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Part 18
Sura Nabaa 78: 21-30
21. "Surely Hell lies in ambush"
.
22. "For the transgressors a destination".
23. "To abide therein for ages".
24. "Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor any drink".
25. "Except a boiling fluid and pus".
26. "A fitting recompense (for their evil)".
27. "Surely they used not to look forward to the reckoning (for their
deeds)".
28. "And they rejected Our Signs with strong denial".
29. "And everything have We recorded in a book".
30. "So taste you (the fruit of your deeds); for no increase shall We grant
you, but in
punishment".
Commentary:
Hell is a Great Ambush!
After
presenting some of the evidences of Resurrection and a part of its incidents,
attention is paid to the destiny of the Unbelievers and says:
"Surely Hell
lies in ambush",
"For the transgressors a destination".
"To abide
therein for ages".
The
term/mirsad/ is a place-noun which means 'a place of observation, or of ambush'. Raqib cites in his book
Mufradat: '/marsad/ and /mirsad/ both mean
the same thing with a slight difference; that /mirsad/ is called a place that is made especially for an ambush'.
Some
commentators have said that the term is in the Arabic intensive form, with the
same sense as that of a person who lies in ambush, continuously. Of course, the
first meaning is both more common and more appropriate.
The
question of 'Who is lying in wait, in
Hell, for the transgressors?', has been answered with 'the angels of chastisement', because according to Sura Maryam, No.
19, verse 71 the whole of mankind, good or evil, will pass by the fire of Hell
or over it, thus: "Not one of you but will
pass over it: this is with thy Lord, a
Decree which must be accomplished". In this companion passage, the angels
of chastisement are lying in wait to catch the transgressors.
If
we comment on the term with the meaning of its Arabic intensive form, Hell is
lying in wait and each of the transgressors, who passes by, will be absorbed
inside, and in this passage it can be seen that none of them will he safe from
fire since, either the angels of chastisement or the intensive absorption of
Hell, will capture them.
The
term /ma' ab/ means: 'a place of return',
and sometimes means: 'residence'. It
is used, here, with the latter meaning.
The
term /ahqab/ is the plural form of /huqb/ with the sense of 'a long space of time'. The 'space' has been commented on,
differently, as to being 'forty', 'seventy'
or 'eighty' years. In any case,
this sense denotes that the transgressors will remain in Hell for a long time,
but it will end at last. This contrasts with the verses that denote the
eternity of chastisement for them.
The
commentators have followed different tracks in commenting on this, for example:
Among
the consensus of the commentators, a well-known commentary says that the
term /ahqab/, in this text, means that 'some
long spaces of time will pass one after another without having an end; with each
one that passes, another substitutes'.
In
some traditions, it is said that this verse is about those evildoers who will
finally be free from the fire, not about those who will be in Hell forever.
Then,
to point to a small part of the great punishments in Hell, it says: "Nothing cool shall they taste therein, nor
any drink".
"Except a
boiling fluid, and pus".
And
also, of course, the thick hot smoke mentioned in Sura Waqiah No. 56, verse 43
thus: "And in the shades of Black Smoke".
The
term /hamim/ means 'a boiling water' and
the term /qassaq/ means 'pus' flowing
from a wound or sore, and some have commented on it to mean 'bad-smelling fluids'.
The
Righteous, in contrast with them, drink the wholesome pure drinks from the
heavenly springs gifted by Allah: "...and their Lord will give them to drink a
Drink, Pure and Holy", (Sura Insan, No. 76, verse 21). And there are some
drinks for them, in nice heavenly containers, which are sealed with musk: "Whose seal is musk...", (Sura Mutaffifin,
No. 83, verse 26). What a contrast between the righteous and evildoers!
Since
these grave and dreadful punishments may seem surprising to some, in addition
to this, it says: "A fitting recompense
(for their evil)". And why not? Those who were cruel to the oppressed, in
the world, and had no mercy on anyone; tyrannical branding all the hearts and
spirits so that it seemed that they burnt their victims, violently, deserve to
suffer painful punishments like that and their drinks should, also, be so.
Basically,
as we have mentioned repeatedly, it is understood from the verses, of the
Qur'an, that at least many of the chastisements in the Hereafter are the
incarnation of men's deeds in this world. For instance, Sura Tahrim No. 66,
verse 7 says: "O you Unbelievers!
Make no excuses this Day! You are being but requited for all that you did!" (And
now you see them in front of you).
To
explain the cause of these punishments, it says: "Surely they used no' to look forward to the Reckoning (for their
deeds)".
And
the same carelessness paid to the Reckoning and the Day of Judgment was the
cause of their rebellion, tyranny, and cruelty, which resulted in this dreadful
destiny for them.
In
fact, the lack of Faith, about the Reckoning, is a certain cause of rebellion;
that which is the cause of those grave chastisements.
The
term /layarjun/ is derived from /raja'/ which means both 'hope' and lack of fear and
terror'. In principle, when
one hopes and expects a penalty, naturally he fears, and if he does not expect
it, he does not dread it, and these two correlate with each other. Then, those
who do not have hope in the Reckoning do not fear, either.
The
term /inna/ shows emphasis; the term /kanu/ is a sign for the past continuous
tense; the term / hisaba/ which has been used in an indefinite form, here,
after the negative sign of /la/, means 'reckoning'
and in general, all point to the fact that they, the transgressors, never
expected any Reckoning or the Record, at all. Or, in other words, they
had forgotten about the Day of Judgment and
they left no room for it in their lives. It is natural that such persons who
become the doers of any great evil and sin will finally be involved in these
painful punishments.
"And they
rejected Our Signs with strong denial".
Their
low desires had become so strong in them that they denied all the Signs of Allah in order to continue going astray
and accomplish their unlawful wishes.
It
is obvious that these verses carry some broad meanings, so that they include
the verses consisting of the unity of Allah,
prophecy, divine legislation, creation, the prophets miracles, precepts, and
traditions And, regarding the denial of the extensive Divine Signs and
evidences, that have covered the world of creation and divine legislation, we
should accept the punishment for these people as 'a fitting recompense' and just penalty.
Then,
as a warning to these rebels and, also, for the emphasis on
the
balance of 'sin' and 'penalty', and the authority of a
fitting recompense (for their evil), it says: "And everything have We recorded in a book".
We
accept this warning so that we, therefore, would not imagine that something of
our deeds will be left unrecorded and that we will not
be
punished for it, and also, that we would never consider the painful punishments
as unjust.
Many
of the verses, of the Qur'an, certify the fact that all of Man's deeds,
irrespective of small or great, apparent or hidden, and even intentions and
beliefs, are recorded.
Once
it says: "All that they do is noted in
(their) Books (of Deeds)": "Every matter, small and great, is on record", ( Sura
Qamar, No. 54, verses 52-53).
Another
time it says: "...Verily, Our messengers
record all the plots that you make!" (Sura Yunus, No. 10, verse 21)
In
addition, it says: "...and We record that
which they send before and that which they leave behind..." (Sura Yasin,
No. 36, verse 12)
And
then, when the records of the evildoers will be handed to them, they will cry
saying: "Ah! Woe to us! What a book is
this! It leaves out nothing small or great, hut takes account thereof!" (Sura
Kahf, No. 18, verse 49).
Undoubtedly,
the person who believes in this fact with all his heart, will be very careful
in his deeds and the very belief creates a lofty wall between him and sin and is
counted as one of the important factors, effective in good training.
In
the last verse, of this portion under discussion, the style of speaking is
changed from the third person to the second person, addressing them directly
and in a threatening tone: "So taste you
(the fruit of your deeds); for no increase shall We grant you, but in
punishment".
Whatever
you cry, whenever you say 'Ah woe to us',
or ask to return to the world to do good instead of evil; all are in vain
and you gain nothing, but your punishment.
This
is the penalty of those who, when they were faced with the Prophets' kind
invitation to faith and piety, used to say: "It
is the same to us whether you admonish us or be not among (our) admonishers!" (Sura
Shuara, No. 26, verse 136).
And
again, this is the penalty of those who, when the messages of Allah, are recited get nothing from it:
"... but it only increases their flight (from the Truth)!" ( Sura Bani Israil, No. 17,
verse 41).
And
finally, this is the penalty of those who avoided no sin and were fond of no
act of charity.
It
is narrated that the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) said:
"This verse is the most intensive one in
the Qur'an about those who deserve Hell".href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title="">[2]
Why
shouldn't it be so!? When the Merciful and Beneficent Allah addresses them with wrath and says: "...for no increase shall We grant you, but in punishment", to make
them completely hopeless.
name="_ftn1" title="">[1] Tafsir-i-Nur-uth-Thaqalayn,
vol. 5, p 494, Tradition 23 and p. 495, Tradition 26
name="_ftn2" title="">[2] Tafsir-i-Kashshaf, vol. 4,
p.690 and Ruh al-Bayan, vol. 10, p. 307
