عَامِلَةٌ نَّاصِبَةٌ 3
Translations
Working [hard] and exhausted.
Transliteration
Amilatun naasibah
Tafsir (Explanation)
This phrase describes the faces of the inhabitants of Hell on the Day of Judgment - they are 'laboring and exhausted.' According to classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir, 'amilah (laboring) refers to their continuous toil and punishment, while 'nasibah (exhausted/weary) describes their state of extreme fatigue and distress from the torment. The dual description emphasizes both the relentless nature of hellish punishment and the complete exhaustion of the damned.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Ghashiyah describes the scenes of the Day of Judgment, contrasting the fates of the inhabitants of Paradise and Hell. This ayah specifically depicts the facial expressions and conditions of those in Hell as part of the surah's vivid portrayal of the afterlife, serving as a warning to believers about the consequences of disbelief and disobedience.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The least punished person in the Fire will be Iblis, and he will say: O Lord, because of you I have disobeyed you, and because of you they disobeyed you' (Sahih Muslim 2851). This relates to the eternal nature of punishment described in the ayah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a profound reminder that our deeds in this life have eternal consequences, and that the punishment in the Hereafter involves both physical torment and spiritual anguish. Believers should use such descriptions as motivation to repent, obey Allah's commands, and avoid disobedience.
Related Ayahs
إِذْ يَتَلَقَّى ٱلْمُتَلَقِّيَانِ عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَعَنِ ٱلشِّمَالِ قَعِيدٌ
When the two receivers [i.e., recording angels] receive, seated on the right and on the left.
وَمَن جَآءَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ فَكُبَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِى ٱلنَّارِ هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And whoever comes with an evil deed - their faces will be overturned into the Fire, [and it will be said], "Are you recompensed except for what you used to do?"
قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ أَتَتْكَ ءَايَـٰتُنَا فَنَسِيتَهَا ۖ وَكَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ تُنسَىٰ
[Allāh] will say, "Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot [i.e., disregarded] them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten."
يَوْمَ يَبْعَثُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ جَمِيعًا فَيَحْلِفُونَ لَهُۥ كَمَا يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ ۖ وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍ ۚ أَلَآ إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ ٱلْكَـٰذِبُونَ
On the Day Allāh will resurrect them all, and they will swear to Him as they swear to you and think that they are [standing] on something. Unquestionably, it is they who are the liars.