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
إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَفْعَلُ بِٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
Indeed, that is how We deal with the criminals.
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَانُوٓا۟ أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً وَءَاثَارًا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَمَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those before them? They were more numerous than themselves and greater in strength and in impression on the land, but they were not availed by what they used to earn.
لَّا تَدْعُوا۟ ٱلْيَوْمَ ثُبُورًا وَٰحِدًا وَٱدْعُوا۟ ثُبُورًا كَثِيرًا
[They will be told], "Do not cry this Day for one destruction but cry for much destruction."
وَلَمَّا جَآءَتْ رُسُلُنَآ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ بِٱلْبُشْرَىٰ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا مُهْلِكُوٓا۟ أَهْلِ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةِ ۖ إِنَّ أَهْلَهَا كَانُوا۟ ظَـٰلِمِينَ
And when Our messengers [i.e., angels] came to Abraham with the good tidings, they said, "Indeed, we will destroy the people of that [i.e., Lot's] city. Indeed, its people have been wrongdoers."