Quran Universe
16:29

فَٱدۡخُلُوٓاْ أَبۡوَٰبَ جَهَنَّمَ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَاۖ فَلَبِئۡسَ مَثۡوَى ٱلۡمُتَكَبِّرِينَ

Faodkhuloo abwaba jahannama khalideena feeha falabisa mathwa almutakabbireena

So enter the gates of Hell to abide eternally therein, and how wretched is the residence of the arrogant.

Word by word
  1. فَٱدۡخُلُوٓاْSo enter
  2. أَبۡوَٰبَ(the) gates
  3. جَهَنَّمَ(of) Hell
  4. خَٰلِدِينَ(to) abide forever
  5. فِيهَاۖin it
  6. فَلَبِئۡسَSurely,wretched
  7. مَثۡوَى(is the) abode
  8. ٱلۡمُتَكَبِّرِينَ(of) the arrogant
An-Nahl · 16:29Makkah

Pride that would not bow ends in a wretched home.

Where arrogance toward the signs leads

The path described
arroganceignored the signs
refused
the Messengerstheir warning
ends at
an evil abodefor the arrogant
What decides the end
my excuse at death"we did no evil"
pride or humilityshown during life

This continues the scene at death from the previous verse. Ibn Kathir explains it as a miserable place for those who were too arrogant to pay attention to the signs of Allah and follow His Messengers. The verse names the arrogant directly.

Pride is quiet at first. You skip the prayer because you are busy, wave off the reminder, decide you know better. The verse shows where that habit points, and every day you can still turn it the other way.

A bit of pride is harmless; it is just confidence.

Pride that refuses Allah's signs is the thing that ruins a person's end.

Try this

Do one small act of worship today you have been putting off out of laziness or pride.

Related35:3640:46
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 16:28)

Those whose lives the angels take while they are doing wrong to themselves. Then, they will (falsely) submit (saying): "We did not do any evil." (The angels will reply): "Yes! Truly, Allah is Most Knowing of what you did. (28)"So enter the gates of Hell, to abide therein, and indeed, what an evil abode there is for the arrogant. (29)

The Condition of the Disbeliever during and after Death

Allah informs us of the state of the idolators who are doing wrong to themselves when death approaches and the angels come to seize their evil souls.

فَأَلْقَوُا السَّلَمَ

(Then, they will (falsely) submit) meaning, they will make it appear as if they used to listen and obey by saying,

مَا كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ مِن سُوءٍ

(We did not do any evil.) Similarly, on the Day of Resurrection, they will say,

وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ

(By Allah, our Lord, we were not idolators.)[6:23]

يَوْمَ يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ جَمِيعًا فَيَحْلِفُونَ لَهُ كَمَا يَحْلِفُونَ لَكُمْ

(On the Day when Allah will resurrect them all together; then they will swear to Him as they swear to you.)[58:18] Allah says, rejecting what they say,

بَلَىٰ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ - فَادْخُلُوا أَبْوَابَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ فَلَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ

("Yes! Truly, Allah is Most Knowing of what you did. So enter the gates of Hell, to abide therein, and indeed, what an evil abode there is for the arrogant.")(16:28-29),

meaning, a miserable position in the abode of humiliation for those who were too arrogant to pay attention to the signs of Allah and follow His Messengers. They will enter Hell from the day they die with their souls, and their bodies will feel the heat and hot winds of their graves. When the Day of Resurrec- tion comes, their souls will be reunited with their bodies, to abide forever in the fire of Hell, and

لَا يُقْضَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا وَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُم مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا

(It will not be complete enough to kill them nor shall its torment be lightened for them.)(35:36) As Allah says,

النَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا ۖ وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ أَدْخِلُوا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَشَدَّ الْعَذَابِ

(The Fire, they are exposed to it morning and afternoon. And on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels): "Cause Fir'awn's people to enter the severest torment!")(40:46).