Al-Qur'an Surah Ghafir Verse 46

Mufti Taqi Usmani

It is the Fire before which they are presented morning and evening. And on the day when the Hour (of final judgment) will take place, (the order will be released,): “Admit the family of Pharaoh into the most severe punishment.”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

they are exposed to the Fire ˹in their graves˺ morning and evening. And on the Day the Hour will be established ˹it will be said˺, “Admit Pharaoh’s people into the harshest punishment ˹of Hell˺.”

Ruwwad Translation Center

the Fire, which they will be exposed to [in their graves] morning and evening, and on the Day when the Hour takes place [it will be said], “Admit the people of Pharaoh into the most severe punishment.”

A. J. Arberry

the Fire, to which they shall be exposed morning and evening; and on the day when the Hour is come: 'Admit the folk of Pharaoh into the most terrible chastisement!'

Abdul Haleem

they will be brought before the Fire morning and evening. On the Day the Hour comes, it will be said, ‘Throw Pharaoh’s people into the worst torment.’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

The Fire! They are exposed thereto morning and evening. And on the Day whereon the Hour will uprise, it will be said: cause the family of Fir'awn to enter the most grievous torment.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In front of the Fire will they be brought, morning and evening; And (the sentence will be) on the Day that Judgment will be established; "Cast ye the People of Pharaoh into the severest Penalty!"

Abul Ala Maududi

They are exposed to the Fire every morning and evening; and when the Last Hour will come to pass, a command shall be given: “Admit the Pharaonites to an even more severe chastisement.”

Ahmed Ali

Fire, to which they are exposed morning and evening. The day the Hour is proclaimed (it will be said:) "Admit the people of Pharaoh to the severest punishment,"

Ahmed Raza Khan

The fire – upon which they are presented morning and evening; and when the Last Day is established – “Put the people of Firaun into the most severe punishment.” (Punishment in the grave is proven by this verse.)

Ali Quli Qarai

the Fire, to which they are exposed morning and evening. On the day when the Hour sets in, Pharaoh’s clan will enter the severest punishment.

Ali Ünal

The Fire: they are exposed to it morning and evening; and when the Last Hour comes in (and the Judgment is established, it is ordered): "Admit the clan of the Pharaoh into the severest punishment."

Amatul Rahman Omar

(Their abode is) the Fire. They are presented to it morning and evening. And on the day when the (appointed) Hour comes to pass, (the angels will be commanded,) `Put Pharaoh´s people into the severest torment.´

English Literal

The fire they are being displayed/exhibited on (to) it, (at) early morning and (at) evening/first darkness , and a day/time the Hour/Resurrection starts Pharaoh`s family enter (in) the torture`s strongest.

Faridul Haque

The fire - upon which they are presented morning and evening; and when the Last Day is established - “Put the people of Firaun into the most severe punishment.” (Punishment in the grave is proven by this verse.)

Hamid S. Aziz

The Fire, they shall be brought before it morning and evening and on the Day when the Hour (of Judgment) shall come to pass, (it will be said,) "Make Pharaoh´s people enter the severest penalty.

Hilali & Khan

The Fire; they are exposed to it, morning and afternoon, and on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels): "Cause Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) people to enter the severest torment!"

Maulana Mohammad Ali

So Allah protected him from the evil that they planned; and evil chastisement overtook Pharaoh’s people --

Mohammad Habib Shakir

The fire; they shall be brought before it (every) morning and evening and on the day when the hour shall come to pass: Make Firon's people enter the severest chastisement.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

The Fire; they are exposed to it morning and evening; and on the day when the Hour upriseth (it is said): Cause Pharaoh's folk to enter the most awful doom.

Muhammad Sarwar

They will be exposed to the fire in the mornings and the evenings and on the Day of Judgment, they will be told, "People of the Pharaoh, suffer the most severe torment."

Qaribullah & Darwish

(Before) the Fire they shall be exposed morning and evening, and on the Day when the Hour comes, (it will be said): 'Admit the family of Pharaoh into the most terrible punishment'

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

The Fire, they are exposed to it, morning and afternoon. And on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels): "Admit Fir`awn's people into the severest torment!"

Wahiduddin Khan

they will be brought before the Fire morning and evening. On the Day the Hour comes, [a voice will cry], "Mete out to Pharaoh's people the harshest punishment!"

Talal Itani

The Fire. They will be exposed to it morning and evening. And on the Day the Hour takes place: “Admit the clan of Pharaoh to the most intense agony.”

Tafsir jalalayn

then; the Fire, to which they are exposed, in which they are burnt, morning and evening. And on the day when the Hour comes, it will be said; `Enter, O, folk of Pharaoh (a variant reading [for udkhul, `enter'] has adkhil, `admit', being a command to the angels) the most awful chastisement!', the chastisement of Hell.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

النَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا

The Fire, they are exposed to it, morning and afternoon.

then being transferred from there to Hell, for their souls are exposed to the Fire morning and evening until the Hour begins. When the Day of Resurrection comes, their souls and bodies will be reunited in Hell.

Allah says;

وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ أَدْخِلُوا الَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَشَدَّ الْعَذَابِ



And on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels);"Admit Fir`awn's people to the severest torment!"

meaning, more intense pain and greater agony.

This Ayah contains one of the major proofs used by the Ahlus-Sunnah to prove that there will be torment in the grave during the period of Al-Barzakh; it is the phrase;
النَّارُ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا
(The Fire, they are exposed to it, morning and afternoon). But the question arises;this Ayah was undoubtedly revealed in Makkah, but they use it as evidence to prove that there will be torment in the grave during the period of Al-Barzakh.

Imam Ahmad recorded from A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that a Jewish woman used to serve her, and whenever A'ishah did her a favor, the Jewish woman would say,

"May Allah save you from the torment of the grave."

A'ishah said, "Then the Messenger of Allah came in, and I said, `O Messenger of Allah, will there be any torment in the grave before the Day of Resurrection?'

He said,

لَاا مَنْ زَعَمَ ذَلِكَ

No, who said that?

I said, `This Jewish woman, whenever I do her a favor, she says;May Allah save you from the torment of the grave."'

The Messenger of Allah said,

كَذَبَتْ يَهُودُ وَهُمْ عَلَى اللهِ أَكْذَبُ لَا عَذَابَ دُونَ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَة

The Jews are lying, and they tell more lies about Allah. There is no torment except on the Day of Resurrection.

Then as much time passed as Allah willed should pass, then one day he came out at midday, wrapped in his robe with his eyes reddening, calling at the top of his voice;

الْقَبْرُ كَقِطَع اللَّيْلِ الْمُظْلِمِ

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا وَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيلً

أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اسْتَعِـــــــــيذُوا بِاللهِ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ فَإِنَّ عَذَابَ الْقَبْرِ حَق

The grave is like patches of dark night!

O people, if you knew what I know, you would weep much and laugh little.

O people, seek refuge with Allah from the torment of the grave, for the torment of the grave is real."

This chain of narration is Sahih according to the conditions of Al-Bukhari and Muslim, although they did not record it.

It was said, `how can this report be reconciled with the fact that the Ayah was revealed in Makkah and the Ayah indicates that there will be torment during the period of Al-Barzakh?'

The answer is that the Ayah refers to the souls (of Fir`awn and his people) being exposed to the Fire morning and evening; it does not say that the pain will affect their bodies in the grave. So it may be that this has to do specifically with their souls. With regard to there being any effect on their bodies in Al-Barzakh, and their feeling pain as a result, this is indicated in the Sunnah, in some Hadiths which we will mention below.

It was said that this Ayah refers to the punishment of the disbelievers in Al-Barzakh, and that it does not by itself imply that the believer will be punished in the grave for his sins. This is indicated by the Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad from A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, according to which the Messenger of Allah entered upon A'ishah when a Jewish woman was with her, and she (the Jewish woman) was saying, "I was told that you will be tried in the grave."

The Messenger of Allah was worried and said;

إِنَّمَا يُفْتَنُ يَهُود

Only the Jews will be tested.

A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "Several nights passed, then the Messenger of Allah said;

أَلَا إِنَّكُمْ تُفْتَنُونَ فِي الْقُبُور

Verily you will be tested in the graves."

A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said,

"After that, the Messenger of Allah used to seek refuge with Allah from the torment of the grave."

This was also recorded by Muslim.

It could be said that this Ayah indicates that the souls will be punished in Al-Barzakh, but this does not necessarily imply that the bodies in their graves will be affected by that. When Allah revealed something about the torment of the grave to His Prophet, he sought refuge with Allah from that. And Allah knows best.

The Hadiths which speak of the torment of the grave are very many.

Qatadah said, concerning the Ayah,
غُدُوًّا وَعَشِيًّا
(morning and afternoon),

"(This means) every morning and every evening, for as long as this world remains, it will be said to them by way of rebuke and humiliation, O people of Fir`awn, this is your position."

Ibn Zayd said,

"They are there today, being exposed to it morning and evening, until the Hour begins.
وَيَوْمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ أَدْخِلُوا الَ فِرْعَوْنَ أَشَدَّ الْعَذَابِ
(And on the Day when the Hour will be established (it will be said to the angels);"Cause Fir`awn's people to enter the severest torment!")

The people of Fir`awn are like foolish camels, stumbling into rocks and trees without thinking."

Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

"The Messenger of Allah said;

إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ إِذَا مَاتَ عُرِضَ عَلَيْهِ مَقْعَدُهُ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ إِنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فَمِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَمِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فَيُقَالُ هذَا مَقْعَدُكَ حَتْى يَبْعَثَكَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَيْهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة


When one of you dies, he is shown his place (in Paradise or Hell) morning and evening; if he is one of the people of Paradise, then he is one of the people of Paradise, and if he is one of the people of Hell, then he is one of the people of Hell. It will be said to him, this is your place until Allah resurrects you to go to it on the Day of Resurrection."

It was also reported in the Two Sahihs