Al-Qur'an Surah Al-'Ankabut Verse 55

Mufti Taqi Usmani

on the Day when the punishment will envelop them from above them and from under their feet and He (Allah) will say, “Taste what you used to do.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

on the Day the punishment will overwhelm them from above them and from below their feet. And it will be said, “Reap what you sowed.”

Ruwwad Translation Center

on the Day when the punishment will overwhelm them from above and from below their feet, and He will say, “Taste [the punishment] for what you used to do!”

A. J. Arberry

Upon the day the chastisement shall overwhelm them from above them and from under their feet, and He shall say, 'Taste now what you were doing!'

Abdul Haleem

on the Day when punishment overwhelms them from above and from below their very feet, and they will be told, ‘Now taste the punishment for what you used to do.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

On the Day whereon the torment shall cover them from above them and from underneath their feet, and He shall say: taste that which ye have been working!

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

On the Day that the Punishment shall cover them from above them and from below them, and (a Voice) shall say; "Taste ye (the fruits) of your deeds!"

Abul Ala Maududi

(They will become aware of it) the Day when the chastisement will overwhelm them from above and from under their feet, and He will say to them: “Taste now the consequence of the deeds that you used to commit.”

Ahmed Ali

The day the punishment comes upon them from above and underneath their feet, (God will) say: "And now taste of what you had done."

Ahmed Raza Khan

The day when the punishment will envelop them from above them and from below their feet, and He will say, “Taste the flavour of your deeds!”

Ali Quli Qarai

on the day when the punishment envelopes them, from above them and from under their feet, and He will say, ‘Taste what you used to do!’

Ali Ünal

On that Day the suffering will overwhelm them from above them and from beneath their feet, and (God) will say to them: "Taste now what you used to do (in the world)!"

Amatul Rahman Omar

(It shall be) the day when the punishment will overwhelm them from above their heads and (will come upon them) from below their feet. And He will say, `Suffer the consequences of your (evil) deeds.´

English Literal

A day/time the torture covers/afflicts them from above them, and from below/beneath their feet, and He/it says: "Taste/experience what you were making/doing ."

Faridul Haque

The day when the punishment will envelop them from above them and from below their feet, and He will say, “Taste the flavour of your deeds!”

Hamid S. Aziz

They ask you to hurry on the doom, but, verily, hell encompasses the disbelievers!

Hilali & Khan

On the Day when the torment (Hell-fire) shall cover them from above them and from underneath their feet, and it will be said: "Taste what you used to do."

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And they ask thee to hasten on the chastisement. And had not a term been appointed, the chastisement would certainly have come to them. And certainly it will come to them all of a sudden, while they perceive not.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

On the day when the chastisement shall cover them from above them, and from beneath their feet; and He shall say: Taste what you did.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

On the day when the doom will overwhelm them from above them and from underneath their feet, and He will say: Taste what ye used to do!

Muhammad Sarwar

They will be told on the Day of Judgment, when the torment will surround them from all sides, "Suffer the consequences of your deeds."

Qaribullah & Darwish

On the Day the punishment shall cover them from above them and from beneath their feet, He shall say: 'Taste now what you were doing'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

On the Day when the torment shall cover them from above them and from beneath their feet, and it will be said: "Taste what you used to do."

Wahiduddin Khan

On the Day the punishment envelops them from above them and from underneath their feet, they will be told, "Taste [the punishment] for what you used to do!"

Talal Itani

On the Day when the punishment will envelop them, from above them, and from beneath their feet, He will say, “Taste what you used to do!”

Tafsir jalalayn

on the Day when the chastisement shall envelop them from above them and from under their feet, and We shall say, thereat (read [the verb] as naqlu, in other words, `We shall command that it be said; or [if read] yaqlu, `he shall say', namely, the one in charge of [meting out] chastisement), `Taste now what you used to do!', that is, [taste] the requital for it, as you will not be able to elude Us.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

يَوْمَ يَغْشَاهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِمْ

On the Day when the torment (Hellfire) shall cover them from above them and from beneath their feet,

This is like the Ayah,

لَهُم مِّن جَهَنَّمَ مِهَادٌ وَمِن فَوْقِهِمْ غَوَاشٍ

Theirs will be a bed of Hell, and over them coverings (of Hell-fire). (7;41)

لَهُمْ مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ ظُلَلٌ مِّنَ النَّارِ وَمِن تَحْتِهِمْ ظُلَلٌ

They shall have coverings of Fire, above them and coverings (of Fire) beneath them. (39;16)

لَوْ يَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ حِينَ لَا يَكُفُّونَ عَن وُجُوهِهِمُ النَّارَ وَلَا عَن ظُهُورِهِمْ

If only those who disbelieved knew (the time) when they will not be able to ward off the Fire from their faces, nor from their backs. (21;39)

The Fire will cover them from all sides, which is more effective as a physical punishment.

وَيَقُولُ ذُوقُوا مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ



and it will be said;"Taste what you used to do."

This is a threat and a rebuke, which is a form of psychological punishment, as in the Ayah,

يَوْمَ يُسْحَبُونَ فِى النَّارِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ ذُوقُواْ مَسَّ سَقَرَ

إِنَّا كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقْنَـهُ بِقَدَرٍ

The Day they will be dragged on their faces into the Fire (it will be said to them);"Taste you the touch of Hell!"

Verily, We have created all things with a measurement. (54;48-49)

يَوْمَ يُدَعُّونَ إِلَى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ دَعًّا

هَـذِهِ النَّارُ الَّتِى كُنتُم بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ

أَفَسِحْرٌ هَـذَا أَمْ أَنتُمْ لَا تُبْصِرُونَ

اصْلَوْهَا فَاصْبِرُواْ أَوْ لَا تَصْبِرُواْ سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

The Day when they will be pushed down by force to the fire of Hell, with a horrible, forceful pushing. This is the Fire which you used to deny. Is this magic or do you not see!

Enter you therein (taste you therein its heat) and whether you are patient of it or impatient of it, it is all the same. You are only being requited for what you used to do. (52;13-16