ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا۟ لَن تَمَسَّنَا ٱلنَّارُ إِلَّآ أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَٰتٍ ۖ وَغَرَّهُمْ فِى دِينِهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ 24
Translations
That is because they say, "Never will the Fire touch us except for [a few] numbered days," and [because] they were deluded in their religion by what they were inventing.
Transliteration
Dhālika bi-annāhum qālū lan tamassanā al-nāru illā ayyāman ma'dūdāt; wa-gharrahum fī dīnihim mā kānū yaftarūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah condemns the false belief of the Children of Israel who claimed that the Fire of Hell would only touch them for a limited number of days, a misconception rooted in their invented religious doctrines. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this statement reflects their arrogance and their self-deceptive interpretation of their scripture, where they misunderstood the concept of atonement and divine mercy. Al-Qurtubi notes that this ayah serves as a warning against fabricating religious claims and relying on false hopes regarding divine punishment.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ali 'Imran's broader discussion of the People of the Book and their misguided beliefs regarding salvation and accountability. It addresses the specific Jewish claim mentioned in their traditions that their punishment in the afterlife would be limited in duration, a belief contradicted by the Qur'an's assertion of accountability for all deeds.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Each soul will taste death' (Qur'an 3:185). Related hadith in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim emphasize that no one has immunity from divine punishment except through sincere repentance and righteous deeds, refuting any claim of automatic or time-limited salvation.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah warns believers against creating comforting illusions about the consequences of our actions or inventing religious doctrines that contradict divine truth; true security comes only through genuine faith, righteous conduct, and sincere repentance, not through false hopes or inherited assumptions.
Related Ayahs
قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَـٰلِكَ ٱلْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى ٱلْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ ٱلْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُ ۖ بِيَدِكَ ٱلْخَيْرُ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Say, "O Allāh, Owner of Sovereignty, You give sovereignty to whom You will and You take sovereignty away from whom You will. You honor whom You will and You humble whom You will. In Your hand is [all] good. Indeed, You are over all things competent.
ٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّنَآ ءَامَنَّا فَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ
Those who say, "Our Lord, indeed we have believed, so forgive us our sins and protect us from the punishment of the Fire,"
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ بِمَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦ هُوَ خَيْرًا لَّهُم ۖ بَلْ هُوَ شَرٌّ لَّهُمْ ۖ سَيُطَوَّقُونَ مَا بَخِلُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَٰثُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
And let not those who [greedily] withhold what Allāh has given them of His bounty ever think that it is better for them. Rather, it is worse for them. Their necks will be encircled by what they withheld on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allāh belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth. And Allāh, of what you do, is [fully] Aware.
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا نُمْلِى لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ لِّأَنفُسِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا نُمْلِى لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُوٓا۟ إِثْمًا ۚ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ
And let not those who disbelieve ever think that [because] We extend their time [of enjoyment] it is better for them. We only extend it for them so that they may increase in sin, and for them is a humiliating punishment.