بَلْ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِٱلسَّاعَةِ ۖ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِمَن كَذَّبَ بِٱلسَّاعَةِ سَعِيرًا 11
Translations
But they have denied the Hour, and We have prepared for those who deny the Hour a Blaze.
Transliteration
Bal kaththabu bis-sa'ati wa a'tadna liman kaththaba bis-sa'ati sa'ira
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rejects the disbelievers' denial of the Day of Judgment (the Hour), emphasizing that Allah has prepared a blazing fire (sa'ir) as punishment for those who reject this fundamental Islamic belief. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah affirms that denial of the resurrection is one of the gravest forms of disbelief, and the 'sa'ir' (scorching fire) mentioned here refers to one of the levels of Hellfire reserved specifically for such deniers.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-Furqan, a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of Islam when Meccan polytheists actively rejected the message of Prophet Muhammad, particularly denying the concept of resurrection and the Day of Judgment. The ayah directly addresses the common objection of these disbelievers who mocked the idea of being resurrected after death.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The Hour will not be established until... people deny the Hour' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Also relevant: 'Whoever disbelieves in Allah after believing in Him—except one who is forced while his heart remains at peace with faith—but those who open their hearts to disbelief will have wrath upon them from Allah' (Quran 16:106), which contextualizes the severity of such denial.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that belief in the Day of Judgment is a cornerstone of Islamic faith, and that rejecting this fundamental truth carries severe spiritual consequences. For believers, it reinforces the importance of maintaining conviction in divine justice and accountability in the Hereafter, motivating righteous conduct in this worldly life.