Transliteration:( Inna jahan nama kaanat mirsaada )
"Verily, Hell is waiting."
Hell's Discerning Power:
This verse highlights that Hell itself is waiting for the infidels, or alternatively, it could refer to the angels of Hell waiting to bring them to their punishment.
Hell is personified as having the ability to recognize who is destined for it. It has discerning power to distinguish between those who are worthy of punishment and those who are not.
Everything in existence, even animals and inorganic things, has some level of intelligence and awareness. This is supported by accounts of the Saints of Allah understanding the speech of inanimate objects. For example, the Noble Companions of the Prophet ﷺ heard the Pillar of Hananah weep and speak.
The Awareness of the Angels of Hell:
The angels of Hell are fully aware of who will die as an infidel and who will die as a believer. This reinforces the idea that the angels have knowledge of the destiny of all souls.
The knowledge of the Holy Prophet ﷺ surpasses that of the angels. He too is fully aware of the destinies of individuals, knowing those who are destined for Paradise and those for Hell.
Paradise Awaiting the Believers:
In contrast, Paradise is also depicted as awaiting the believers. The hoories (heavenly damsels) and the heavenly youth (ghilmaan) eagerly await the arrival of the believers in Paradise.
A Hadith mentions that when a wife in Paradise quarrels with her husband, the hoories remind her not to fight, as he is a guest of Paradise, soon to join them. This illustrates the anticipation of the Paradise dwellers for the believers.
The tafsir of Surah Naba verse 20 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Naba ayat 17 which provides the complete commentary from verse 17 through 30.
(78:21) Surely the Hell is an ambush,[14]
14. An ambush: a place contrived to entrap game by surprise. Hell has been described as an ambush, because the rebels of God are fearless of it and are enjoying life thinking that the world is a haven of bliss for them. They do not know that Hell is lying in ambush for them, which will trap them suddenly and keep them trapped.
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