39:71

وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًاۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا فُتِحَتۡ أَبۡوَٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمۡ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمۡ يَأۡتِكُمۡ رُسُلٞ مِّنكُمۡ يَتۡلُونَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ ءَايَٰتِ رَبِّكُمۡ وَيُنذِرُونَكُمۡ لِقَآءَ يَوۡمِكُمۡ هَٰذَاۚ قَالُواْ بَلَىٰ وَلَٰكِنۡ حَقَّتۡ كَلِمَةُ ٱلۡعَذَابِ عَلَى ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ

Waseeqa allatheena kafaroo ila jahannama zumaran hatta itha jaooha futihat abwabuha waqala lahum khazanatuha alam yatikum rusulun minkum yatloona AAalaykum ayati rabbikum wayunthiroonakum liqaa yawmikum hatha qaloo bala walakin haqqat kalimatu alAAathabi AAala alkafireena

And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups until, when they reach it, its gates are opened and its keepers will say, "Did there not come to you messengers from yourselves, reciting to you the verses of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say, "Yes, but the word of punishment has come into effect upon the disbelievers.

Word by word
  1. وَسِيقَAnd (will) be driven
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  3. كَفَرُوٓاْdisbelieve
  4. إِلَىٰto
  5. جَهَنَّمَHell
  6. زُمَرًاۖ(in) groups
  7. حَتَّىٰٓuntil
  8. إِذَاwhen
  9. جَآءُوهَاthey reach it
  10. فُتِحَتۡ(will) be opened
  11. أَبۡوَٰبُهَاits gates
  12. وَقَالَand (will) say
  13. لَهُمۡto them
  14. خَزَنَتُهَآits keepers
  15. أَلَمۡDid not
  16. يَأۡتِكُمۡcome to you
  17. رُسُلٞMessengers
  18. مِّنكُمۡfrom you
  19. يَتۡلُونَreciting
  20. عَلَيۡكُمۡto you
  21. ءَايَٰتِ(the) Verses
  22. رَبِّكُمۡ(of) your Lord
  23. وَيُنذِرُونَكُمۡand warning you
  24. لِقَآءَ(of the) meeting
  25. يَوۡمِكُمۡ(of) your Day
  26. هَٰذَاۚthis
  27. قَالُواْThey (will) say
  28. بَلَىٰYes
  29. وَلَٰكِنۡBut
  30. حَقَّتۡhas been justified
  31. كَلِمَةُ(the) word
  32. ٱلۡعَذَابِ(of) punishment
  33. عَلَىagainst
  34. ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَthe disbelievers
Az-Zumar · 39:71Makkah

Did no messengers come to you? Yes, they did.

The question at the gate


At the gate
the keepersask
did not come
messengersfrom your own kind
answer
yesbut we rejected
What they admit
we were never toldthe hoped excuse
we were toldand turned away

Ibn Kathir says the keepers ask whether messengers came of your own kind, so you could have spoken to them and learned. They answer: yes. They came and warned us, and we rejected them.

Your doctor warned you. Your friend warned you. The verse you read warned you. You can picture having to say: yes, I was told. Let the answer be: yes, and I listened.

Nobody ever really made the truth clear to me.

The warnings have reached me; what matters is whether I listen.

Try this

Think of one warning you have been given about your conduct, and act on it today.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups till when they reach it, the gates thereof will be opened. And its keepers will say: "Did not the Messengers come to you from yourselves, reciting to you the Ayat of your Lord, and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say: "Yes," but the Word of torment has been justified against the disbelievers (71)It will be said: "Enter you the gates of Hell, to abide therein. And what an evil abode of the arrogant! (72)

How the Disbelievers will be driven to Hell

Allah tells us how the doomed disbeliever will be driven to Hell by force, with threats and warnings. This is like the Ayah:

يَوْمَ يُدَعُّونَ إِلَىٰ نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ دَعًّا 

(The Day when they will be pushed down by force to the fire of Hell, with a horrible, forceful pushing.)(52:13) swhich means, they will be pushed and forced towards it, and they will be extremely thirsty, as Allah says:

يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَٰنِ وَفْدًا - وَنَسُوقُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ وِرْدًا

(The Day We shall gather those who have Taqwa unto the Most Gracious, like a delegation. And We shall drive the criminals to Hell, in a thirsty state.)(19:85-86) When they are in that state, they will be blind, dumb and deaf, and some of them will be walking on their faces:

وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا ۖ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا 

(and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire)(17:97).

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءُوهَا فُتِحَتْ أَبْوَابُهَا

(till when they reach it, the gates thereof will be opened.) means, as soon as they arrive, the gates will be opened quickly, in order to hasten on their punishment. Then the keepers of Hell, who are stern angels, severe and strong, will say to them by way of rebuking and reprimanding:

أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِنْكُمْ

(Did not the Messengers come to you from yourselves,) meaning, 'of your own kind, so that you could have spoken to them and learned from them,'

يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِ رَبِّكُمْ

(reciting to you the Ayat of your Lord,) means, 'establishing proof against you that what they brought to you was true,'

وَيُنْذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَاءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَٰذَا

(and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours) means, 'warning you of the evil of this Day.' The disbeliever will say to them:

بَلَىٰ

(Yes,) meaning, 'they did come to us and warn us and establish proof and evidence against us,'

وَلَٰكِنْ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَةُ الْعَذَابِ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ 

(but the Word of torment has been justified against the disbelievers!) means, 'but we rejected them and went against them, because we were already doomed, as it was decreed that we would be, because we had turned away from the truth towards falsehood.' This is like the Ayat:

كُلَّمَا أُلْقِيَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ قَدْ جَاءَنَا نَذِيرٌ فَكَذَّبْنَا وَقُلْنَا مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ مِن شَيْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ كَبِيرٍ - وَقَالُوا لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِي أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ

(Every time a group is cast therein, its keeper will ask: "Did no warner come to you?" They will say: "Yes, indeed a warner came to us, but we denied him and said: 'Allah never revealed anything; you are only in great error.'" And they will say: "Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!")(67:8) which means, they will feel regret and will blame themselves.

فَاعْتَرَفُوا بِذَنْبِهِمْ فَسُحْقًا لِأَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ

(Then they will confess their sin. So, away with the dwellers of the blazing Fire!)(67:11) means, they are lost and doomed.

قِيلَ ادْخُلُوا أَبْوَابَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ 

(It will be said (to them): "Enter you the gates of Hell, to abide therein...") means everyone who sees them and the situation they are in, will testify that they deserve the punishment. These words are not attributed to any specific person, but they are said as an indication that the entire universe will bear witness that they deserve what they are suffering, in accordance with the judgement of the Most Just, the All-Knowing. Allah says:

قِيلَ ادْخُلُوا أَبْوَابَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ 

(It will be said (to them): "Enter you the gates of Hell, to abide therein...") meaning, 'to stay there forever; you will never leave or depart.'

فَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ

(And (indeed) what an evil abode of the arrogant!) means, 'what an evil destiny and what an evil place to stay, because of your arrogance in this world and your refusal to follow the truth; this is what has led you to this, what an evil state and what an evil final destination!'