سُوْرَةُ الْحَجِّ
Surah Al-Hajj (22) — Ayah 72
وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُنَا بَيِّنَـٰتٍ تَعْرِفُ فِى وُجُوهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱلْمُنكَرَ ۖ يَكَادُونَ يَسْطُونَ بِٱلَّذِينَ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا ۗ قُلْ أَفَأُنَبِّئُكُم بِشَرٍّ مِّن ذَٰلِكُمُ ۗ ٱلنَّارُ وَعَدَهَا ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ۖ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ ﴿72﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And when Our Clear Verses are recited to them, you will notice a denial on the faces of the disbelievers! They are nearly ready to attack with violence those who recite Our Verses to them. Say: "Shall I tell you of something worse than that? The Fire (of Hell) which Allâh has promised to those who disbelieved, and worst indeed is that destination!"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذَا
wa-idhā
And when
تُتْلَىٰ
tut'lā
are recited
عَلَيْهِمْ
ʿalayhim
to them
ءَايَـٰتُنَا
āyātunā
Our Verses
بَيِّنَـٰتٍۢ
bayyinātin
clear
تَعْرِفُ
taʿrifu
you will recognize
فِى
fī
on
وُجُوهِ
wujūhi
(the) faces
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
(of) those who
كَفَرُوا۟
kafarū
disbelieve
ٱلْمُنكَرَ ۖ
l-munkara
the denial
يَكَادُونَ
yakādūna
They almost
يَسْطُونَ
yasṭūna
attack
بِٱلَّذِينَ
bi-alladhīna
those who
يَتْلُونَ
yatlūna
recite
عَلَيْهِمْ
ʿalayhim
to them
ءَايَـٰتِنَا ۗ
āyātinā
Our Verses
قُلْ
qul
Say
أَفَأُنَبِّئُكُم
afa-unabbi-ukum
Then shall I inform you
بِشَرٍّۢ
bisharrin
of worse
مِّن
min
than
ذَٰلِكُمُ ۗ
dhālikumu
that
ٱلنَّارُ
l-nāru
The Fire
وَعَدَهَا
waʿadahā
Allah (has) promised it
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah (has) promised it
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
(for) those who
كَفَرُوا۟ ۖ
kafarū
disbelieve
وَبِئْسَ
wabi'sa
and wretched
ٱلْمَصِيرُ
l-maṣīru
(is) the destination
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 72) ➊ {وَ اِذَا تُتْلٰى عَلَيْهِمْ اٰيٰتُنَا …: ’’ الْمُنْكَرَ ‘‘} is a mim-infinitive (masdar meemi), meaning denial, or it is a passive participle, meaning a state that is unfamiliar and unrecognized, rather it is strange and evil. {’’ يَسْطُوْنَ ‘‘ ’’سَطَا يَسْطُوْ سَطْوَةً‘‘} means to seize harshly or to attack, that is, the zeal of these idolaters, worshippers of falsehood, for their baseless and unfounded patrons and false gods is such that when Our verses are recited to them—that is, whenever anyone recites Our verses before them, which are absolutely clear regarding Our oneness, attributes, the Hereafter, etc., and which are so full of wisdom and eloquence that it is absolutely clear they are Our speech—their outright denial is recognized from their very faces. Their condition becomes bad, which is visible. Their bodies are set ablaze, veins swell, faces distort, eyebrows tense, and eyes turn red; it is as if they are about to attack those who recite Our verses before them. Shawkani said that the people of innovation also have the same reaction when they hear the arguments of the Qur’an and Sunnah. The aversion of the polytheists to monotheism is also mentioned in Surah Az-Zumar, Ayah (45) {’’ وَ اِذَا ذُكِرَ اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ اشْمَاَزَّتْ ‘‘}.
➋ { قُلْ اَفَاُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَرٍّ مِّنْ ذٰلِكُمْ اَلنَّارُ …:} That is, say to them: Shall I then inform you of something far worse and more unpleasant for you than your denial, the fire of your rage and the distortion of your faces? It is the fire of Hell, which Allah has promised for those who disbelieve in His verses, and it is a very evil abode. So, instead of burning in the fire of rage and anger against the people of truth and the verses of Allah, you should be concerned about saving yourselves from the dreadful fire of Hell. Lest the opportunity for repentance slips from your hands.
➋ { قُلْ اَفَاُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِشَرٍّ مِّنْ ذٰلِكُمْ اَلنَّارُ …:} That is, say to them: Shall I then inform you of something far worse and more unpleasant for you than your denial, the fire of your rage and the distortion of your faces? It is the fire of Hell, which Allah has promised for those who disbelieve in His verses, and it is a very evil abode. So, instead of burning in the fire of rage and anger against the people of truth and the verses of Allah, you should be concerned about saving yourselves from the dreadful fire of Hell. Lest the opportunity for repentance slips from your hands.
