361 Page Notes

25 Surah Al-Furqan (continued)

Page 361 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 361 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Surah Al-Furqan (The Criteron), verses 12 through 20, describes the destiny of those who deny the truth and the reality of the Day of Judgment. These verses emphasize the certainty of the Fire, the accountability of all beings, and the trials faced by the Prophets and their followers.

Overview of Verses 12–20

• Verses 12–14: These verses describe the intensity of Hellfire. When the disbelievers see it from a distance, they will hear its fury and roaring. When they are cast into a narrow, restricted place, they will call out for destruction (death), but they will be told not to call for one destruction, but many.

• Verses 15–16: Allah asks the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ if this punishment is better than the eternal Garden of Paradise, which is promised to the righteous (Al-Muttaqun). They will have whatever they desire, and it is a binding promise from Allah.

• Verses 17–19: On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will gather the disbelievers along with those they worshipped besides Him. Allah will ask the false deities if they misled His servants or if they went astray themselves. The deities will declare their innocence, stating they had no authority and that the disbelievers were themselves transgressors.

• Verse 20: Allah consoles the Prophet by reminding him that all the Messengers he sent before him also ate food and walked in the markets. Allah made some of the people a trial for others to see if they would remain steadfast.

Context in Hadith and Sunnah

While there are no specific "occasions of revelation" (Asbab al-Nuzul) that uniquely link every verse in this passage to a single singular Hadith, the themes contained within them are addressed frequently in the Sunnah:

• The Reality of Hellfire: The imagery of Hell described in verses 12–14 is consistent with numerous Hadith regarding the characteristics of the Fire. For instance, the Prophet ﷺ described the Fire as being seventy times hotter than the fire of this world (Sahih al-Bukhari 3265; Sahih Muslim 2843).

• The Interrogation of False Deities: The scene in verses 17–19, where those worshipped besides Allah deny their followers, is mirrored in Hadith describing the Day of Judgment. It is recorded that on the Day of Resurrection, those who were worshipped (such as Jesus, son of Mary, or the idols) will be asked about their followers, and they will disassociate themselves from those who worshipped them out of falsehood (Sahih al-Bukhari 4581).

• The Trial of the Prophets: Verse 20 addresses the common objection of the Meccan polytheists that a Prophet should be an angel rather than a human who eats and walks in the marketplace. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ frequently emphasized his human nature—that he was a servant and messenger, not a divine being—and the Sunnah records his life as a man who lived among his people, faced hunger, and participated in social life, thereby fulfilling the Sunnah of the previous Prophets.

References

• Al-Bukhari, M. I. I. (n.d.). Sahih al-Bukhari.

• Muslim, I. H. (n.d.). Sahih Muslim.

Note: For a deeper understanding of the exegesis (Tafsir) of these specific verses, scholars typically refer to works such as Tafsir Ibn Kathir, which provides detailed narrations and context for these passages.