Al-Mu'minun · Ayah 108

قَالَ ٱخْسَـُٔوا۟ فِيهَا وَلَا تُكَلِّمُونِ 108

Translations

He will say, "Remain despised therein and do not speak to Me.

Transliteration

Qala akhsaʾū fīhā wa lā tukallimu͐n

Tafsir (Explanation)

Allah commands the inhabitants of Hell to remain debased and humiliated within it, and forbids them from speaking to Him—a statement of absolute rejection and divine displeasure. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir explain this as the ultimate punishment: not merely physical torment, but the severance of all connection to Allah's mercy and the deprivation of any hope of intercession or dialogue. This ayah underscores that the disbelievers' estrangement from their Lord in this life will be eternally crystallized in the Hereafter.

Revelation Context

This ayah appears within Surah Al-Mu'minun, a Meccan chapter that contrasts the believers' success with the disbelievers' ultimate fate. The ayah is part of the dialogue on the Day of Judgment describing how the deniers will be addressed when they attempt to speak or plead before Allah, establishing the finality of their rejection.

Related Hadiths

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The people of Hell will remain in punishment, and the people of Paradise will remain in bliss. If Allah willed, He could make them all equal, but He does (as He wills)' (Sahih Muslim). This relates to the permanent state described in 23:108.

Themes

Divine JusticeThe Day of JudgmentPunishment of the DisbelieversSeverance from Allah's MercyConsequences of Disbelief

Key Lesson

This ayah reminds believers of the gravity of turning away from Allah's guidance and the permanent nature of those consequences—encouraging us to cherish our connection to the Divine in this life while we still have the opportunity to repent and be heard.

0:00
0:00

Related Ayahs

12:75Yusuf

قَالُوا۟ جَزَٰٓؤُهُۥ مَن وُجِدَ فِى رَحْلِهِۦ فَهُوَ جَزَٰٓؤُهُۥ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

[The brothers] said, "Its recompense is that he in whose bag it is found - he [himself] will be its recompense. Thus do we recompense the wrongdoers."

34:52Saba

وَقَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمُ ٱلتَّنَاوُشُ مِن مَّكَانٍۭ بَعِيدٍ

And they will [then] say, "We believe in it!" But how for them will be the taking [of faith] from a place far away?

6:164Al-An'am

قُلْ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ أَبْغِى رَبًّا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ ۚ وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ

Say, "Is it other than Allāh I should desire as a lord while He is the Lord of all things? And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ."

39:73Az-Zumar

وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوْا۟ رَبَّهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْجَنَّةِ زُمَرًا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا وَفُتِحَتْ أَبْوَٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ طِبْتُمْ فَٱدْخُلُوهَا خَـٰلِدِينَ

But those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in groups until, when they reach it while its gates have been opened and its keepers say, "Peace be upon you; you have become pure; so enter it to abide eternally therein," [they will enter].