Tafseer of The Family of Imraan · Aal-i-Imraan · 3:151
We will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve for what they have associated with Allah of which He had not sent down [any] authority. And their refuge will be the Fire, and wretched is the residence of the wrongdoers.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The discourse on the explanation of His statement: سَنُلْقِي فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ بِمَا أَشْرَكُوا بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ وَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الظَّالِمِينَ (151) (We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they have ascribed partners to Allah for which He has sent down no authority; and their abode is the Fire, and evil is the dwelling-place of the wrongdoers.)
Abū Jaʿfar says: He — exalted be His praise — means by this: Allah will cast, O believers, "into the hearts of those who disbelieve" in their Lord, and who denied the prophethood of the Prophet ﷺ, namely those of them who fought against you at Uḥud — "the terror", that is, the fear and the panic — "because they have ascribed partners to Allah", that is to say: on account of their ascribing partners to Allah (shirk), their worship of the idols, and their obedience to the devil, for which I have furnished them no proof — and that is "the authority" (sulṭān) — concerning which He, Mighty and Exalted, has informed that He did not send it down for their disbelief (kufr) and their shirk.
This is a promise from Allah — exalted be His praise — to the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: victory over their enemies and triumph over them, so long as they remain steadfast in His covenant and hold fast to obedience to Him. Then He informed them of what He will do with their enemies after these have returned to Him, and He — exalted be His praise — said: "and their abode is the Fire", that is to say: their refuge, to which they return on the Day of Resurrection, is the Fire — "and evil is the dwelling-place of the wrongdoers", He says: and evil is the dwelling of the wrongdoers — who have wronged themselves by acquiring that which made the punishment (ʿadhāb) of Allah obligatory upon them — namely the Fire, as in:
8002 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq: "We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they have ascribed partners to Allah for which He has sent down no authority; and their abode is the Fire, and evil is the dwelling-place of the wrongdoers" — I shall cast into the hearts of those who disbelieve the terror by which I made you triumph over them, because they have ascribed partners to Me for which I have furnished them no proof. That is to say: do not think, then, that they will have any outcome of victory or triumph over you, so long as you hold fast and follow My command — as for the setback that befell you from them on account of sins that you sent ahead for yourselves, by which you transgressed My command and in which you disobeyed the Prophet of Allah ﷺ.
8003 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, who said: When Abū Sufyān and the polytheists (mushrikīn) departed on the day of Uḥud, heading for Mecca, Abū Sufyān went on until he had covered part of the way. Then they regretted and said: Evil is what you have done! You killed them until none remained but the scattered ones — and then you left them alone! Return and exterminate them completely! Then Allah, Mighty and Exalted, cast terror into their hearts, so that they took to flight. Thereupon they met a bedouin, to whom they promised a reward, and they said to him: If you meet Muḥammad, inform him of what we have mustered against them. But Allah, Mighty and Exalted, informed His Messenger ﷺ of it, who then pursued them until he reached Ḥamrāʾ al-Asad. And Allah, Mighty and Exalted, sent down concerning that, and He mentioned Abū Sufyān at the moment when he wished to return to the Prophet ﷺ, and the terror that had been cast into his heart, and He said: "We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they have ascribed partners to Allah."