Surah 40

Surah 40:47

"When they argue with each other in the Fire, and the weak say to those who were arrogant: ‘Surely we were your followers, so are you going relieve us (now) of any portion of the Fire?’"
The Dispute of the People of Hell Verses 40:47-50
Show Full Scripture Context (40:47-50) — 4 Verses
Verse 47

وَإِذۡ يَتَحَآجُّونَ فِي ٱلنَّارِ فَيَقُولُ ٱلضُّعَفَـٰٓؤُاْ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسۡتَكۡبَرُوٓاْ إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمۡ تَبَعٗا فَهَلۡ أَنتُم مُّغۡنُونَ عَنَّا نَصِيبٗا مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ

When they argue with each other in the Fire, and the weak say to those who were arrogant: ‘Surely we were your followers, so are you going relieve us (now) of any portion of the Fire?’

Verse 48

قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسۡتَكۡبَرُوٓاْ إِنَّا كُلّٞ فِيهَآ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَدۡ حَكَمَ بَيۡنَ ٱلۡعِبَادِ

Those who were arrogant will say, ‘Surely we are all in it. Surely God has already rendered judgment among (His) servants.’

Verse 49

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ فِي ٱلنَّارِ لِخَزَنَةِ جَهَنَّمَ ٱدۡعُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ يُخَفِّفۡ عَنَّا يَوۡمٗا مِّنَ ٱلۡعَذَابِ

Those who are in the Fire will say to the keepers of Gehenna, ‘Call on your Lord to lighten for us one day of the punishment!’

Verse 50

قَالُوٓاْ أَوَلَمۡ تَكُ تَأۡتِيكُمۡ رُسُلُكُم بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِۖ قَالُواْ بَلَىٰۚ قَالُواْ فَٱدۡعُواْۗ وَمَا دُعَـٰٓؤُاْ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَٰلٍ

They will say, ‘Did your messengers not bring you the clear signs?’ They will say, ‘Yes indeed!’ They will say, ‘Then call!’ But the call of the disbelievers only goes astray.

Allah tells us how the people of Hell will dispute and argue with one another, and Fir'awn and his people will be among them. The weak, who were the followers, will say to those who were arrogant, who were the leaders and masters: {Verily, we followed you,} meaning, ‘we obeyed you and heeded your call to disbelief and misguidance in the world,’ {can you then take from us some portion of the Fire?} means, ‘can you carry a part of our burden for us?’ {Those who were arrogant will say: "We are all (together) in this (Fire)!..."} meaning, “we will not bear any part of your burden for you; our own punishment is enough for us to bear.’ {Verily, Allah has judged (His) servants!} means, ‘He has shared out the punishment among us according to what each of us deserves’. This is like the Ayah: {He will say: "For each one there is double (torment), but you know not."} (7:38) {And those in the Fire will say to the keepers (angels) of Hell: "Call upon your Lord to lighten for us the torment for a day!"} They know that Allah will not answer them and will not listen to their prayer, because He said, {Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not to Me!} (23:108), so they will ask the keepers of Hell, who are like jailers watching over the people of Hell, to pray to Allah to lessen the Fire for them if only for one day. But the keepers of Hell will refuse, saying to them, {Did there not come to you, your Messengers with (clear) evidences?} meaning, was not proof established in the world on the lips of the Messengers? {They will say: "Yes." They will reply: "Then call (as you like)!..."} means, ‘you are on your own. We will not pray for you or listen to you; we do not want you to be saved and we have nothing to do with you. Moreover, we tell you that it is all the same whether you offer supplication or not, because Allah will not respond and He will not lighten the torment for you.’ They will say: {And the invocation of the disbelievers is nothing but in vain!} meaning, it will not be accepted or responded to.

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Page 486-487)

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.