Tafseer of The Most High · Al-A'laa · 87:13
Neither dying therein nor living.
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.
His statement: ثُمَّ لا يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلا يَحْيَا (Then he will neither die therein nor live). He says: thereafter he does not die in the great Fire, nor does he live. That is because the soul of one of them comes to rest in his throat therein, and it does not go out so as to leave him and he die, nor does it return to its place in the body so that he might live. And it has been said: he does not die therein so as to find rest, nor does he live with a life that benefits him.
Others said: this was said because the Arabs, when they described a man as having fallen into severe distress, would say: he is neither living nor dead. Thus Allah addressed them in accordance with what was current in that regard in their speech.
