Surah Al-Hijr (15): Read Online and Download - English Translation

The Expulsion of Iblis from Jannah, and His Reprieve until the Day of Resurrection

Allah tells us how He issued an unconditional command to Iblis to leave the position he held among the highest of heights. He told him that he was an outcast, i.e., cursed, and that he would be followed by a curse that would hound him until the Day of Resurrection. It was reported that Sa`id bin Jubayr said: "When Allah cursed Iblis, his image into something different from that of the angels, and he made a sound like a bell. Every bell that rings on this earth until the Day of Resurrection is part of that. This was reported by Ibn Abi Hatim.

The Threat of Iblis to tempt Mankind, and Allah's Promise of Hell for him

Allah informed about the rebellion and arrogance of Iblis, in that he said to the Lord:

(Because You misled me,) i.e., because You misled me and misguided me.

(I shall indeed adorn the path of error for them) meaning, for the progeny of Adam.

(on the earth,) meaning - I will make sin dear to them, and will encourage, provoke and harass them to commit sin.

(and I shall mislead them all.) meaning - just as You have misled me and have ordained that for me.

(Except Your chosen, (guided) servants among them.) This is like the Ayah:

("Do you see this one whom You have honored above me, if You give me respite until the Day of Resurrection, I will surely seize and mislead his offspring, all but a few!") (17:62).

((Allah) said), i.e., threatening and warning Iblis.

(This is the way which will lead straight to Me.) means, `all of you will return to Me, and I will reward or punish you according to your deeds: if they are good then I will reward you, and if they are bad then I will punish you.' This is like the Ayah:

(Verily, your Lord is ever watchful.) (89:14) and

(And it is up to Allah to show the right way.) (16:9)

(Certainly, you shall have no authority over My servants) meaning, `you will have no way to reach those for whom I have decreed guidance.'

(except those of the astray who follow you.) Ibn Jarir mentioned that Yazid bin Qusayt said: "The Prophets used to have Masjids outside their cities, and if a Prophet wanted to consult with his Lord about something, he would go out to his place of worship and pray as Allah decreed. Then he would ask Him about whatever was concerning him. Once while a Prophet was in his place of worship, the enemy of Allah - meaning Iblis - came and sat between him and the Qiblah (direction of prayer). The Prophet said, `I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan.' The enemy of Allah said, `Do you know who you are seeking refuge from Here he is!' The Prophet said, `I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan', and he repeated that three times. Then the enemy of Allah said, `Tell me about anything in which you will be saved from me.' The Prophet twice said, `No, you tell me about something in which you can overpower the son of Adam' Each of them was insisting that the other answer first, then the Prophet said, Allah says,

(Certainly, you shall have no authority over My servants, except those of the astray who follow you.) The enemy of Allah said, `I heard this before you were even born.' The Prophet said, `And Allah says,

(And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaytan then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing) (7: 200). By Allah, I never sense that you are near but I seek refuge with Allah from you.' The enemy of Allah said, `You have spoken the truth. In this way you will be saved from me.' The Prophet said, `Tell me in what ways you overpower the son of Adam.' He said, `I seize him at times of anger and times of desire.'

(And surely, Hell is the place promised for them all.) meaning, Hell is the abode designated for all those who follow Iblis, as Allah says in the Qur'an:

(but those of the sects (Jews, Christians and all the other non-Muslim nations) that reject it (the Qur'an), the Fire will be their promised meeting place.)(11:17)

The Gates of Hell are Seven

Then Allah tells us that Hell has seven gates:

(for each of those gates is a (special) class (of sinners) assigned.) means, for each gate a portion of the followers of Iblis have been decreed, and they will have no choice in the matter. May Allah save us from that. Each one will enter a gate according to his deeds, and will settle in a level of Hell according to his deeds. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Samurah bin Jundub reported from the Prophet about,

(for each of those gates is a class assigned.) He said,

(Among the people of Hell are those whom the Fire will swallow up to the ankles, and those whom it will swallow up to the waist, and those whom it will swallow up to the collarbone.) The degree of which will depend upon their deeds. This is like the Ayah;

(for each of those gates is a class assigned.)

Description of the People of Paradise

Since Allah mentioned the condition of the people of Hell, He followed that by mentioning the people of Paradise. He tells us that they will dwell in Gardens and water springs.

(Enter it in peace) meaning free of all problems.

(and security.) meaning free from all fear and concern. They will not have any fear of expulsion, nor will they fear that their condition will be disrupted or end.

(And We shall remove any deep feeling of bitterness from their breasts. (So they will be like) brothers facing each other on thrones.) Al-Qasim narrated that Abu Umamah said: "The people of Paradise will enter Paradise with whatever enmity is left in their hearts from this world. Then, when they come together, Allah will remove whatever hatred the world has left in their hearts." Then he recited:

(And We shall remove any deep feeling of bitterness from their breasts.) This is how it was narrated in this report, but Al-Qasim bin `Abdur-Rahman is weak in his reports from Abu Umamah. However, this is in accord with the report in the Sahih where Qatadah says, "Abu Al-Mutawakkil An-Naji told us that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri told them that the Messenger of Allah said:

(The believers will be removed from the Fire, and they will be detained on a bridge between Paradise and Hell. Then judgment will be passed between them concerning any wrong they have committed in this world against one another, until they are cleansed and purified. Then permission will be given to them to enter Paradise.)"

(No sense of fatigue shall touch them) meaning no harm or hardship, as was reported in the Sahihs:

(Allah commanded me to tell Khadijah the good news of a jeweled palace in Paradise in which there will be no toil and no fatigue.)

(nor shall they (ever) be asked to leave it.) As was reported in the Hadith:

(It will be said, O dwellers of Paradise! You will be healthy and never fall sick; you will live and never die; you will be young and never grow old; you will stay here and never leave.) Allah says:

(Wherein they shall dwell (forever). They will have no desire to be removed from it.) (18:108)

(Declare to My servants, that I am truly the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful. And that My torment is indeed the most painful torment.) meaning, `O Muhammad, tell My servants that I am the source of mercy and I am the source of punishment.' Similar Ayat to this have already been quoted above, which indicate that we must always be in a state between hope (for Allah's mercy) and fear (of His punishment).

The Guests of Ibrahim and their Good News of a Son for Him

Allah is saying: `Tell them, O Muhammad, about the story of

(the guests of Ibrahim.)'

(they entered upon him, and said: "Salaman (peace!)." He said: "Indeed we are frightened of you.") meaning that they were scared. The reason for their fear has been mentioned previously, which is that they noticed that these guests did not eat of the food that was offered, which was a fattened calf.

(They said: "Do not be afraid!...") meaning, do not be scared.

(We bring you the good news of a boy possessing much knowledge and wisdom.) this refers to Ishaq, as was previously mentioned in Surat Hud. Then

(He said) meaning he spoke with wonder and astonishment, asking for confirmation, because he was old and his wife was old:

(Do you give me this good news while old age has overtaken me Of what then is your news about) They responded by confirming the good news they had brought, good news after good news:

(They said: "We give you good news in truth. So do not be of those who despair.")