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
كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَٰتًا فَأَحْيَـٰكُمْ ۖ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
How can you disbelieve in Allāh when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned.
وَلَوْ أَنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُۥ مَعَهُۥ لَٱفْتَدَوْا۟ بِهِۦ مِن سُوٓءِ ٱلْعَذَابِ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۚ وَبَدَا لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يَكُونُوا۟ يَحْتَسِبُونَ
And if those who did wrong had all that is in the earth entirely and the like of it with it, they would [attempt to] ransom themselves thereby from the worst of the punishment on the Day of Resurrection. And there will appear to them from Allāh that which they had not taken into account.
هَـٰذِهِۦ جَهَنَّمُ ٱلَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ
This is the Hellfire which you were promised.
لَّا يُسْمِنُ وَلَا يُغْنِى مِن جُوعٍ
Which neither nourishes nor avails against hunger.