لَا يَصْلَىٰهَآ إِلَّا ٱلْأَشْقَى 15
Translations
None will [enter to] burn therein except the most wretched one
Transliteration
Lā yaslāhā illā al-ashqā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah states that only the most wretched and sinful (al-ashqā) will be cast into the Hellfire. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret al-ashqā as referring to those who persist in grave sins and reject the truth despite clear signs. The ayah emphasizes that entering Hell is reserved for those who reject faith and persist in disobedience, highlighting divine justice in punishment.
Revelation Context
Surah Al-Layl was revealed in Mecca during the early period of Islam, addressing the fundamental themes of accountability and the afterlife. This ayah appears within a passage describing the contrasting fates of the righteous and the wicked on the Day of Judgment, reinforcing the Quranic theme that consequences are determined by one's spiritual state and choices.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The Fire has eighty thousand gatekeepers, each with eighty thousand soldiers' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim describes the severity of punishment: 'The least torment in Hell is that a man will have two shoes of fire that will cause his brains to boil.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that Allah's punishment is just and measured, reserved for those who willfully reject truth and persist in transgression. It should inspire Muslims to seek repentance, avoid grave sins, and remember that sincere faith and righteous deeds are the means of salvation.
Related Ayahs
قِيلَ ٱدْخُلُوٓا۟ أَبْوَٰبَ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ فَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ
[To them] it will be said, "Enter the gates of Hell to abide eternally therein, and wretched is the residence of the arrogant."
أَمْ حَسِبَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱجْتَرَحُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ أَن نَّجْعَلَهُمْ كَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ سَوَآءً مَّحْيَاهُمْ وَمَمَاتُهُمْ ۚ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
Or do those who commit evils think We will make them like those who have believed and done righteous deeds - [make them] equal in their life and their death? Evil is that which they judge [i.e., assume].
أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَيْرٌ مُّسْتَقَرًّا وَأَحْسَنُ مَقِيلًا
The companions of Paradise, that Day, are [in] a better settlement and better resting place.
وَإِن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا نَحْنُ مُهْلِكُوهَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُوهَا عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا ۚ كَانَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ مَسْطُورًا
And there is no city but that We will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection or punish it with a severe punishment. That has ever been in the Register inscribed.