Surah 17 Al-Israa — Ayah 97
وَمَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِهِۦ ۖ وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًۭا وَبُكْمًۭا وَصُمًّۭا ۖ مَّأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَٰهُمْ سَعِيرًۭا
And whoever Allah guides - he is the [rightly] guided; and whoever He sends astray - you will never find for them protectors besides Him, and We will gather them on the Day of Resurrection [fallen] on their faces - blind, dumb and deaf. Their refuge is Hell; every time it subsides We increase them in blazing fire.
waman yahdi l-lahu fahuwa l-muh'tadi waman yuḍ'lil falan tajida lahum awliyāa min dūnihi wanaḥshuruhum yawma l-qiyāmati ʿalā wujūhihim ʿum'yan wabuk'man waṣumman mawāhum jahannamu kullamā khabat zid'nāhum saʿīran
Word by word
- وَمَن waman And whoever
- يَهْدِ yahdi Allah guides
- ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah guides
- فَهُوَ fahuwa then he (is)
- ٱلْمُهْتَدِ ۖ l-muh'tadi the guided one
- وَمَن waman and whoever
- يُضْلِلْ yuḍ'lil He lets go astray
- فَلَن falan then never
- تَجِدَ tajida you will find
- لَهُمْ lahum for them
- أَوْلِيَآءَ awliyāa protectors
- مِن min besides Him
- دُونِهِۦ ۖ dūnihi besides Him
- وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ wanaḥshuruhum And We will gather them
- يَوْمَ yawma (on) the Day
- ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ l-qiyāmati (of) the Resurrection
- عَلَىٰ ʿalā on
- وُجُوهِهِمْ wujūhihim their faces
- عُمْيًۭا ʿum'yan blind
- وَبُكْمًۭا wabuk'man and dumb
- وَصُمًّۭا ۖ waṣumman and deaf
- مَّأْوَىٰهُمْ mawāhum Their abode
- جَهَنَّمُ ۖ jahannamu (is) Hell
- كُلَّمَا kullamā every time
- خَبَتْ khabat it subsides
- زِدْنَـٰهُمْ zid'nāhum We (will) increase (for) them
- سَعِيرًۭا saʿīran the blazing fire
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Guidance and Misguidance are in the Hands of Allah
Allah tells us how He deals with His creation and how His rulings are carried out. He tells us that there is none who can put back His judgement, for whomever He guides cannot be led astray,
(and whomever He leaves astray can never find helpers other than Him)to guide him. As Allah says:
(He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no Wali (guiding friend) to lead him) 18:17
The Punishment of the People of Misguidance
(and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces,) Imam Ahmad recorded from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet was asked, "O Messenger of Allah, how will the people be gathered on their faces" He said,
(The One Who made them walk on their feet is able to make them walk on their faces.) It was also reported (by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) in the Two Sahihs.
(blind) means, unable to see.
(dumb) means, unable to speak.
(deaf) means, unable to hear. They will be in this state as a punishment for the way they were in this world, blind, dumb and deaf to the truth. This will be their recompense when they are gathered on the Day of Resurrection, at the time when they need these faculties most of all.
(their abode) means, their destination.
(will be Hell; whenever it abates,) Ibn `Abbas said, "(This means) calms down," Mujahid said, (It means) is extinguished,"
(We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.) meaning, increasing its flames and heat and coals, as Allah says:
(So taste you (the results of your evil actions). No increase shall We give you, except in torment.) (78:30)