وَأَمَّآ إِن كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ 92
Translations
But if he was of the deniers [who were] astray,
Transliteration
Wa ammā in kāna mina al-mukadhdhibīna al-dāllīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the fate of those who reject the truth and remain in misguidance—they will be punished with the torment of the Hellfire. The dual description of 'mukadhdhibīn' (deniers/rejecters) and 'dāllīn' (astray ones) emphasizes both active rejection of faith and persistent deviation from the right path. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this ayah contrasts with the previous verses describing the reward of the righteous, establishing the justice of divine punishment for those who knowingly turn away from guidance.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Waqi'ah is a Meccan chapter that deals with the certainty of the Day of Judgment and the division of people into three categories: the righteous, the wayward, and those who hastened to good deeds. This particular ayah appears near the end of the surah as part of a comprehensive description of the afterlife, where the consequences of belief and disbelief are made explicit to warn the Meccan polytheists.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever dies while associating partners with Allah will enter the Fire.' (Sahih Bukhari 4497). Also relevant: 'Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.' (Sahih Muslim 110, Quran 4:48)
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that rejecting divine guidance is not merely a passive mistake but an active choice with eternal consequences, motivating believers to preserve their faith and warn others of the danger of turning away from truth.
Related Ayahs
فَأَخْرَجْنَا مَن كَانَ فِيهَا مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
So We brought out whoever was in them [i.e., the cities] of the believers.
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَهْلَكَنِىَ ٱللَّهُ وَمَن مَّعِىَ أَوْ رَحِمَنَا فَمَن يُجِيرُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Have you considered: whether Allāh should cause my death and those with me or have mercy upon us, who can protect the disbelievers from a painful punishment?"
فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوكُم بِمَا تَقُولُونَ فَمَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَ صَرْفًا وَلَا نَصْرًا ۚ وَمَن يَظْلِم مِّنكُمْ نُذِقْهُ عَذَابًا كَبِيرًا
So they will deny you, [disbelievers], in what you say, and you cannot avert [punishment] or [find] help. And whoever commits injustice among you - We will make him taste a great punishment.
إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةً ۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers.