Surah 18

Surah 18:52

"On the Day when He will say, ‘Call those who you claimed were My associates,’ they will call them, but they will not respond to them – (for) We have set between them a place of destruction."
Their Partners are not able to respond and the Criminals are brought to the Fire Verses 18:52-53
Show Full Scripture Context (18:52-53) — 2 Verses
Verse 52

وَيَوۡمَ يَقُولُ نَادُواْ شُرَكَآءِيَ ٱلَّذِينَ زَعَمۡتُمۡ فَدَعَوۡهُمۡ فَلَمۡ يَسۡتَجِيبُواْ لَهُمۡ وَجَعَلۡنَا بَيۡنَهُم مَّوۡبِقٗا

On the Day when He will say, ‘Call those who you claimed were My associates,’ they will call them, but they will not respond to them – (for) We have set between them a place of destruction.

Verse 53

وَرَءَا ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ ٱلنَّارَ فَظَنُّوٓاْ أَنَّهُم مُّوَاقِعُوهَا وَلَمۡ يَجِدُواْ عَنۡهَا مَصۡرِفٗا

The sinners will see the Fire and think that they are about to fall into it, but they will find no escape from it.

Allah tells us how He will address the idolaters on the Day of Resurrection before all of creation, rebuking and scolding them,

iCall those (so-called) partners of Mine whom you claimed.)

meaning, in the world. Call them today to save you from the situation you are in! Allah says:

iAnd truly, you have come unto Us alone as We created you the first time. You have left what you were given behind your backs and We do see not with you your intercessors whom you claimed were your partners. Now all relations between you and them have been cut off, and all that you used to claim has vanished from you.) [6:94]

iThen they will cry unto them, but they will not answer them.) As Allah says:

4And it will be said (to them) : "Call upon those partners of yours,” then they will call upon than, but they will not answer them .} (28:64)

And the Ayah :

4And who is more astray than one ivlio calls others besides Allah, such as ivill not answer him ^ (46:5)

Until the end of the two Ay at,

they have taken gods besides Allah, that they may grant them honor. Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them.)> (19:81-82)

iand We shall put Matobiq between them.}

Ibn ‘Abbas, Qatadah and others said: “Destruction.” 1 ' 1 The meaning is that Allah is stating that these idolaters will have no way of reaching the gods they claimed in this world. He will separate them in the Hereafter and neither party will have any means of reaching the other. There will be devastation, great horrors and other terrible things in between them. ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr understood the pronoun in the phrase “between them" to refer to the believers and the disbelievers, 121 meaning that the people of guidance and the people of misguidance will be separated. This then is like the Ayab

4And on the Day when the Hour will be established - that Day shall (all men) be separated .} (30:14)

iOn that Day men shall be divided .} [30:43],

4(lt will be said), "And O you the criminals! Get you apart this Day (from the believers).} [36:59]

[4And on the Day when We shall gather them all together, then We shall say to those who joined partners, "Stop in your place! You and your partners." Tl\en We shall separate between them... 4 until,
4And what they invented will vanish from them.} 10:28-30]

4And the criminals shall see the Fire and apprehend that they are to fall therein. And they will find no way of escape from it.}

meaning when they see Hell with their own eyes, since it is being dragged forth by seventy thousand reins, each pulled by seventy thousand angels. When, j

4 the criminals shall see the Fire},

they will realize that they cannot escape being thrown into lit, and that will only intesify their anxiety and distress, because the anticipation and fear of punishment is in itself a real punishment.

4 And they will find no way of escape from it.}
means, they will have no way of fleeing, it will be inevitable.

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.