إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَعَنَ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ سَعِيرًا 64
Translations
Indeed, Allāh has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a Blaze.
Transliteration
Inna Allaha laAAana alkafireena waAAAAdda lahum saAAeera
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah declares that Allah has cursed the disbelievers and has prepared for them the Blazing Fire (Saʿīr) as their ultimate punishment. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that this curse encompasses Allah's removal of mercy and bounty from the disbelievers in this life and the next, while Saʿīr specifically denotes the intense, consuming fire of Hell. The statement emphasizes both the divine displeasure with disbelief and the certainty of accountability on the Day of Judgment.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Ahzab, revealed in Medina during the period of the Battle of the Confederates (Ghazwat al-Ahzab). The surah addresses various themes of obedience, faith, and the consequences of rejecting Allah's guidance. This particular ayah fits within the broader Quranic warning to those who reject Allah's signs and His Messenger.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Whoever believes in Allah and His Messenger, performs the prayer, and fasts the month of Ramadan, it is incumbent upon Allah to admit him into Paradise' (Sahih Bukhari 7:1). Conversely, disbelief and rejection of faith are presented as the primary cause of being cursed and destined for Hell (Sahih Muslim 188).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a solemn reminder that rejecting Allah's guidance carries serious spiritual consequences, urging believers to strengthen their faith and commitment to Islam. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of sincere belief and obedience as fundamental to avoiding Allah's displeasure and the eternal punishment awaiting those who turn away from His signs.
Related Ayahs
فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُۥٓ أَحَدٌ
So on that Day, none will punish [as severely] as His punishment,
فَكَانَ عَـٰقِبَتَهُمَآ أَنَّهُمَا فِى ٱلنَّارِ خَـٰلِدَيْنِ فِيهَا ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَٰٓؤُا۟ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
So the outcome for both of them is that they will be in the Fire, abiding eternally therein. And that is the recompense of the wrongdoers.
كَدَأْبِ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
[Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and those before them. They denied Our signs, so Allāh seized them for their sins. And Allāh is severe in penalty.
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَـٰفِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ
And never think that Allāh is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them [i.e., their account] for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror].