Tafseer of Crouching · Al-Jaathiya · 45:10
Before them is Hell, and what they had earned will not avail them at all nor what they had taken besides Allah as allies. And they will have a great punishment.
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 explanation of the statement of the Exalted: مِنْ وَرَائِهِمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَلا يُغْنِي عَنْهُمْ مَا كَسَبُوا شَيْئًا وَلا مَا اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ("Before them lies Hell (jahannam), and nothing of what they have acquired will avail them, nor what they have taken as protectors besides Allah, and for them is a tremendous punishment") (10).
He — exalted is His mention — says: and behind these mockers of the signs of Allah, that is, before them. We have already set forth in what preceded the reason why it is said that what lies before you is "behind" you, in a manner that makes repetition unnecessary. He says: before them lies the fire of Hell (jahannam) which they shall enter, and nothing of what they have acquired will avail them. He says: nothing of what they have acquired in the worldly life of wealth and children will avail them in the least against the punishment of Hell (jahannam) when they are punished with it.
And His statement ( وَلا مَا اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ ) says: nor will their gods, whom they worshipped besides Allah, and their leaders — those whom they obeyed in disbelief toward Allah and whom they took as helpers in the worldly life — avail them anything on that day against the punishment of Hell (jahannam). ( وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ) says: and for them, on that day, is from Allah a tremendous punishment (ʿadhāb) in Hell (jahannam).
