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
بَلْ بَدَا لَهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَلَوْ رُدُّوا۟ لَعَادُوا۟ لِمَا نُهُوا۟ عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ
But what they concealed before has [now] appeared to them. And even if they were returned, they would return to that which they were forbidden; and indeed, they are liars.
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَآ ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِينَ
And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam - from their loins - their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes, we have testified." [This] - lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, "Indeed, we were of this unaware."
وَجِا۟ىٓءَ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۚ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ
And brought [within view], that Day, is Hell - that Day, man will remember, but how [i.e., what good] to him will be the remembrance?
يَـٰلَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ ٱلْقَاضِيَةَ
I wish it [i.e., my death] had been the decisive one.