Study the Quran

Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-A'raf 7:38

Word by word

قَالَ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ فِىٓ أُمَمٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ فِى ٱلنَّارِ ۖ كُلَّمَا دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ لَّعَنَتْ أُخْتَهَا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ٱدَّارَكُوا۟ فِيهَا جَمِيعًا قَالَتْ أُخْرَىٰهُمْ لِأُولَىٰهُمْ رَبَّنَا هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ أَضَلُّونَا فَـَٔاتِهِمْ عَذَابًا ضِعْفًا مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا تَعْلَمُونَ

[Allāh] will say, "Enter among nations which had passed on before you of jinn and mankind into the Fire." Every time a nation enters, it will curse its sister until, when they have all overtaken one another therein, the last of them will say about the first of them, "Our Lord, these had misled us, so give them a double punishment of the Fire." He will say, "For each is double, but you do not know."

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

People of the Fire will dispute and curse Each Other Allahmentioned what He will say to those who associate others with

Him, invent lies about Him, and reject His Ayat,ادْخُلُواْ فِى أُمَمٍ(Enter you in the company of nations), who are your likes and similar to you in conduct, قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ(Who passed away before you) from the earlier disbelieving nations, مِّن الْجِنِّ وَالإِنْسِ فِى النَّارِ(Of men and Jinn, into the Fire.) Allah said next, كُلَّمَا دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ لَّعَنَتْ أُخْتَهَا(Every time a new nation enters, it curses its sister nation (that went before)) Al-Khalil (Prophet Ibrahim), peace be upon him, said, ثُمَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ يَكْفُرُ بَعْضُكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ("But on the Day of Resurrection, you shall deny each other) 29:25.

Also, Allah said, إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُواْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ وَرَأَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الاٌّسْبَابُ - وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّءُواْ مِنَّا كَذَلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَـلَهُمْ حَسَرَتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا هُم بِخَـرِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارِ (When those who were followed declare themselves innocent of those who followed (them), and they see the torment, then all their relations will be cut off from them. And those who followed will say: "If only we had one more chance to return (to the worldly life), we would declare ourselves as innocent from them as they have declared themselves as innocent from us." Thus Allah will show them their deeds as regrets for them. And they will never get out of the Fire) 2:166-167.

Allah's statement, حَتَّى إِذَا ادَّارَكُواْ فِيهَا جَمِيعًا(until they are all together in the Fire) means, they are all gathered in the Fire, قَالَتْ أُخْرَاهُمْ لاٍّولَـهُمْ(The last of them will say to the first of them) that is, the nation of followers that enter last will say this to the first nations to enter. This is because the earlier nations were worse criminals than those who followed them, and this is why they entered the Fire first. For this reason, their followers will complain against them to Allah, because they were the ones who misguided them from the correct path, saying, رَبَّنَا هَـؤُلاءِ أَضَلُّونَا فَـَاتِهِمْ عَذَابًا ضِعْفًا مِّنَ النَّارِ("Our Lord! These misled us, so give them a double torment of the Fire.") multiply their share of the torment.

Allah said in another instance, يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِى النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يلَيْتَنَآ أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولاَ - وَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّآ أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَآءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِيلاْ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِهِمْ ضِعْفَيْنِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ(On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will say: "Oh! Would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger." And they will say: "Our Lord! Verily, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us from the (right) way. Our Lord! Give them a double torment.") 33:66-68. Allah said in reply, قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ(He will say: "For each one there is double (torment)..."), We did what you asked, and recompensed each according to their deeds.' Allah said in another Ayah, الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ زِدْنَـهُمْ عَذَابًا(Those who disbelieved and hinder (men) from the path of Allah, for them We will add torment)16:88.

Furthermore, Allah said, وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ أَثْقَالَهُمْ وَأَثْقَالاً مَّعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ(And verily, they shall bear their own loads, and other loads besides their own) 29:13 and, وَمِنْ أَوْزَارِ الَّذِينَ يُضِلُّونَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ(And also (some thing) of the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge) 16:25. وَقَالَتْ أُولَـهُمْ لاٌّخْرَاهُمْ(The first of them will say to the last of them) meaning, the followed will say to the followers, فَمَا كَانَ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا مِن فَضْلٍ("You were not better than us. ..") meaning, you were led astray as we were led astray, according to As-Suddi.

فَذُوقُواْ الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ("So taste the torment for what you used to earn.") Allah again described the condition of the idolators during the gathering (of Resurrection), when He said; قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُواْ أَنَحْنُ صَدَدنَـكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَى بَعْدَ إِذْ جَآءَكُمْ بَلْ كُنتُمْ مُّجْرِمِينَ - وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُواْ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ بَلْ مَكْرُ الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ إِذْ تَأْمُرُونَنَآ أَن نَّكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَجْعَلَ لَهُ أَندَاداً وَأَسَرُّواْ النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُاْ اْلَعَذَابَ وَجَعَلْنَا الاٌّغْلَـلَ فِى أَعْنَاقِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلاَّ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ (And those who were arrogant will say to those who were deemed weak: "Did we keep you back from guidance after it come to you Nay, but you were criminals." Those who were deemed weak will say to those who were arrogant: "Nay, but it was your plotting by night and day, when you ordered us to disbelieve in Allah and set up rivals to Him!" And each of them (parties) will conceal their own regrets, when they behold the torment.

And We shall put iron collars round the necks of those who disbelieved. Are they requited aught except what they used to do) 34:32-33

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

The first and the second verse both mentioned two crimes committed by disbelievers. They took Halal as Haram and made the Haram become Halal for themselves by themselves. The third verse (34) describes their sad end and the punishment they would have in the Hereafter. It was said:وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ ۖ فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُ‌ونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ(And for every people there is an appointed time. So, when their appointed time comes, they will not be late for a moment, nor will they go before).

In other words, what is being said here is that those committing excesses who, despite their contumacy, are basking in the sunshine of the blessings of Allah Ta` ala, and do not seem to be anywhere close to being punished, they should not lose sight of the customary practice of Allah that He, in His infinite mercy, keeps granting a long leash to sinners so that they would somehow stop doing what they do. But, the term of this leash and the time of this respite stands determined in the ultimate knowledge of Allah Ta` ala. When that time comes, it just comes - neither too late nor too soon. Thus, criminals are caught in punishment. At times, the punishment descends right here in this world - and if, the punishment does not visit them here, it waits to receive them soon after their death.

As for the appointed time not being late or early as stated in this verse, it is a manner of saying, something like saying to a salesperson in a store: at is your last price, more or less? It is obvious that the inquiry is for the lower price, not the higher. But, it is put there as a subordinate suffix. Similarly, the real objective here is to state that there will be no delay after the appointed time. The mention of ` before' along with ` late' makes it closer to common comprehension.

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

قال الله تعالى -لهؤلاء المشركين المفترين-: ادخلوا النار في جملة جماعات من أمثالكم في الكفر، قد سلفت من قبلكم من الجن والإنس، كلما دخلت النارَ جماعةٌ من أهل ملة لعنت نظيرتها التي ضلَّتْ بالاقتداء بها، حتى إذا تلاحق في النار الأولون من أهل الملل الكافرة والآخرون منهم جميعًا، قال الآخرون المتبعون في الدنيا لقادتهم: ربنا هؤلاء هم الذين أضلونا عن الحق، فآتهم عذابًا مضاعفا من النار، قال الله تعالى: لكل ضعف، أي: لكل منكم ومنهم عذاب مضاعف من النار، ولكن لا تدركون أيها الأتباع ما لكل فريق منكم من العذاب والآلام.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

يقول تعالى مخبرا عما يقوله لهؤلاء المشركين به ، المفترين عليه المكذبين بآياته : ( ادخلوا في أمم ) أي : من أشكالكم وعلى صفاتكم ، ( قد خلت من قبلكم ) أي : من الأمم السالفة الكافرة ، ( من الجن والإنس في النار ) يحتمل أن يكون بدلا من قوله : ( في أمم ) ويحتمل أن يكون ) في أمم ) أي : مع أمم .وقوله : ( كلما دخلت أمة لعنت أختها ) كما قال الخليل ، عليه السلام : ( ثم يوم القيامة يكفر بعضكم ببعض ويلعن بعضكم بعضا ) الآية [ العنكبوت : 25 ] .

وقوله تعالى : ( إذ تبرأ الذين اتبعوا من الذين اتبعوا ورأوا العذاب وتقطعت بهم الأسباب وقال الذين اتبعوا لو أن لنا كرة فنتبرأ منهم كما تبرءوا منا كذلك يريهم الله أعمالهم حسرات عليهم وما هم بخارجين من النار ) [ البقرة : 166 ، 167 ] .وقوله تعالى ( حتى إذا اداركوا فيها جميعا ) أي : اجتمعوا فيها كلهم ، ( قالت أخراهم لأولاهم ) أي : أخراهم دخولا - وهم الأتباع - لأولاهم - وهم المتبوعون - لأنهم أشد جرما من أتباعهم ، فدخلوا قبلهم ، فيشكوهم الأتباع إلى الله يوم القيامة; لأنهم هم الذين أضلوهم عن سواء السبيل ، فيقولون : ( ربنا هؤلاء أضلونا فآتهم عذابا ضعفا من النار ) أي : أضعف عليهم العقوبة ، كما قال تعالى : ( يوم تقلب وجوههم في النار يقولون يا ليتنا أطعنا الله وأطعنا الرسولا وقالوا ربنا إنا أطعنا سادتنا وكبراءنا فأضلونا السبيلا ربنا آتهم ضعفين من العذاب والعنهم لعنا كبيرا ) [ الأحزاب : 66 - 68 ] .وقوله : ( قال لكل ضعف ولكن لا تعلمون ) أي : قد فعلنا ذلك وجازينا كلا بحسبه ، كما قال تعالى : ( الذين كفروا وصدوا عن سبيل الله زدناهم عذابا فوق العذاب بما كانوا يفسدون ) [ النحل : 88 ] وقال تعالى : ( وليحملن أثقالهم وأثقالا مع أثقالهم وليسألن يوم القيامة عما كانوا يفترون ) [ العنكبوت : 13 ] وقال : ( ومن أوزار الذين يضلونهم بغير علم ألا ساء ما يزرون ) [ النحل : 25 ] .

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.