وَنَسُوقُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ وِرْدًا 86
Translations
And will drive the criminals to Hell in thirst
Transliteration
Wa nasooqu al-mujrimeena ilaa jahannama wirdan
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how the criminals and sinners will be driven toward Hell in groups or successive waves (wirdan). According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, 'wirdan' literally means 'in groups coming one after another,' emphasizing the relentless procession of the condemned. The verb 'nasuqu' (we drive/lead) conveys divine authority and the inevitability of their fate, reflecting that their punishment is a certain consequence of their rebellion against Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Maryam, a Meccan surah that frequently juxtaposes the fate of the righteous with the punished. It occurs within the broader eschatological narrative (verses 85-87) that describes the Day of Judgment, contrasting how the righteous will be brought to mercy while the criminals face justice. The thematic context emphasizes the certainty of divine reckoning.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Hell will be brought on that day with seventy thousand reins, and each rein will be held by seventy thousand angels, dragging it.' (Sahih Muslim 2842). Additionally, 'The people of Hell will be driven to it like herds of cattle.' (Tirmidhi 2525)
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that those who persist in crime and sin cannot escape divine justice, regardless of their power or worldly status in this life. For believers, it reinforces the importance of repentance and righteous conduct, knowing that accountability before Allah is absolute and inescapable.
Related Ayahs
وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِّن قَبْلُ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًا فَـٰسِقِينَ
And [We destroyed] the people of Noah before; indeed, they were a people defiantly disobedient.
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُۥ
So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it,
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّن قَرْنٍ هُمْ أَحْسَنُ أَثَـٰثًا وَرِءْيًا
And how many a generation have We destroyed before them who were better in possessions and [outward] appearance?
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ نُهُوا۟ عَنِ ٱلنَّجْوَىٰ ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا نُهُوا۟ عَنْهُ وَيَتَنَـٰجَوْنَ بِٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْعُدْوَٰنِ وَمَعْصِيَتِ ٱلرَّسُولِ وَإِذَا جَآءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ ٱللَّهُ وَيَقُولُونَ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَوْلَا يُعَذِّبُنَا ٱللَّهُ بِمَا نَقُولُ ۚ حَسْبُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ يَصْلَوْنَهَا ۖ فَبِئْسَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
Have you not considered those who were forbidden from private conversation [i.e., ridicule and conspiracy] and then return to that which they were forbidden and converse among themselves about sin and aggression and disobedience to the Messenger? And when they come to you, they greet you with that [word] by which Allāh does not greet you and say among themselves, "Why does Allāh not punish us for what we say?" Sufficient for them is Hell, which they will [enter to] burn, and wretched is the destination.