وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَكَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ 39
Translations
And those who disbelieve and deny Our signs - those will be companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally."
Transliteration
Wa-alladhīna kafarū wa-kadhdhab ū bi-āyātinā ūlā'ika aṣḥābu an-nāri hum fīhā khālidūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah warns that those who disbelieve and reject the signs (āyāt) of Allah will be the inhabitants of the Hellfire, dwelling therein eternally. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that kufr (disbelief) combined with tadhdhīb (explicit denial and rejection) of Allah's revelations is a grave sin that warrants eternal punishment. The phrase 'khālidūn' (abiding eternally) emphasizes the permanent nature of their punishment, contrasting with the conditional nature of punishment for believers who commit sins.
Revelation Context
This ayah comes within the early Medinan passage (2:39-46) that follows the account of Adam's descendants and the consequences of obeying or rejecting divine guidance. It directly follows the promise of forgiveness for those who believe and follows the trajectory established in 2:38 about those who follow guidance versus those who turn away. The surah's broader context addresses the fundamental choice between belief and disbelief.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim reports the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: 'The Hellfire will say to the believer, "Pass through, for your light has extinguished my flame," but it will say to the disbeliever, "Stay, for there is none to redeem you."' This illustrates the differentiation in punishment based on one's faith.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah emphasizes that genuine belief requires not merely intellectual acknowledgment but active acceptance and not rejection of Allah's signs; for modern believers, it underscores the importance of reflecting deeply on Quranic verses and divine signs in creation rather than dismissing them carelessly.
Related Ayahs
وَلَئِن مَّسَّتْهُمْ نَفْحَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ رَبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ يَـٰوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـٰلِمِينَ
And if [as much as] a whiff of the punishment of your Lord should touch them, they would surely say, "O woe to us! Indeed, we have been wrongdoers."
وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَكَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا وَلِقَآئِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ مُحْضَرُونَ
But as for those who disbelieved and denied Our verses and the meeting of the Hereafter, those will be brought into the punishment [to remain].
إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ لَا يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
Indeed, he did not used to believe in Allāh, the Most Great,
وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ أَلَيْسَ هَـٰذَا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّنَا ۚ قَالَ فَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
And the Day those who disbelieved are exposed to the Fire [it will be said], "Is this not the truth?" They will say, "Yes, by our Lord." He will say, "Then taste the punishment for what you used to deny."