Transliteration:( Innal lazeena kafaru min ahlil kitaabi wal mushri keena fee nari jahan nama khaali deena feeha; ulaa-ika hum shar rul ba reeyah )
Both polytheists and the People of the Book are condemned to eternal Hell due to their rejection of divine truth. However, the severity of their punishment varies based on the nature of their disbelief:
Hierarchy in Hell:
Lighter Punishment: Those in higher regions of Hell (e.g., pride-driven scholars of the People of the Book) face lesser torment.
Severe Punishment: Those in deeper regions (e.g., obstinate polytheists) endure harsher suffering.
Quranic Basis:
إِنَّ الْمُجْرِمِينَ فِي عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدُونَ . لَا يُفَتَّرُ عَنْهُمْ وَهُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ
“Indeed, the wicked will be in the punishment of Hell, remaining there eternally. It will not be lightened for them, and they will be plunged into despair.”
(Surah Az-Zukhruf 43:74-75)
Condemnation of Pride:
People of the Book prided themselves on prophetic lineage and scriptural knowledge but rejected Muhammad (ﷺ).
Polytheists boasted about serving the Ka’bah and descending from Ibrahim (عليه السلام), yet practiced idolatry.
Quranic Refutation:
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّـهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ
“The most noble among you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous.”
(Surah Al-Hujurat 49:13)
Uselessness of Lineage Without Faith:
Knowledge and lineage benefit only believers. For disbelievers, these become liabilities, as they highlight their willful rejection.
While entry into Hell occurs after the Day of Judgment, the Quran metaphorically declares disbelievers “already in Hell” due to the inevitability of their fate:
Exceptions and Cooler Regions:
Figures like Abu Talib (the Prophet’s uncle who protected him but died without embracing Islam) may face mitigated punishment in “cooler” regions, where fire’s intensity is reduced.
Quranic Principle:
إِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ
“Allah does not wrong [anyone] even by an atom’s weight.”
(Surah An-Nisa 4:40)
Universal Fire as Punishment:
All disbelievers are ultimately subjected to Hellfire, with proximity determining severity.
The People of the Book and polytheists are likened to the vilest creations (e.g., dogs, pigs) due to their betrayal of divine trust:
Metaphorical Comparison:
Quranic Imagery:
أُولَـٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ
“They are like cattle—no, even more astray.”
(Surah Al-A‘raf 7:179)
Exclusion from Divine Mercy:
Disbelievers were barred from Nuh’s Ark, symbolizing their exclusion from salvation. Only those who embraced faith were saved, underscoring that lineage or status cannot substitute belief.
Traitors of the Divine Covenant:
Unlike animals or natural creations, disbelievers consciously reject truth, making them “worst of creatures” (شَرُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ).
Faith Over Lineage: Salvation hinges on belief, not ancestry or ritualistic pride.
Justice in Punishment: Hell’s hierarchy reflects divine fairness, accounting for individual accountability.
Eternal Consequences: Infidelity irrevocably severs one from Allah’s mercy, emphasizing the urgency of embracing truth.
6. Verily, those who disbelieve from among the People of the Scripture and idolators, will abide in the fire of Hell. They are the worst of creatures. 7. Verily, those who believe and do righteous good deeds, they are the best of creatures. 8. Their reward with their Lord is Eternal Gardens, underneath which rivers flow. They will abide therein forever, Allah will be pleased with them, and they well-pleased with Him. That is for him who fears his Lord.
Allah informs of what will happen to the wicked disbelievers among the People of the Scripture and the idolators who oppose the Allah’s divinely revealed Books and the Prophets whom He sent. He says that they will be in the fire of Hell on the Day of Judgement and they will abide therein forever. This means that they will remain in it and they will have no way out of it and they will not cease being in it.
(They are the worst of creatures.) meaning, they are the worst creation that Allah has fashioned and created. Then Allah informs about the situation of the righteous people who believed in their hearts and performed righteous deeds with their bodies. He says that they are the best of creation. Abu Hurayrah and a group of the scholars have used this Ayah as a proof that the believers have a status among the creatures that is better than the angels. This is because Allah says,
(They are the best of creatures.) Then Allah says,
(Their reward with their Lord) meaning, on the Day of Judgement.
(is Eternal Gardens underneath which rivers flow. They will abide therein forever,) meaning, having no end, no break and no conclusion.
(Allah will be pleased with them, and they well-pleased with Him.) The condition of Him being pleased with them is more illustri- ous than all of the everlasting delights that they will be given.
(and they well-pleased with Him.) Due to the comprehensive favors He has given them. Then Allah says,
(That is for him who fears his Lord.) meaning, this is the reward that will be attained by those who revere Allah and fear Him as He deserves to be feared. This is the person who worships Allah as if he sees Him, and he knows that even though he does not see Him, indeed Allah sees him. Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah said,
(Shall I not inform you of the best of creation) They said, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah!” He said,
(A man who takes the reins of his horse in the way of Allah, and whenever there is a fearful cry from the enemy, he climbs upon it. Shall I not inform you of the best of creation) They said, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah!” He said,
(A man who has a flock of sheep and he establishes the prayer and gives the obligatory charity. Shall I not inform you of the worst of creation) They said, “Of course.” He said,
(The person who is asked by Allah and he does not give by Him.) This is the end of the Tafsir of Surat Lam Yakun (Al-Bayyinah), and all praise and thanks are due to Allah.
(98:6) Those who disbelieved[8] – be they from among the People of the Book or among those who associated others with Allah in His Divinity– shall be in the Fire, and will abide in it. They are the worst of creatures.[9]
8. Disbelieved: Refused to acknowledge the ProphetMuhammad (peace be upon him) as Allah’s Messenger.The meaning is that the end of those from among themushriks and the followers of the Book, who have notacknowledged the Messenger whose emergence by itself is aclear evidence, and who is reciting to them hallowed pagescontaining sound and correct teachings, will be as is beingdescribed below.
9. That is, they are worse than all creatures of God, evenanimals, for the animals do not possess reason and power,but these people reject the truth in spite of having reasonand authority.
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