ثُمَّ نُنَجِّى ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوا۟ وَّنَذَرُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ فِيهَا جِثِيًّا 72
Translations
Then We will save those who feared Allāh and leave the wrongdoers within it, on their knees.
Transliteration
Thumma nunajjī alladhīna ittaqaw wa-nadharu al-ẓālimīna fīhā jithiyyā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the final judgment where Allah will rescue the righteous (those who feared Him) from the Fire, while leaving the wrongdoers to remain in it on their knees in a state of humiliation and submission. Ibn Kathir explains that 'jithiyyā' (on their knees) signifies their complete powerlessness and degradation, emphasizing both the reward of the pious and the eternal punishment of the unjust. Al-Qurtubi notes this verse demonstrates Allah's justice—distinguishing between those who obeyed and those who transgressed.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Maryam, revealed in Mecca during the early period of Islam when the Prophet faced persecution. The surah emphasizes the resurrection and final judgment as comfort to believers facing hardship, establishing that divine justice will ultimately prevail and the oppressed will be vindicated while oppressors face consequences.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The most distant person from me on the Day of Judgment will be the proud and arrogant' (Sahih Bukhari 3895), reflecting the humiliation described for the wrongdoers. Additionally, Surah At-Taubah 9:72 describes the rewards for the righteous, which complements this ayah's contrast between the two groups.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that moral choices in this life have eternal consequences, and that true dignity lies in righteousness and fear of Allah rather than in worldly power or arrogance. For believers facing injustice, it provides assurance that Allah's justice is absolute and inevitable, motivating steadfastness in faith and ethical conduct.
Related Ayahs
۞ ٱحْشُرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ وَأَزْوَٰجَهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْبُدُونَ
[The angels will be ordered], "Gather those who committed wrong, their kinds, and what they used to worship
يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُكُمْ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْجَمْعِ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ ٱلتَّغَابُنِ ۗ وَمَن يُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ وَيَعْمَلْ صَـٰلِحًا يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِۦ وَيُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
The Day He will assemble you for the Day of Assembly - that is the Day of Deprivation. And whoever believes in Allāh and does righteousness - He will remove from him his misdeeds and admit him to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the great attainment.
وَبَدَا لَهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتُ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
And the evil consequences of what they did will appear to them, and they will be enveloped by what they used to ridicule.
وَقَالُوا۟ لَن تَمَسَّنَا ٱلنَّارُ إِلَّآ أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَةً ۚ قُلْ أَتَّخَذْتُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ عَهْدًا فَلَن يُخْلِفَ ٱللَّهُ عَهْدَهُۥٓ ۖ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
And they say, "Never will the Fire touch us, except for [a few] numbered days." Say, "Have you taken a covenant with Allāh? For Allāh will never break His covenant. Or do you say about Allāh that which you do not know?"