وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ أَلَيْسَ هَـٰذَا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّنَا ۚ قَالَ فَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ 34
Translations
And the Day those who disbelieved are exposed to the Fire [it will be said], "Is this not the truth?" They will say, "Yes, by our Lord." He will say, "Then taste the punishment for what you used to deny."
Transliteration
Wa yawma yu'radu alladhina kafarū 'ala an-nāri a-laysa hādhā bil-haqq? Qālū balā wa rabbinā. Qāla fa-dhūqū al-'adhāba bimā kuntum takfurūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
On the Day of Judgment, the disbelievers will be presented before the Fire and asked if this punishment is not the truth they denied. They will acknowledge it is indeed true, swearing by their Lord, yet this confession comes too late. Allah commands them to taste the punishment as a consequence of their disbelief in this life. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this ayah demonstrates the disbelievers' inability to deny the reality of the Hereafter once confronted with it, yet their acknowledgment cannot change their fate.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Ahqaf, a Meccan chapter that frequently addresses the certainty of the Day of Judgment and the punishment awaiting those who reject Allah's signs. It comes near the end of the surah as part of a concluding passage describing the ultimate end of the disbelievers, reinforcing the central theme that rejection of divine truth carries inevitable consequences.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The Fire will be shown to the people on the Day of Judgment, and they will see it and know it by its heat and smoke.' (Musnad Ahmad). This relates to the presentation of disbelievers before the Fire mentioned in this ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that denying the truth in this life does not erase its reality; on the Day of Judgment, all will witness and acknowledge what they rejected. For believers, it should strengthen conviction in Islamic teachings now, and for those in doubt, it emphasizes the importance of accepting truth while in this world when acceptance is still valuable.