فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا۟ وَلَن تَفْعَلُوا۟ فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱلنَّارَ ٱلَّتِى وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلْحِجَارَةُ ۖ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ 24
Translations
But if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire, whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.
Transliteration
Fa-in lam taf'alu wa lan taf'alufattaqu an-nara allati waqoduha an-nasu wa al-hijara. U'iddat lil-kafireen.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah concludes the challenge to produce a surah like the Quran (2:23), declaring that since the disbelievers cannot and will never be able to produce its like, they should fear the Hellfire whose fuel is people and stones. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir emphasize this as a definitive statement of the Quran's inimitability ('i'jaz) combined with a stern warning of divine punishment for those who reject it. The specification of 'people and stones' as fuel refers to the inhabitants of Hell and their symbolic representations of hardness and cruelty.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the opening challenge to the disbelievers of Makkah regarding the Quran's miraculous nature. It appears in the Medinan surah Al-Baqarah but references events from the Meccan period. The context addresses those who denied the Quran's divine origin and were challenged to produce something comparable; this ayah seals that challenge with a warning of consequences for their rejection.
Related Hadiths
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The stones and trees will say on the Day of Resurrection: O Muslim, there is a Jew/Christian behind me, come and kill him' (Sahih Muslim 2922). This relates thematically to the mention of 'people and stones' in judgment. Additionally, Anas ibn Malik reported hadith regarding the fire being prepared for disbelievers (Sahih Bukhari 3334).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that the Quran's miraculous nature is an undeniable proof of its divine origin, while it serves as a sobering reminder that persistent rejection of clear signs leads to severe accountability before Allah. Modern readers should reflect on the importance of recognizing divine guidance and the serious consequences of turning away from it.
Related Ayahs
وَإِذْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْفُرْقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
And [recall] when We gave Moses the Scripture and criterion that perhaps you would be guided.
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِى كَيْفَ تُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ ۖ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن ۖ قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِى ۖ قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ ٱلطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ ٱجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ٱدْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا ۚ وَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
And [mention] when Abraham said, "My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead." [Allāh] said, "Have you not believed?" He said, "Yes, but [I ask] only that my heart may be satisfied." [Allāh] said, "Take four birds and commit them to yourself. Then [after slaughtering them] put on each hill a portion of them; then call them - they will come [flying] to you in haste. And know that Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise."
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱعْتَدَوْا۟ مِنكُمْ فِى ٱلسَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا۟ قِرَدَةً خَـٰسِـِٔينَ
And you had already known about those who transgressed among you concerning the sabbath, and We said to them, "Be apes, despised."
وَمَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسْمَعُ إِلَّا دُعَآءً وَنِدَآءً ۚ صُمٌّۢ بُكْمٌ عُمْىٌ فَهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
The example of those who disbelieve is like that of one who shouts at what hears nothing but calls and cries [i.e., cattle or sheep] - deaf, dumb and blind, so they do not understand.