لَوْ يَعْلَمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ حِينَ لَا يَكُفُّونَ عَن وُجُوهِهِمُ ٱلنَّارَ وَلَا عَن ظُهُورِهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ 39
Translations
If those who disbelieved but knew the time when they will not avert the Fire from their faces or from their backs and they will not be aided...
Transliteration
Law ya'lamu alladhina kafarū hīna lā yakuffūna 'an wujūhihimu al-nāru wa lā 'an zuhūrihim wa lā hum yunṣarūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the regret and helplessness of the disbelievers on the Day of Judgment, when they realize they cannot shield their faces or backs from the Fire of Hell, nor will anyone come to their aid. Ibn Kathir explains that this depicts the severity of divine punishment and the complete abandonment of the disbelievers in that moment, emphasizing that no protection or assistance will avail them whatsoever.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Anbya's broader theme regarding the accountability on the Day of Judgment and the consequences of rejecting the prophets and divine guidance. It comes in the context of detailed descriptions of the Resurrection and the fate of believers versus disbelievers, reinforcing the Quranic emphasis on inevitable divine justice.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The Fire will be brought on the Day of Resurrection, dragging with it seventy thousand angels' (Sahih Muslim 2842). Additionally, Surah Al-Anbya 39-40 is contextually related to hadiths about the severity of Hell and the powerlessness of the damned (found in various collections including At-Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a sobering reminder of the certainty of divine accountability and should inspire believers to seek protection from Hell through faith and righteous deeds while they have the opportunity in this life. It underscores that worldly power and allies cannot save one from divine justice, encouraging dependence on Allah's mercy rather than temporal security.
Related Ayahs
وَيَوْمَ يَقُولُ نَادُوا۟ شُرَكَآءِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ فَدَعَوْهُمْ فَلَمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لَهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّوْبِقًا
And [warn of] the Day when He will say, "Call My 'partners' whom you claimed," and they will invoke them, but they will not respond to them. And We will put between them [a valley of] destruction.
إِن تَكْفُرُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنكُمْ ۖ وَلَا يَرْضَىٰ لِعِبَادِهِ ٱلْكُفْرَ ۖ وَإِن تَشْكُرُوا۟ يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ
If you disbelieve - indeed, Allāh is Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are grateful, He approves [i.e., likes] it for you; and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you about what you used to do. Indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.
رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ مُسْلِمِينَ
Perhaps those who disbelieve will wish that they had been Muslims.
إِذَا رَأَتْهُم مِّن مَّكَانٍۭ بَعِيدٍ سَمِعُوا۟ لَهَا تَغَيُّظًا وَزَفِيرًا
When it [i.e., the Hellfire] sees them from a distant place, they will hear its fury and roaring.