إِنَّآ أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ سَلَـٰسِلَا۟ وَأَغْلَـٰلًا وَسَعِيرًا 4
Translations
Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains and shackles and a blaze.
Transliteration
Inna a'tadna lilkafireena salasila wa aghlalan wa sa'eera
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah declares that He has prepared chains, shackles, and a blazing fire for the disbelievers as punishment in the Hereafter. The mention of these three punishments together emphasizes the severity and totality of their torment—physical restraint through chains and shackles, combined with the agony of the hellfire itself. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir note that these punishments are specifically for those who reject Allah's signs and persist in disbelief, serving as both a warning and a reaffirmation of divine justice.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Insan was revealed in Madinah and discusses the contrasting fates of the righteous and the disbelievers. This ayah appears in the latter portion of the surah where Allah explicitly outlines the severe punishment awaiting those who reject faith, providing a powerful counterpoint to the descriptions of Paradise given earlier for the believers.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said regarding the hellfire: 'The least punished person in Hell will have two shoes and two shoelaces of fire that will boil his brain' (Sahih Bukhari 6562). Additionally, the Quran frequently pairs descriptions of chains with hellfire, as in Surah Ghafir 40:71: 'Those who disbelieve will be driven to Hell in groups.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a solemn reminder that rejection of Allah's truth carries severe eternal consequences, encouraging believers to remain steadfast in faith and to reflect on the importance of sincere belief and obedience. For modern readers, it underscores that accountability is real and that the choices made in this life regarding faith have profound and lasting implications.
Related Ayahs
وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا فُتِحَتْ أَبْوَٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِ رَبِّكُمْ وَيُنذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَـٰذَا ۚ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنْ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَةُ ٱلْعَذَابِ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups until, when they reach it, its gates are opened and its keepers will say, "Did there not come to you messengers from yourselves, reciting to you the verses of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say, "Yes, but the word [i.e., decree] of punishment has come into effect upon the disbelievers."
ٱلَّذِينَ يَجْعَلُونَ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ ۚ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ
Who make [equal] with Allāh another deity. But they are going to know.
۞ ٱحْشُرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ وَأَزْوَٰجَهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْبُدُونَ
[The angels will be ordered], "Gather those who committed wrong, their kinds, and what they used to worship
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ أَيَّامَ ٱللَّهِ لِيَجْزِىَ قَوْمًۢا بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], to those who have believed that they [should] forgive those who expect not the days of Allāh [i.e., of His retribution] so that He may recompense a people for what they used to earn.