Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Furqan Verse 22

Mufti Taqi Usmani

The Day they will see the angels, there will be no good news for the sinners that day, and they will say, “(We need) a shelter, fully protected!”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

˹But˺ on the Day they will see the angels, there will be no good news for the wicked, who will cry, “Keep away! Away ˹from us˺!”[[ Another possible translation: “And the angels will say, ‘All good is forbidden to you!’” ]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

On the Day when they see the angels, there will be no glad tidings for the wicked, and [the angels] will say, “Absolutely forbidden for you.”

A. J. Arberry

Upon the day that they see the angels, no good tidings that day for the sinners; they shall say, 'A ban forbidden!'

Abdul Haleem

There will be no good news for the guilty on the Day they see the angels. The angels will say, ‘You cannot cross the forbidden barrier,’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

The Day whereon they shall behold the angels on that day there will be nea joy for the culprits, and they will say: away! away!

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Day they see the angels,- no joy will there be to the sinners that Day; The (angels) will say; "There is a barrier forbidden (to you) altogether!"

Abul Ala Maududi

The Day, when they will see the angels, will not be a day of rejoicing for the criminals; they will cry out, "May Allah save us!"

Ahmed Ali

The day they see the angels there will be no happy tidings for the sinners; and they will say: "There is an insurmountable barrier!"

Ahmed Raza Khan

The day when they will see the angels – that day will not be of any happiness for the guilty – and they will cry, “O God, erect a barrier between us and them!”

Ali Quli Qarai

The day they will see the angels, there will be no good news for the guilty on that day, and they will say, ‘Keep off [from paradise]!’

Ali Ünal

The Day when they see the angels – there will be no good tidings on that Day for the disbelieving criminals, and they will cry out to the angels in fear: "Keep away, away from us!"

Amatul Rahman Omar

(Do they not realize that) the day when they will see the angels there will be no good tidings that day for those who cut off their ties (with God), and they will say (in distress), `Would that there were some strong barrier (between us and this punishment).´

English Literal

A day/time they see the angels: "(There is) no good news that day to the criminals/sinners ." And they say: "Confinement/obstruction fortified/in custody ."

Faridul Haque

The day when they will see the angels - that day will not be of any happiness for the guilty - and they will cry, “O God, erect a barrier between us and them!”

Hamid S. Aziz

And those who look not for a meeting with Us say, "Why are angels not sent down to us, or we do not see our Lord?" Assuredly they have an arrogant conceit of themselves and excessive is their insolence.

Hilali & Khan

On the Day they will see the angels, no glad tidings will there be for the Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) that day. And they (angels) will say: "All kinds of glad tidings are forbidden for you," [None will be allowed to enter Paradise except the one who said: La ilaha ill-Allah, "(none has the right to be worshipped but Allah) and acted practically on its legal orders and obligations].

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And those who look not for meeting with Us, say: Why have not angels been sent down to us, or (why) do we not see our Lord? Indeed they are too proud of themselves and revolt in great revolt.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

On the day when they shall see the angels, there shall be no joy on that day for the guilty, and they shall say: It is a forbidden thing totally prohibited.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

On the day when they behold the angels, on that day there will be no good tidings for the guilty; and they will cry: A forbidding ban!

Muhammad Sarwar

On the day when the criminals see the angels, there will, certainly, be no rejoicing for them. Rather, they will plead to the angels, "Please keep away from us (do not drive us into hell)."

Qaribullah & Darwish

On the Day when they behold the angels, there will be no glad tidings for the sinners. They will say: 'A refuge which is forbidden'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

On the Day they will see the angels -- no good news will there be for the criminals that day. And they will say: "Hijran Mahjura."

Wahiduddin Khan

There will be no good tidings for the guilty on the day they see the angels; and they will cry out, "Keep away, keep away!"

Talal Itani

On the Day when they see the angels—there will be no good news for sinners on that Day; and they will say, “A protective refuge.”

Tafsir jalalayn

The day when they see the angels, [while they stand] together with the rest of creation, namely, on the Day of Resurrection (yawma is in the accusative because of an implied [preceding] udhkur, `mention'), there will be no good tidings on that day for the guilty, that is, the disbelievers, in contrast to the believers for whom there shall be the good tidings of Paradise, and they will say, `A forbidding ban!', as was their [the pagan] custom in this world whenever a misfortune befell them; in other words [they mean] `awdhan ma`dhan, seeking refuge from the angels [who will chastise them]. God, exalted be He, says;

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

On the Day they will see the angels -- no good news will there be for the criminals that day. And they will say;"Hijran Mahjura."

means, when they do see the angels, it will not be a good day for them, for on that day there will be no good news for them.

This is also confirmed at the time when they are dying, when the angels bring them the tidings of Hell and the wrath of the Compeller, and when the disbeliever's soul is being taken out, the angels say to it,

"Come out, O evil soul from an evil body, come out to fierce hot wind and boiling water, and the shadow of black smoke."

It refuses to come out and it scatters throughout his body, so they beat him, as Allah says;

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ يَتَوَفَّى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ الْمَلَـيِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَـرَهُمْ

And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve; they smite their faces and their backs..." (8;50)

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي غَمَرَاتِ الْمَوْتِ وَالْمَليِكَةُ بَاسِطُواْ أَيْدِيهِمْ

And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the agonies of death, while the angels are stretching forth their hands.

that is, to beat them;

أَخْرِجُواْ أَنفُسَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ وَكُنتُمْ عَنْ ايَاتِهِ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ


(saying);"Deliver your souls! This day you shall be recompensed with the torment of degradation because of what you used to utter against Allah other than the truth. And you used to reject His Ayat with disrespect!" (6;93)

Hence in this Ayah Allah says;

يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ الْمَلَيِكَةَ لَا بُشْرَى يَوْمَيِذٍ لِّلْمُجْرِمِينَ


On the Day they will see the angels -- no good news will there be for the criminals,

This is in contrast to the state of the believers when death approaches them, for they are given glad tidings of joy and delight.

Allah says;

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَـمُواْ تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَـيِكَةُ أَلاَّ تَخَافُواْ وَلَا تَحْزَنُواْ وَأَبْشِرُواْ بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ

نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَأوُكُمْ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِى الاٌّخِرَةِ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِى أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ

نُزُلاً مِّنْ غَفُورٍ رَّحِيمٍ

Verily, those who say;"Our Lord is Allah," and then they stand firm, on them the angels will descend (saying);"Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the good news of Paradise which you have been promised! We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter. Therein you shall have what your souls desire, and therein you shall have what you ask for. Entertainment from, the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (41;30-32)

According to an authentic Hadith narrated from Al-Bara' bin Azib, the angels say to the believer's soul (at the time of death);

"Come out, O good soul in a good body, as you were dwelling in it. Come out to rest and pleasant fragrances and a Lord Who is not angry."

Other scholars said that the Ayah;
يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ الْمَلَيِكَةَ لَا بُشْرَى
(On the Day they will see the angels -- no good news),

refers to the Day of Resurrection.

This was the view of Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and others.

But there is no contradiction between these two views, because on both of these days -- the day of death and the Day of Resurrection -- the angels will appear to the believers and disbelievers, and they will give glad tidings of divine mercy and pleasure to the believers, while they will give the disbelievers news that will bring regret and sorrow, so there will be no glad tidings for the evildoers and criminals on that Day.

وَيَقُولُونَ حِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا


And they (angels) will say;"Hijran Mahjura."

The angels will say to the disbelievers;`success is forbidden to you this day.'

The basic meaning of Al-Hijr is preventing or prohibition, hence the word is used in the phrase "Hajara Al-Qadi `Ala Fulan" (or, "The judge prohibited so and so.") when he forbids him to dispose of his wealth in cases of bankruptcy, folly, being underage, etc.

The name of Al-Hijr (the low semicircular wall near the Ka`bah) is also derived from this root, because it prevents people from Tawaf inside it, since they have to go behind it.

The mind is also called Al-Hijr, because it prevents a person from indulging in things that do not befit him.

In conclusion, the pronoun in the phrase
وَيَقُولُونَ
(And they will say),

refers to the angels.

This was the view of Mujahid, Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, Atiyyah Al-`Awfi, Ata' Al-Khurasani, Khusayf and others;

it was also the view favored by Ibn Jarir.

Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Jurayj said that,

this referred to the words of the idolators.

يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ الْمَلَيِكَةَ

On the Day they will see the angels,

means, they will seek refuge from the angels.

This is because when disaster and hardship struck, the Arabs would say;
حِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا
(Hijran Mahjura).

Although there is a point to what Ibn Jurayj said, from the context it is unlikely that this is what was meant, and the majority of scholars said something different