Al-Qur'an Surah Ash-Shu'ara Verse 189

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Thus they rejected him, so they were seized by the torment of the Day of Canopy. Indeed it was the punishment of a terrible day.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

So they rejected him, and ˹so˺ were overtaken by the torment of the day of the ˹deadly˺ cloud.[[ They were targeted by scorching heat, so they did not know where to go. Finally, a soothing cloud appeared in the sky, so they rushed to it for shade, then the cloud rained torment upon them, as they had requested. ]] That was really a torment of a tremendous day.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Thus they rejected him, so they were seized by the punishment of the cloudy day; it was the punishment of a horrible day.

A. J. Arberry

But they cried him lies; then there seized them the chastisement of the Day of Shadow; assuredly it was the chastisement of a dreadful day.

Abdul Haleem

They called him a liar, and so the torment of the Day of Shadow came upon them- it was the torment of a terrible day.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Thenn they belied him; wherefore there laid hold of -them the torment of day of shadow. Verily it was the torment of a Mighty Day.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

But they rejected him. Then the punishment of a day of overshadowing gloom seized them, and that was the Penalty of a Great Day.

Abul Ala Maududi

Then they branded him a liar, whereupon the chastisement of the Day of Canopy overtook them. It was the chastisement of a very awesome day.

Ahmed Ali

But they denied him, and We seized them with the torment of the Day of Shadowing (when the cloud had rained down fire). It was indeed the torment of a terrible day!

Ahmed Raza Khan

In response they denied him – therefore the punishment of the day of the tent* seized them; that was indeed a punishment of a Great Day. (The clouds formed a tent and rained fire upon them).

Ali Quli Qarai

So they impugned him, and then they were overtaken by the punishment of the day of the overshadowing cloud. It was indeed the punishment of a terrible day.

Ali Ünal

So they denied him and in consequence, the punishment of the Day of the Overshadowing seized them. It surely was the punishment of an awesome day.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Yet they cried him lies, so the punishment of the gloomy day with dark overshadowing clouds overtook them; it was indeed the punishment of an awful day.

English Literal

So they denied him , so torture (of) the shade`s day/time punished/took them, that it truly was a great day`s/time`s torture.

Faridul Haque

In response they denied him – therefore the punishment of the day of the tent * seized them; that was indeed a punishment of a Great Day. (The clouds formed a tent and rained fire upon them).

Hamid S. Aziz

Said he, "My Lord knows best what you do!"

Hilali & Khan

But they belied him, so the torment of the day of shadow (a gloomy cloud) seized them, indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

So cause a portion of the heaven to fall on us, if thou art truthful.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

But they called him a liar, so the punishment of the day of covering overtook them; surely it was the punishment of a grievous day.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

But they denied him, so there came on them the retribution of the day of gloom. Lo! it was the retribution of an awful day.

Muhammad Sarwar

They rejected him and then the torment of the gloomy day struck them. It was certainly a great torment.

Qaribullah & Darwish

But they belied him, then the punishment of the Day of Shadow (raining fire) seized them. Truly, it was the punishment of a dreadful day.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

But they denied him, so the torment of the Day of Shadow (a gloomy cloud) seized them. Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

Wahiduddin Khan

They rejected him, and then had to suffer the punishment of a day of overshadowing gloom. That was indeed the punishment of an awful day.

Talal Itani

But they denied him. So the punishment of the day of gloom gripped them. It was the punishment of a great day.

Tafsir jalalayn

But they denied him, so they were seized by the chastisement of the day of the shade (al-zulla) -- a cloud which gave them shade when they suffered a bout of extreme heat but which then rained down fire on them and they were incinerated. Assuredly it was the chastisement of a tremendous day.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

But they denied him, so the torment of the Day of Shadow seized them. Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

This is what they asked for, when they asked for a part of the heaven to fall upon them. Allah made their punishment in the form of intense heat which overwhelmed them for seven days, and nothing could protect them from it.

Then He sent a cloud to shade them, so they ran towards it to seek its shade from the heat. When all of them had gathered underneath it, Allah sent sparks of fire and flames and intense heat upon them, and caused the earth to convulse beneath them, and He sent against them a mighty Sayhah which destroyed their souls.

Allah says;

إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

Allah has mentioned how they were destroyed in three places in the Qur'an, in each of which it is described in a manner which fits the context.

In Surah Al-A`rafHe says that;

the earthquake seized them, and they lay (dead), prostrate in their homes. This was because they said;

لَنُخْرِجَنَّكَ يـشُعَيْبُ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَكَ مِن قَرْيَتِنَأ أَوْ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِي مِلَّتِنَا

"We shall certainly drive you out, O Shu`ayb, and those who have believed with you from our town, or else you (all) shall return to our religion." (7;88)

They had sought to scare the Prophet of Allah and those who followed him, so they were seized by the earthquake.

In Surah Hud, Allah says;

وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ الصَّيْحَةُ

And As-Sayhah seized the wrongdoers. (11;94)

This was because they mocked the Allah's Prophet when they said;

أَصَلَوَتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ أَن نَّتْرُكَ مَا يَعْبُدُ ءابَاوُنَأ أَوْ أَن نَّفْعَلَ فِى أَمْوَالِنَا مَا نَشَوُا إِنَّكَ لاّنتَ الْحَلِيمُ الرَّشِيدُ

"Does your Salah command that we give up what our fathers used to worship, or that we give up doing what we like with our property Verily, you are the forbearer, right-minded!" (11;87)

They had said this in a mocking, sarcastic tone, so it was befitting that the Sayhah should come and silence them, as Allah says;

فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ

So As-Saihah overtook them. (15;73)

وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ الصَّيْحَةُ

And As-Saihah seized the wrongdoers. (11;94)

And here, they said;

فَأَسْقِطْ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا مِّنَ السَّمَاء


So, cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us,

in a stubborn and obstinate manner. So, it was fitting that something they never thought would happen should befall them;

فَأَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الظُّلَّةِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

so the torment of the Day of Shadow seized them. Indeed that was the torment of a Great Day.

Muhammad bin Jarir narrated from Yazid Al-Bahili;"I asked Ibn Abbas about this Ayah;
فَأَخَذَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الظُّلَّةِ
(so the torment of the Day of Shadow seized them).

He said;

`Allah sent upon them thunder and intense heat, and it terrified them (so they entered their houses and it pursued them to the innermost parts of their houses and terrified them further), and they ran fleeing from their houses into the fields. Then Allah sent upon them clouds which shaded them from the sun, and they found it cool and pleasant, so they called out to one another until they had all gathered beneath the cloud, then Allah sent fire upon them.'

Ibn Abbas said,

`That was the torment of the Day of Shadow, indeed that was the torment of a Great Day."'

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَايَةً

وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّوْمِنِينَ