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
يَوْمَئِذٍ يُوَفِّيهِمُ ٱللَّهُ دِينَهُمُ ٱلْحَقَّ وَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ ٱلْمُبِينُ
That Day, Allāh will pay them in full their true [i.e., deserved] recompense, and they will know that it is Allāh who is the manifest Truth [i.e., perfect in justice].
وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ حُسْنًا ۖ وَإِن جَـٰهَدَاكَ لِتُشْرِكَ بِى مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَآ ۚ إِلَىَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And We have enjoined upon man goodness to parents. But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them. To Me is your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do.
إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَمِيعًا ۖ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقًّا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ يَبْدَؤُا۟ ٱلْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُۥ لِيَجْزِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ
To Him is your return all together. [It is] the promise of Allāh [which is] truth. Indeed, He begins the [process of] creation and then repeats it that He may reward those who have believed and done righteous deeds, in justice. But those who disbelieved will have a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment for what they used to deny.
فَشَـٰرِبُونَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْحَمِيمِ
And drinking on top of it from scalding water.