45:10

مِّن وَرَآئِهِمۡ جَهَنَّمُۖ وَلَا يُغۡنِي عَنۡهُم مَّا كَسَبُواْ شَيۡـٔٗا وَلَا مَا ٱتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوۡلِيَآءَۖ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

Min waraihim jahannamu wala yughnee AAanhum ma kasaboo shayan wala ma ittakhathoo min dooni Allahi awliyaa walahum AAathabun AAatheemun

Before them is Hell, and what they had earned will not avail them at all nor what they had taken besides Allah as allies. And they will have a great punishment.

Word by word
  1. مِّنBefore them
  2. وَرَآئِهِمۡBefore them
  3. جَهَنَّمُۖ(is) Hell
  4. وَلَاand not
  5. يُغۡنِيwill avail
  6. عَنۡهُمthem
  7. مَّاwhat
  8. كَسَبُواْthey had earned
  9. شَيۡـٔٗاanything
  10. وَلَاand not
  11. مَاwhat
  12. ٱتَّخَذُواْthey had taken
  13. مِنbesides
  14. دُونِbesides
  15. ٱللَّهِAllah
  16. أَوۡلِيَآءَۖ(as) protectors
  17. وَلَهُمۡAnd for them
  18. عَذَابٌ(is) a punishment
  19. عَظِيمٌgreat
Al-Jathiyah · 45:10Makkah

What they earned and their allies will not help.

Two kinds of backup that fail


What they relied on
what they earnedwealth and children
their alliesfalse gods
avails
nothingno help at all
What I lean on
my savings, my peoplethey will cover me
Allah alonethe only real help

Ibn Kathir says their wealth and children will not avail them, nor will the false gods they worshipped besides Allah. Everything they built up as protection gives nothing on that Day.

You keep a list in your head: the emergency fund, the cousin who is a lawyer, the friend with connections. All good things, and none of them is your real protector.

With enough money and the right contacts, I am covered.

Money and contacts help here. Only Allah protects in the end.

Try this

When you check your savings this week, also say: hasbiyallah, Allah is enough for me.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 45:6)

These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth. Then in which speech after Allah and His Ayat will they believe (6)Woe to every sinful liar (7)Who hears the Ayat of Allah Tutla (recited) to him, yet persists with pride as if he heard them not. So announce to him a painful torment (8)And when he learns something of Our Ayat, he makes them a jest. For such there will be a humiliating torment (9)In front of them there is Hell. And that which they have earned will be of no profit to them, nor those whom they have taken as protective friends besides Allah. And theirs will be a great torment (10)This is guidance. And those who disbelieve in the Ayat of their Lord, for them there is a painful torment of Rijz (11)

The Description of the Sinful Liar and His Requital

Allah the Exalted says,

تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ

(These are the Ayat of Allah) – in reference to the Qur'an with the proofs and evidences that it contains,

نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ

(which We recite to you with truth.) for they contain the truth from the Truth (i.e., Allah). Therefore, if they do not believe in Allah's Ayat nor abide by them, what speech after Allah and His Ayat will they then believe in? Allah said next,

وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ

(Woe to every sinful liar.) who lies in his speech, often swears, who is worthless, commits and utters sinful acts and statements, and disbelieves in Allah's Ayat,

يَسْمَعُ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ

(Who hears the Ayat of Allah Tutla (recited) to him,) meaning, being recited to him,

ثُمَّ يُصِرُّ

(yet persists) in his disbelief, denial, pride and rebellion,

كَأَنْ لَمْ يَسْمَعْهَا

(as if he heard them not.) as if he did not hear them being recited to him,

فَبَشِّرْهُ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

(So announce to him a painful torment!) convey the news to him that on the Day of Resurrection, he will have a painful, severe torment from Allah. Allah said,

وَإِذَا عَلِمَ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا شَيْئًا اتَّخَذَهَا هُزُوًا ۚ 

(And when he learns something of Our Ayat, he makes them a jest.) if he learns anything from the Qur'an, he disbelieves in it and takes it as the subject of jest and ridicule,

أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ 

(For such there will be a humiliating torment.) as recompense for ridiculing the Qur'an and jesting about it. In the Sahih, Muslim recorded from 'Abdullah bin 'Umar that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prohibited traveling with the Qur'an to enemy lands for fear that the Qur'an might be desecrated by the enemy.

Allah explained the type of torment that these people earn on the Day of Return;

مِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ 

(In front of them there is Hell.) meaning, all those who have these evil characteristics will end up in Hellfire on the Day of Resurrection,

وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُمْ مَا كَسَبُوا شَيْئًا 

(And that which they have earned will be of no profit to them,) their wealth and children will not avail them,

 وَلَا مَا اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ ۖ 

(nor those whom they have taken as protecting friends besides Allah.) nor will the false gods that they worshipped besides Allah benefit them in the least,

وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ 

(And theirs will be a great torment.) Allah the Exalted said,

هَٰذَا هُدًى ۖ 

(This is Huda (guidance).) in reference to the Qur'an,

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مِنْ رِجْزٍ أَلِيمٌ

(And those who disbelieve in the Ayat of their Lord, for them there is a painful torment of Rijz.) that is agonizing and severe. Allah knows best.