إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌ 6
Translations
When they were sitting near it.
Transliteration
Idh hum 'alayha qu'ud
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the companions of the Fire (the disbelievers) sitting upon it, witnessing their punishment. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir interpret this as depicting the eternal state of the damned, who will be forced to remain in Hell. The verse emphasizes the finality and inescapability of their torment, contrasting with the bliss of the righteous in Paradise mentioned earlier in the surah.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Buruj is a Meccan surah revealed during the period of persecution of early Muslims in Mecca. This particular ayah is part of the concluding section (85:4-9) that contrasts the fate of believers and disbelievers, serving to console the Prophet and believers by reminding them of divine justice and the inevitable consequences of rejecting faith.
Related Hadiths
The concept is reinforced in various hadiths about the punishment of Hell. Notably, a hadith in Sahih Muslim describes the Hellfire's torment and those condemned to it, emphasizing that their punishment is eternal and they cannot escape. Additionally, Surah An-Nisa (4:169) relates thematically to the eternal nature of Hell's punishment for disbelievers.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a sobering reminder of the reality of divine justice and the serious consequences of turning away from faith, encouraging believers to remain steadfast in their commitment to Allah and to reflect upon the ultimate accountability that awaits all souls.
Related Ayahs
سَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ لَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَآ أَشْرَكْنَا وَلَآ ءَابَآؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِن شَىْءٍ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ ذَاقُوا۟ بَأْسَنَا ۗ قُلْ هَلْ عِندَكُم مِّنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَآ ۖ إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا ٱلظَّنَّ وَإِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا تَخْرُصُونَ
Those who associated [others] with Allāh will say, "If Allāh had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything." Likewise did those before deny until they tasted Our punishment. Say, "Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? You follow not except assumption, and you are not but misjudging."
فَمَا بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّمَآءُ وَٱلْأَرْضُ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُنظَرِينَ
And the heaven and earth wept not for them, nor were they reprieved.
قُل رَّبِّ إِمَّا تُرِيَنِّى مَا يُوعَدُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "My Lord, if You should show me that which they are promised,
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَمَاتُوا۟ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ
Indeed, those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers - upon them will be the curse of Allāh and of the angels and the people, all together,