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Surah Al-Muddaththir, verse 31: meaning and tafsir
وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَٰٓئِكَةً ۙ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَيَزْدَادَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنًا ۙ وَلَا يَرْتَابَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۙ وَلِيَقُولَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ وَمَا هِىَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْبَشَرِ ٣١
We have only appointed angels as keepers of the Fire, and We have only made their number as a test for the disbelievers[8], so that those who were given the Scripture may have certainty and the believers may increase in faith; and neither those who were given the Scripture nor the believers may have any doubts; and so that those [hypocrites] in whose hearts is sickness and the disbelievers may say, “What does Allah mean by this number?” Thus Allah causes to stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills, and none knows the soldiers of your Lord but He. This is but a reminder to mankind.
Translation of the meanings: Rowwad Translation Center — version 1.0.19 · QuranEnc.com
[8] To say what they want to say, so their punishment will be multiplied for them. Abu Jahl, one of the chief pagans in Makkah, made fun of the Prophet (ﷺ) when they came to know that the keepers of Hell are nineteen angels, so he ridiculed this number and said that it is an easy number to overcome.
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Al-Mukhtasar: Abridged Explanation of the Quran
Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies · QuranEnc.com
31. I did not make the wardens of the Fire except angels, so humans do not have the power to face them. Abu Jahl was lying when he and his people claimed that they have the ability to attack them and then they will come out of the Fire. I did not make this number of theirs except to test those who reject Allah, so that the Jews who were given the Torah and the Christians who were given the Gospel will become certain when the Qur’ān that confirms what is in their scriptures is revealed, so that the faith of the believers increases when the people of the scripture agree with them and the Jews, Christians and the believers do not have any doubt, and so that those who waver in faith and those who are disbelievers say: What does Allah intend by this strange number?! Just as those who deny this number are misguided and those who accept it are guided, Allah misguides whoever He wishes to misguide and He guides whoever He wishes to guide. No one knows the forces of your Lord, because of their huge number, besides Him, may He be glorified. So let Abu Jahl who, mockingly and dismissively, said, “Does Muhammad only have nineteen aides?!” know this. The Fire is only a reminder for human beings, through which they can come to know of Allah’s greatness, may He be glorified.
Quran text: Tanzil Project (Tanzil Quran Text, Uthmani v1.1, CC BY 3.0). The translation and tafsir are quoted word for word, unchanged, from the Noble Quran Encyclopedia, QuranEnc.com, each credited to its source. Details on our sources page. These texts are quoted exactly as published; no answer is written by AI. Quran Chat does not issue fatwas.