إِنَّكُمْ لَذَآئِقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْأَلِيمِ 38
Translations
Indeed, you [disbelievers] will be tasters of the painful punishment,
Transliteration
Innakum la-dhā'iqū al-'adhābi al-'alīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is Allah's firm declaration to the disbelievers that they will inevitably taste painful punishment for their rejection of faith and mockery of the signs of Allah. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this is an emphatic promise (wa'd) of divine retribution, with the particle 'lām' (lā) intensifying the certainty of the threat. The word 'adhāb al-alīm' (painful torment) specifically denotes a punishment that combines physical agony with spiritual anguish.
Revelation Context
Surah As-Saffat is a Meccan surah addressing the polytheists of Mecca who persistently denied the message of Prophet Muhammad and mocked believers. This particular ayah occurs in the context where the disbelievers are warned about the consequences of their arrogance and rejection, fitting the surah's overarching theme of the Day of Judgment and divine accountability.
Related Hadiths
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The least punishment of the people of Hell-fire is to have two shoes of fire put on their feet, by which their brain will boil' (Sahih Bukhari 4735). Related thematically: 'Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent' (Sahih Bukhari 6018) - emphasizing the seriousness of rejecting faith.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that rejection of divine guidance carries inevitable consequences, serving as a sobering reminder of accountability before Allah. For Muslims, it reinforces the importance of accepting the message with humility and passing it on with sincerity, knowing that those who deliberately turn away from truth will face severe reckoning.