the Gospel will become certain when the Qur’ān that confirms what is in their scriptures is revealed, so that the faith of the believers increases when the people of the scripture agree with them and the Jews, Christians and the believers do not have any doubt, and so that those who waver in faith and those who are disbelievers say: What does Allah intend by this strange number?! Just as those who deny this number are misguided and those who accept it are guided, Allah misguides whoever He wishes to misguide and He guides whoever He wishes to guide. No one knows the forces of your Lord, because of their huge number, besides Him, may He be glorified. So let Abu Jahl who, mockingly and dismissively, said, “Does Muhammad only have nineteen aides?!” know this. The Fire is only a reminder for human beings, through which they can come to know of Allah’s greatness, may He be glorified.
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74:18
إِنَّهُۥ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ ١٨
Indeed, he thought and deliberated.1
1 translator’s note
- About what he would say concerning the Qur’ān and how he might discredit the Prophet (ﷺ). ↩
74:19
فَقُتِلَ كَيۡفَ قَدَّرَ ١٩
So may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.
74:20
ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيۡفَ قَدَّرَ ٢٠
Then may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated.
74:21
ثُمَّ نَظَرَ ٢١
Then he considered [again];
74:22
ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ ٢٢
Then he frowned and scowled;
74:23
ثُمَّ أَدۡبَرَ وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرَ ٢٣
Then he turned back and was arrogant
74:24
فَقَالَ إِنۡ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحۡرٞ يُؤۡثَرُ ٢٤
And said, "This is not but magic imitated [from others].
74:25
إِنۡ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا قَوۡلُ ٱلۡبَشَرِ ٢٥
This is not but the word of a human being."
74:26
سَأُصۡلِيهِ سَقَرَ ٢٦
I will drive him into Saqar.1
1 translator’s note
- One of the proper names of Hell. ↩
74:27
وَمَآ أَدۡرَىٰكَ مَا سَقَرُ ٢٧
And what can make you know what is Saqar?
74:28
لَا تُبۡقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ ٢٨
It lets nothing remain and leaves nothing [unburned],
74:29
لَوَّاحَةٞ لِّلۡبَشَرِ ٢٩
Altering [i.e., blackening] the skins.
74:30
عَلَيۡهَا تِسۡعَةَ عَشَرَ ٣٠
Over it are nineteen [angels].
74:31
وَمَا جَعَلۡنَآ أَصۡحَٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَٰٓئِكَةٗۖ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا عِدَّتَهُمۡ إِلَّا فِتۡنَةٗ لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِيَسۡتَيۡقِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَيَزۡدَادَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِيمَٰنٗا وَلَا يَرۡتَابَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَلِيَقُولَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٞ وَٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلٗاۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهۡدِي مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَمَا يَعۡلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَۚ وَمَا هِيَ إِلَّا ذِكۡرَىٰ لِلۡبَشَرِ ٣١
And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve - that those who were given the Scripture will be convinced and those who have believed will increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is disease [i.e., hypocrisy] and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allāh intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allāh send astray whom He wills and guide whom He wills. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. And it [i.e., mention of the Fire] is not but a reminder to humanity.
74:32
كـَلَّا وَٱلۡقَمَرِ ٣٢
No! By the moon
74:33
وَٱلَّيۡلِ إِذۡ أَدۡبَرَ ٣٣
And [by] the night when it departs
74:34
وَٱلصُّبۡحِ إِذَآ أَسۡفَرَ ٣٤
And [by] the morning when it brightens,
74:35
إِنَّهَا لَإِحۡدَى ٱلۡكُبَرِ ٣٥
Indeed, it [i.e., the Fire] is of the greatest [afflictions]
74:36
نَذِيرٗا لِّلۡبَشَرِ ٣٦
As a warning to humanity -
74:37
لِمَن شَآءَ مِنكُمۡ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوۡ يَتَأَخَّرَ ٣٧
To whoever wills among you to proceed1 or stay behind.
1 translator’s note
- To righteousness by acceptance of the warning. ↩
74:38
كُلُّ نَفۡسِۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ رَهِينَةٌ ٣٨
Every soul, for what it has earned, will be retained1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., subject or held responsible. ↩
74:39
إِلَّآ أَصۡحَٰبَ ٱلۡيَمِينِ ٣٩
Except the companions of the right,1.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., the righteous who receive their records in their right hands. ↩
74:40
فِي جَنَّٰتٖ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ ٤٠
[Who will be] in gardens, questioning each other
74:41
عَنِ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ ٤١
About the criminals,
74:42
مَا سَلَكَكُمۡ فِي سَقَرَ ٤٢
[And asking them], "What put you into Saqar?"
74:43
قَالُواْ لَمۡ نَكُ مِنَ ٱلۡمُصَلِّينَ ٤٣
They will say, "We were not of those who prayed,
74:44
وَلَمۡ نَكُ نُطۡعِمُ ٱلۡمِسۡكِينَ ٤٤
Nor did we used to feed the poor.
74:45
وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ ٱلۡخَآئِضِينَ ٤٥
And we used to enter into vain discourse with those who engaged [in it],
74:46
وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوۡمِ ٱلدِّينِ ٤٦
And we used to deny the Day of Recompense
74:47
حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰنَا ٱلۡيَقِينُ ٤٧
Until there came to us the certainty [i.e., death]."