Surah Al-Anbiya: Verses (98 - 100)

"Indeed, you and what you worship..."

Tafsir of Verses 98-100

{إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ أَنتُمْ لَهَا وَارِدُونَ} (Indeed, you and what you worship besides Allah are fuel for Hell. You will enter it.)

Context and Narration: It is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered the Sacred Mosque (Haram) where the chieftains of Quraysh were gathered around the Ka'bah, where 360 idols were placed. He sat near them and addressed them. An-Nuḍr ibn al-Ḥārith spoke to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), who refuted him. The Prophet then recited this verse: {Indeed, you and what you worship besides Allah are fuel for Hell. You will enter it.}

Abdullāh ibn az-Zabarī came and saw them whispering. He asked what they were discussing, and Al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah informed him of the Prophet's recitation. Ibn az-Zabarī boasted, "By Allah, if I found him, I would defeat him in argument!" They left him, and Ibn az-Zabarī confronted the Prophet, asking if he had said that. When the Prophet confirmed, Ibn az-Za`barī declared, "I have defeated you, by the Lord of the Ka'bah! Did not the Jews worship 'Uzaīr, and the Christians worship the Messiah, and the people of Mulayh worship the angels?"

Two Narrations Regarding the Response:

1. Narration 1 (Ibn `Abbās's View): The Prophet (PBUH) remained silent and did not reply. The people laughed, and then the following verses were revealed: {And when the son of Maryam is mentioned, suddenly your people cry out at him [in derision]... And they say, "Are our gods better, or is he?" They strike this example for you only for argument. Rather, they are a quarrelsome people.} (Az-Zukhruf: 57-58). And concerning Jesus, the angels, and 'Uzaīr, the verse {Indeed, those about whom the best decree has preceded from Us...} (Al-Anbiyā': 101) was revealed.
2. Narration 2: The Prophet (PBUH) replied, stating that they worshipped the devils who commanded them to do so. Then Allah revealed: {Indeed, those about whom the best decree has preceded from Us...} (Al-Anbiyā': 101), referring to 'Uzaīr, the Messiah, and the angels.

**Refutation of Ibn az-Zabarī's Question:** Ibn az-Zabarī's question is flawed for several reasons:

1. Context of Address: The address {Indeed, you...} was directed specifically to the polytheists of Mecca, who only worshipped idols.
2. Use of Mā (What): The verse uses {what you worship} (mā tabudūn*), not **{who you worship}** (*man tabudūn). The word mā generally does not refer to rational beings. While mā can sometimes refer to things (like in {By the sky and what built it} [Ash-Shams: 5] or {I do not worship what you worship} [Al-Kāfirūn: 2]), implying "you and the thing you worship," the word shay' (thing) is not used here, which would have conveyed generality. Thus, Ibn az-Za`barī's question based on generality is invalid.
3. Nature of Worship: Those who worshipped angels did not claim they were gods (ālihat). Allah states: {If these had been gods, they would not have entered it [Hell]...}
4. Exemption by Proof: Even if generality were assumed, it is restricted by rational and transmitted evidence concerning the angels, the Messiah, and 'Uzaīr, as they are pure from sins and disobedience, and Allah promised them every honor. This is what is meant by {Indeed, those about whom the best decree has preceded from Us, those will be kept far away from it} (Al-Anbiyā': 101).
5. The Prophet's Answer: The Prophet's response—that they worshipped devils—is valid. If it is argued that devils are rational beings and mā does not cover them, the Prophet's statement can be understood as: Even if the term were proven to cover rational beings, your objection would still not necessarily follow from this angle.

Regarding the Prophet's Silence (Narration 1): The claim that the Prophet (PBUH) remained silent is incorrect. At the very least, the Prophet (PBUH) was aware of the answers mentioned by the exegetes, as he was the most knowledgeable of the language and the Qur'an's interpretation. It is impossible that these answers would appear to others but not to him. If silence is suggested as waiting for clarification, that is also unlikely, as the clarification was present with him; silence might imply inability to answer.

Alternative Answer: Some scholars answered Ibn az-Za`barī by saying that Allah will fashion a king in the Fire in the form of whomever they worshipped. In this case, the verse remains on its apparent meaning. However, this view is weak because:

1. The people did not worship that form; they worshipped something else that will not be present with them in the Fire.
2. An angel would not truly become fuel for Hell, even if they entered it (just as the guards of Hell enter it without being its fuel).

Second Issue: Wisdom in Conjoining Worshippers and Worshipped

There are several reasons why the worshippers and their idols are grouped together in the punishment:

1. Increased Grief: Their proximity will increase their sorrow and regret, as their downfall was due to these idols. Looking at the face of an enemy is a form of torment.
2. Frustrated Intercession: The worshippers assumed their idols would intercede for them to repel punishment. Finding the opposite—that the idols are also being punished—will make nothing more hateful to them than those idols.
3. Mockery: Throwing the idols into the Fire serves as a form of mockery towards their worshippers.
4. Physical Torment: If the idol was stone or iron, it would be heated and pressed against the worshipper. If it was wood, it would become a burning ember used to torment its owner.

Explanation of Terms

{حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ} (Fuel/Stones of Hell): This means they will be thrown into the Fire of Hell. They are likened to ḥaṣbā' (pebbles/stones) that are thrown. Since they are thrown like pebbles, they are called the ḥaṣab of Hell by way of simile. Al-Kashshāf states that al-ḥaṣb means throwing. It is recited with a quiescent ṣād as a verbal noun, and also as ḥaṭab (fuel) or ḥaḍab (with a dotted ḍād), both vocalized or quiescent.

{أَنتُمْ لَهَا وَارِدُونَ} (You will enter it): The preposition lām (for/to) is used here because it precedes the verb, similar to saying, "You are a striker to Zayd" (anta la-Zaydun ḍārib), or as in {And those who are to their trusts and covenants} (Al-Mu'minūn: 8). It means: You are destined to enter it; there is no escape from entering it.

{لَوْ كَانَ هَٰؤُلَاءِ آلِهَةً مَّا وَرَدُوهَا} (If these had been gods, they would not have entered it): Note that {Indeed, you and what you worship besides Allah} fits the use of mā (what) better when referring to idols. However, {these} (hā’ulā’i) fits the description of devils better. It is possible that both devils and idols are intended, and the rational description (hā’ulā’i) is used because they are mentioned alongside the rational worshippers. Allah points out that those thrown into the Fire cannot be gods.

A Question Regarding the Logic: The argument is: {If these had been gods, they would not have entered it.} But they did enter it, therefore they are not gods.

1. If Allah stated this for Himself, it is useless, as He already knew they were not gods.
2. If stated for others:
   • For believers in the Prophet's mission, it is unnecessary, as they never claimed the idols were gods.
   • For disbelievers, they would deny the premise that the idols would enter the Fire, making the argument pointless.

Furthermore, those who claimed the idols were gods did not believe they managed the universe (which would imply madness); rather, they believed they were representations of stars or intercessors, which does not preclude them from entering the Fire.

Answer: Exegetes explain that the meaning is: If these (the idols) were true gods, their worshippers would not have entered the Fire.

Descriptions of the Torment

Allah describes this torment with three things:

1. Eternity: {And in it they will abide eternally}—referring to both the worshippers and the worshipped, confirming the meaning of {Indeed, you and what you worship besides Allah}.
2. Sighing/Roaring: {For them therein will be groaning} (zafīr). Al-Ḥasan said zafīr is the roaring flame. They rise due to the flame, and when they hope to escape, they are struck with iron maces and fall back down for seventy autumns. Al-Khalīl defined zafīr as filling one's chest with distress and then exhaling. Abū Muslim said the address {for them} is general to every punished person, meaning they will have a zafīr due to the intensity of what afflicts them. The pronoun in {and they therein will hear} refers to the worshipped ones, meaning they will not hear the cries and complaints of the worshippers, implying they will not offer them aid.
3. Inability to Hear: {And they therein will not hear}. There are two views:
   • It applies specifically to the idols (as narrated from Abū Muslim).
   • It applies to the disbelievers. This has three sub-possibilities: a. The disbelievers will be resurrected deaf, just as they are resurrected blind, to increase their torment. b. They only hear what does not benefit them (i.e., the sounds of the tormented or the words of the angels punishing them). c. Ibn Masūd said the disbelievers will be placed in coffins of fire, which are themselves placed in other coffins, thus preventing them from hearing anything. (This last view is weak because the people of Hell hear the people of Paradise and call out to them, as mentioned in Surah Al-Arāf.)

Verses 101-103

{إِنَّ الَّذِينَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُم مِّنَّا الْحُسْنَىٰ أُولَٰئِكَ عَنْهَا مُبْعَدُونَ * لَا يَسْمَعُونَ حَسِيسَهَا وَهُمْ فِي مَا اشْتَهَتْ أَنفُسُهُمْ خَالِدُونَ * لَا يَحْزُنُهُمُ الْفَزَعُ الْأَكْبَرُ وَتَتَلَقَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ هَٰذَا يَوْمُكُمُ الَّذِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ}

{Indeed, those about whom the best decree has preceded from Us, those will be kept far away from it [Hell]. They will not hear its crackling sound, and they will abide eternally in what their souls desire. The greatest terror will not grieve them, and the angels will meet them, [saying], "This is the Day which you were promised."}