وَٱلَّذِينَ سَعَوْا۟ فِىٓ ءَايَـٰتِنَا مُعَـٰجِزِينَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْجَحِيمِ 51
Translations
But the ones who strove against Our verses, [seeking] to cause failure - those are the companions of Hellfire.
Transliteration
Wa alladhīna sa'aw fī āyātinā mu'ājizīn, ulā'ika aṣḥābu al-jahīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns those who strive to render Allah's signs ineffective or to obstruct them, declaring that such people are the companions of Hell. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret 'mu'ājizīn' (striving to obstruct/render powerless) as referring to those who actively resist, deny, or attempt to nullify Allah's clear signs and miracles. The ayah emphasizes that deliberate opposition to divine truth carries severe consequences in the Hereafter.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Hajj, a Medinan chapter that addresses both believers and disbelievers. The broader context discusses various categories of people—the believers who obey, those who are in doubt, and those who actively oppose Allah's signs. This particular verse is part of a series addressing the stubborn rejection of disbelievers in Medina and Mecca who witnessed Allah's signs yet persisted in denial.
Related Hadiths
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'The most hated of people to Allah is the most stubborn in disbelief' (related to concepts in Tirmidhi and other collections). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Bukhari reminds that 'Whoever conceals knowledge which Allah has revealed, Allah will gag him with a bridle of fire on the Day of Judgment,' which relates thematically to the active suppression of Allah's signs.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah warns against not merely disbelieving, but actively working to undermine or suppress truth and divine guidance. For modern readers, it encourages honest engagement with divine signs and truth, cautioning against allowing pride, arrogance, or ulterior motives to lead one into deliberate rejection and obstruction of what one knows to be right.
Related Ayahs
لِّيَجْعَلَ مَا يُلْقِى ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَٱلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ وَإِنَّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ لَفِى شِقَاقٍۭ بَعِيدٍ
[That is] so He may make what Satan throws in [i.e., asserts] a trial for those within whose hearts is disease and those hard of heart. And indeed, the wrongdoers are in extreme dissension.
وَإِن جَـٰدَلُوكَ فَقُلِ ٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
And if they dispute with you, then say, "Allāh is most knowing of what you do.
وَأَصْحَـٰبُ مَدْيَنَ ۖ وَكُذِّبَ مُوسَىٰ فَأَمْلَيْتُ لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهُمْ ۖ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ
And the inhabitants of Madyan. And Moses was denied, so I prolonged enjoyment for the disbelievers; then I seized them, and how [terrible] was My reproach.
لَن يَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَآؤُهَا وَلَـٰكِن يَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
Their meat will not reach Allāh, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allāh for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good.