فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَن يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ وَيَحِلُّ عَلَيْهِ عَذَابٌ مُّقِيمٌ 39
Translations
And you are going to know who will get a punishment that will disgrace him [on earth] and upon whom will descend an enduring punishment [in the Hereafter]."
Transliteration
Fasawfa ta'lamūn man ya'tīhi 'adhābun yukhzīhi wa yaḥillu 'alayhi 'adhābun muqīm
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah is Allah's warning to those who reject His messengers, declaring that they will soon witness who receives humiliating and permanent punishment. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this is part of Allah's address to the people of Nuh (Noah), affirming that the consequences of rejecting the divine message are inevitable and will manifest in this life and the hereafter. The dual punishment mentioned—disgrace combined with lasting torment—emphasizes both the spiritual and temporal consequences of disbelief.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the narrative of Prophet Nuh and his people (11:25-49), one of the Qur'an's most detailed accounts of a messenger's struggle against a disbelieving nation. The context reflects the Meccan period when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) faced ridicule and rejection, and the surah draws parallels between various messengers and their peoples' responses, serving as a consolation and warning to the believers in Mecca.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The example of the message I have been sent with is like rain that falls on the earth; some plants become luxuriant while others remain barren' (Sahih Muslim 2282). This relates thematically to how the same message produces different outcomes—guidance for believers and disgrace for rejectors.
Themes
Key Lesson
For believers, this ayah serves as a reminder that rejection of divine truth carries inevitable consequences, providing comfort that injustice will not go unanswered by Allah. It also calls for steadfastness in faith, as the ultimate vindication belongs to those who follow the messengers, not those who mock them.
Related Ayahs
يَوْمَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَلْسِنَتُهُمْ وَأَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
On a Day when their tongues, their hands and their feet will bear witness against them as to what they used to do.
وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا فُتِحَتْ أَبْوَٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِ رَبِّكُمْ وَيُنذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَـٰذَا ۚ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنْ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَةُ ٱلْعَذَابِ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups until, when they reach it, its gates are opened and its keepers will say, "Did there not come to you messengers from yourselves, reciting to you the verses of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say, "Yes, but the word [i.e., decree] of punishment has come into effect upon the disbelievers."
هَـٰٓأَنتُمْ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ جَـٰدَلْتُمْ عَنْهُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا فَمَن يُجَـٰدِلُ ٱللَّهَ عَنْهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ أَم مَّن يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكِيلًا
Here you are - those who argue on their behalf in [this] worldly life - but who will argue with Allāh for them on the Day of Resurrection, or who will [then] be their representative?
وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ
And Allāh will surely make evident those who believe, and He will surely make evident the hypocrites.