إِنَّ لَدَيْنَآ أَنكَالًا وَجَحِيمًا 12
Translations
Indeed, with Us [for them] are shackles and burning fire.
Transliteration
Inna ladayna ankaalan wa jaheem
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah declares that He possesses punishment of various kinds (ankaal - chains, shackles, or different forms of torment) and the Hellfire (jaheem) for those who reject His signs and disobey Him. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize this as a warning to disbelievers, highlighting Allah's justice and the certainty of punishment for those who persist in denial and transgression.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Muzzammil, a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of Islam when the polytheists of Mecca were rejecting the Prophet's message. The broader context of the surah addresses the disbelievers' mockery and rejection, and this ayah serves as a stern warning of the consequences awaiting them in the Hereafter.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The Fire is eighty times hotter than this worldly fire' (Sunan Ibn Majah). Additionally, numerous hadiths describe the punishments of the Hellfire as mentioned in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, reinforcing the reality of Allah's punishment.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers of Allah's ultimate authority and justice, serving as a sobering reminder that rejection of divine guidance carries severe consequences. For modern readers, it reinforces the importance of taking heed of divine warnings and living in consciousness of accountability before Allah.
Related Ayahs
وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْمُنَـٰفِقَـٰتِ وَٱلْكُفَّارَ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ هِىَ حَسْبُهُمْ ۚ وَلَعَنَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّقِيمٌ
Allāh has promised the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the disbelievers the fire of Hell, wherein they will abide eternally. It is sufficient for them. And Allāh has cursed them, and for them is an enduring punishment.
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا تَأْوِيلَهُۥ ۚ يَوْمَ يَأْتِى تَأْوِيلُهُۥ يَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ نَسُوهُ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ فَهَل لَّنَا مِن شُفَعَآءَ فَيَشْفَعُوا۟ لَنَآ أَوْ نُرَدُّ فَنَعْمَلَ غَيْرَ ٱلَّذِى كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ ۚ قَدْ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ
Do they await except its result? The Day its result comes, those who had ignored it before will say, "The messengers of our Lord had come with the truth, so are there [now] any intercessors to intercede for us or could we be sent back to do other than what we used to do?" They will have lost themselves, and lost from them is what they used to invent.