Al-Muddaththir: 31

Ayah

Word by Word

وَمَا

And not

جَعَلۡنَآ

We have made

أَصۡحَٰبَ

keepers

ٱلنَّارِ

(of) the Fire

إِلَّا

except

مَلَٰٓئِكَةٗۖ

Angels

وَمَا

And not

جَعَلۡنَا

We have made

عِدَّتَهُمۡ

their number

إِلَّا

except

فِتۡنَةٗ

(as) a trial

لِّلَّذِينَ

for those who

كَفَرُواْ

disbelieve

لِيَسۡتَيۡقِنَ

that may be certain

ٱلَّذِينَ

those who

أُوتُواْ

were given

ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ

the Scripture

وَيَزۡدَادَ

and may increase

ٱلَّذِينَ

those who

ءَامَنُوٓاْ

believe

إِيمَٰنٗا

(in) faith

وَلَا

and not

يَرۡتَابَ

may doubt

ٱلَّذِينَ

those who

أُوتُواْ

were given

ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ

the Scripture

وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ

and the believers

وَلِيَقُولَ

and that may say

ٱلَّذِينَ

those

فِي

قُلُوبِهِم

their hearts

مَّرَضٞ

(is) a disease

وَٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ

and the disbelievers

مَاذَآ

What

أَرَادَ

(does) intend

ٱللَّهُ

Allah

بِهَٰذَا

by this

مَثَلٗاۚ

example

كَذَٰلِكَ

Thus

يُضِلُّ

does let go astray

ٱللَّهُ

Allah

مَن

whom

يَشَآءُ

He wills

وَيَهۡدِي

and guides

مَن

whom

يَشَآءُۚ

He wills

وَمَا

And none

يَعۡلَمُ

knows

جُنُودَ

(the) hosts

رَبِّكَ

(of) your Lord

إِلَّا

except

هُوَۚ

Him

وَمَا

And not

هِيَ

إِلَّا

(is) but

ذِكۡرَىٰ

a reminder

لِلۡبَشَرِ

to (the) human beings

Translation

And We have set none but angels as Guardians of the Fire; and We have fixed their number only as a trial for Unbelievers,- in order that the People of the Book may arrive at certainty, and the Believers may increase in Faith,- and that no doubts may be left for the People of the Book and the Believers, and that those in whose hearts is a disease and the Unbelievers may say, "What symbol doth Allah intend by this?" Thus doth Allah leave to stray whom He pleaseth, and guide whom He pleaseth: and none can know the forces of thy Lord, except He and this is no other than a warning to mankind.

Tafsir

The Number of Guardians of Hell and what the Disbelievers said about that

Allah says,

وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا أَصۡحَابَ النَّارِ

And We have set none as (Ashab) guardians of the Fire,

meaning, its guardians.

إِلاَّ مَلَيِكَةً

but angels.

Guardian angels, stern and severe.

This is a refutation of the idolators of the Quraysh when they mentioned the number of guardian angels. Abu Jahl said,

O people of Quraysh! Are not every ten among you able to defeat one of them

So Allah said,

وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا أَصۡحَابَ النَّارِ

إِلاَّ مَلَيِكَة

And We have set none but angels as guardians of the Fire.

meaning, extremely strong in their creation. They cannot be stood against nor defeated.

It has been said that Abu Al-Ashaddayn, and his name was Kaladah bin Usayd bin Khalaf, said,

O people of Quraysh! You defend me against two of them and I will defend you against seventeen of them.

He said this thinking himself to be very great. For they claimed that he achieved such strength that he would stand on a skin of cow hide and ten people would try to pull it out from under his feet, but the skin would be torn to pieces and still not be removed from under him.

Concerning Allah's statement,

وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا عِدَّتَهُمۡ إِلاَّ فِتۡنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

And We have fixed their number only as a trial for the disbelievers,

meaning, `We only have mentioned their number as being nineteen as a test from Us for mankind.'

لِيَسۡتَيۡقِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الۡكِتَابَ

In order that the People of the Scripture may arrive at a certainty,

meaning, so that they may know that this Messenger is true. For he speaks according to the same thing that they have with them of heavenly revealed Scriptures that came to the Prophets before him.

Concerning Allah's statement,

وَيَزۡدَادَ الَّذِينَ امَنُوا إِيمَانًا

and that the believers may increase in faith.

meaning, to their faith. This is due to what they witness from the truthfulness of the information of their Prophet, Muhammad.

وَلَا يَرۡتَابَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الۡكِتَابَ وَالۡمُوۡمِنُونَ

وَلِيَقُولَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ

and that no doubt may be left for the People of the Scripture and the believers, and that those in whose hearts is a disease,

meaning, among the hypocrites.

وَالۡكَافِرُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَذَا مَثَلًا

and the disbelievers may say:What does Allah intend by this example

meaning, they say, What is the wisdom in mentioning this here

Allah says,

كَذَلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَن يَشَاء وَيَهۡدِي مَن يَشَاء

Thus Allah leads astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills.

meaning, by way of examples like this, faith becomes firm in the hearts of some people and it is shaken with others.

This has a profound wisdom and it is an irrefutable proof. None knows the Soldiers of Allah except Him.

Allah says,

وَمَا يَعۡلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلاَّ هُو

And none can know the hosts of your Lord but He.

meaning, none knows their number and their count except Allah.

This is so that one does not make the mistake of thinking that they are only nineteen in all. It has been confirmed in the Hadith concerning Al-Isra' that is reported in the Two Sahihs and other collections, that the Messenger of Allah said in describing the Frequented House (Al-Bayt Al-Ma`mur), which is in the seventh heaven,

فَإِذَا هُوَ يَدۡخُلُهُ فِي كُلِّ يَوۡمٍ سَبۡعُونَ أَلۡفَ مَلَكٍ لَاإ يَعُودُونَ إِلَيۡهِ اخِرَ مَا عَلَيۡهِم

Seventy thousand angels enter into it every day and they do not return to it as it is all that is due upon them (one visit in their lifetime).

Concerning Allah's statement,

وَمَا هِيَ إِلاَّ ذِكۡرَى لِلۡبَشَرِ

And this is nothing but a reminder to mankind.

Mujahid and others said,

وَمَا هِيَ

And this is not.

This means the Hellfire which has been described.

إِلاَّ ذِكۡرَى لِلۡبَشَرِ

but a reminder to mankind.

Then Allah says,

كَلَّ وَالۡقَمَرِ

وَاللَّيۡلِ إِذۡ أَدۡبَرَ

Nay! And by the moon. And by the night when it withdraws.

meaning, when it withdraws.

وَالصُّبۡحِ إِذَا أَسۡفَرَ

And by the dawn when it brightens.

meaning, when it shines.

إِنَّهَا لَاِحۡدَى الۡكُبَرِ

Verily, it is but one of the greatest (signs).

meaning, the great things. This refers to the Hellfire.

Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and others of the Salaf, all said this.

نَذِيرًا لِّلۡبَشَرِ

لِمَن شَاء مِنكُمۡ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوۡ يَتَأَخَّرَ

A warning to mankind -- to any of you that chooses to go forward, or to remain behind.

meaning, for whoever wishes to accept the warning and be guided to the truth, or hold back from accepting it, turn away from it and reject it.