Surah Fatir 35:37

The Punishment of the Disbeliever and what Their State will be in Hell

Having told us how the blessed will be (in Paradise), Allah now starts to tell us what the state of doomed will be. He says:

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُواْ

(But those who disbelieve, for them will be the fire of Hell. Neither will it have a complete killing effect on them so that they die) This is like the Ayah:

لاَ يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلاَ يَحْيَى

(Wherein he will neither die nor live) (20:74). It was reported in Sahih Muslim that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«أَمَّا أَهْلُ النَّارِ الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَهْلُهَا، فَلَا يَمُوتُونَ فِيهَا وَلَا يَحْيَوْن»

(As for the people of Hell who will dwell therein, they will neither live nor die there. ) And Allah says:

وَنَادَوْاْ يمَـلِكُ لِيَقْضِ عَلَيْنَا رَبُّكَ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ مَّـكِثُونَ

(And they will cry (to the keeper of Hell): "O Malik! Let your Lord make an end of us." He will say: "Verily, you shall abide forever.") (43:77). When they are in this state, they will think that if only they could die, it would be a time of rest for them, but that can never happen to them. Allah says:

لاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُواْ وَلاَ يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا

(Neither will it have a complete killing effect on them so that they die nor shall its torment be lightened for them. ) This is like the Ayat:

إِنَّ الْمُجْرِمِينَ فِى عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ خَـلِدُونَ - لاَ يُفَتَّرُ عَنْهُمْ وَهُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ

(Verily, the criminals will be in the torment of Hell to abide therein forever. (That) will not be lightened for them, and they will be plunged into destruction with deep regrets, sorrows and in despair therein.) (43:74-75).

كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا

(whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire) (17:97), and

فَذُوقُواْ فَلَن نَّزِيدَكُمْ إِلاَّ عَذَاباً

(So taste you. No increase shall We give you, except in torment.) (78:30). Then Allah says:

كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى كُلَّ كَفُورٍ

(Thus do We requite every disbeliever!) meaning, this is the recompense of everyone who disbelieved in his Lord and denied the truth.

وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا

(Therein they will cry) means, they will call out in the Fire, beseeching Allah with their voices:

رَبَّنَآ أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـلِحاً غَيْرَ الَّذِى كُـنَّا نَعْمَلُ

("Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not that we used to do.") which means, they will ask to go back to the worldly life so that they can do something different to the first deeds they did. But Allah, may He be glorified, knows that if He sent them back to this world, they would go back to what they had been forbidden to do, and He knows that they are lying, so He will not respond to their plea. This is like the Ayah where Allah tells us that they will say:

فَهَلْ إِلَى خُرُوجٍ مِّن سَبِيلٍذَلِكُم بِأَنَّهُ إِذَا دُعِىَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ كَـفَرْتُمْ وَإِن يُشْرَكْ بِهِ تُؤْمِنُواْ

(Then is there any way to get out (of the Fire). (It will be said): "This is because, when Allah Alone was invoked you disbelieved (denied), but when partners were joined to Him, you believed!) (40:11,12) i.e., `there will be no response for you because you were like that; if you were to return to this world, you would just go back to that which you had been forbidden to do.' Allah says here:

أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُمْ مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَآءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ

(Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive admonition could receive it And the warner came to you.) meaning, `did you not live for long enough in the world that if you were to be among those who would benefit from the truth, you would have benefited from it during your lifetimes' Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet said:

«لَقَدْ أَعْذَرَ اللهُ تَعَالَى إِلَى عَبْدٍ أَحْيَاهُ حَتْى بَلَغَ سِتِّينَ أَوْ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً، لَقَدْ أَعْذَرَ اللهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ، لَقَدْ أَعْذَرَ اللهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْه»

(Allah has left no excuse for the person who lives to be sixty or seventy years old; Allah has left no excuse for him; Allah has left no excuse for him.) Imam Al-Bukhari also recorded, in the Book of Riqaq in his Sahih, that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«أَعْذَرَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَى امْرِىءٍ أَخَّرَ عُمْرَهُ حَتْى بَلَغَ سِتِّينَ سَنَة»

(Allah has left no excuse for a man who reaches the age of sixty.)" Ibn Jarir recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«مَنْ عَمَّرَهُ اللهُ تَعَالَى سِتِّينَ سَنَةً فَقَدْ أَعْذَرَ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْعُمْر»

(Whoever is granted a long life until the age of sixty, Allah has left no excuse for him.)" This was also recorded by Imam Ahmad and An-Nasa'i in Ar-Riqaq. Because this is the age at which Allah removes any excuse from His servants, this is the usual age of people in this Ummah, as was reported in the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«أَعْمَارُ أُمَّتِي مَا بَيْنَ السِّتِّينَ إِلَى السَّبْعِينَ، وَأَقَلُّهُمْ مَنْ يَجُوزُ ذَلِك»

(The usual life span in my Ummah is between sixty and seventy years, and only a few pass this age.)" This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah in the Book of Zuhd of his Sunan.

وَجَآءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ

(And the warner came to you. ) It was reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, `Ikrimah, Abu Ja`far Al-Baqir, may Allah be pleased with him, Qatadah and Sufyan bin `Uyaynah said, "This means grey hair." As-Suddi and `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "This means the Messenger of Allah ﷺ " and Ibn Zayd recited,

هَـذَا نَذِيرٌ مِّنَ النُّذُرِ الاٍّوْلَى

(This is a warner of the (series of) warners of old.) (53:56). This is the correct view according to Shayban who narrated that Qatadah said, "Proof will be established against them by the fact that they lived long enough and that Messengers came to them." This is also the view favored by Ibn Jarir, and it is the apparent meaning of the Ayah:

وَنَادَوْاْ يمَـلِكُ لِيَقْضِ عَلَيْنَا رَبُّكَ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ مَّـكِثُونَ - لَقَدْ جِئْنَـكُم بِالْحَقِّ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَكُمْ لِلْحَقِّ كَـرِهُونَ

(And they will cry (to the keeper of Hell): "O Malik! Let your Lord make an end of us." He will say: "Verily, you shall abide forever." Indeed We have brought the truth to you, but most of you have a hatred for the truth.)(43:77-78) meaning: `We showed you the truth clearly through the Messengers, but you rejected it and opposed it.' And Allah says:

وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً

(And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger) (17:15).

تَكَادُ تَمَيَّزُ مِنَ الغَيْظِ كُلَّمَا أُلْقِىَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌ - قَالُواْ بَلَى قَدْ جَآءَنَا نَذِيرٌ فَكَذَّبْنَا وَقُلْنَا مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ فِى ضَلَـلٍ كَبِيرٍ

(Every time a group is cast therein, its keepers will ask: "Did no warner come to you" They will say: "Yes, indeed a warner did come to us, but we denied him and said: `Allah never sent down anything; you are only in great error'.") (67:8-9).

فَذُوقُواْ فَمَا لِلظَّـلِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ

(So taste you. For the wrongdoers there is no helper.) means, `taste the punishment of the Fire, as a recompense for your going against the Prophets in all your deeds, for today you will have no helper to save you from your fate of punishment and chains.'

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَـلِمُ غَيْبِ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ

Lebih lanjut diterangkan bahwa orang yang bernasib malang itu memohon kepada Allah agar dilepaskan dari azab dan dikembalikan ke dunia lagi. Mereka berjanji akan menaati Allah yang selama di dunia mereka lalaikan. Akan tetapi, seandainya permohonan itu dikabulkan”dan ini tidak mungkin sama sekali”tentulah mereka akan mengulangi kembali perbuatan lama yang terlarang. Perbuatan yang mereka sesali dan pernah mereka lakukan di dunia dulu adalah perbuatan syirik dan segala perbuatan jahat lainnya. Allah menjawab dan menghardik mereka dengan ucapan yang menghina bahwa di dunia dulu kepada mereka telah diberikan kesempatan hidup dengan umur yang cukup panjang untuk memperbaiki kesalahan dan menerima kebenaran yang disampaikan rasul selaku orang yang memberi peringatan. Dengan kata lain, permohonan demikian tidak diterima Allah sama sekali. Ayat lain menyatakan:

Ya Tuhan kami, keluarkanlah kami darinya (kembalikanlah kami ke dunia), jika kami masih juga kembali (kepada kekafiran), sungguh, kami adalah orang-orang yang zalim." Dia (Allah) berfirman, "Tinggallah dengan hina di dalamnya, dan janganlah kamu berbicara dengan Aku." (al-Mu'minun/23: 107-108)

Allah berfirman:

Dan barang siapa dibiarkan sesat oleh Allah, maka tidak ada baginya pelindung setelah itu. Kamu akan melihat orang-orang zalim ketika mereka melihat azab berkata, "Adakah kiranya jalan untuk kembali (ke dunia)?" (asy-Syura/42: 44)

Tentang umur yang dimaksudkan dalam ayat 37 ini, Ibnu 'Abbas menerangkan dalam satu riwayat, yaitu 40 tahun, dan riwayat lain mengatakan 60 tahun. Ibnu Katsir dalam tafsirnya memilih riwayat yang paling sahih dari Ibnu 'Abbas yakni 60 tahun. Demikian pula hadis riwayat Imam Ahmad dari Abu Hurairah. Di antara sekian banyak lafaz hadis itu, ada yang berarti: Adapun orang yang memberi peringatan yang disebutkan dalam ayat ini adalah Nabi Muhammad sendiri yang mengajarkan Kitabullah kepada umatnya, mengancam mereka dengan siksaan yang pedih bagi siapa yang tidak patuh kepada perintah Allah dan tidak mau menaati-Nya.

Ringkasnya, permohonan mereka itu tidak dikabulkan untuk kembali ke dunia ialah karena dua hal. Pertama, karena mereka rata-rata telah diberi kesempatan untuk hidup begitu lama antara 60 - 70 tahun, dan kedua, rasul sudah diutus kepada mereka untuk menyampaikan ajaran dan peringatan dari Tuhan.

Perhatikan firman Allah:

Hampir meledak karena marah. Setiap kali ada sekumpulan (orang-orang kafir) dilemparkan ke dalamnya, penjaga-penjaga (neraka itu) bertanya kepada mereka, "Apakah belum pernah ada orang yang datang memberi peringatan kepadamu (di dunia)?" (al-Mulk/67: 8)

Dalam Tafsir al-Wadhih dikatakan bahwa nadzir (pemberi peringatan) dalam ayat ini berarti Rasulullah yang membawa Al-Qur'an, boleh pula diartikan sebagai umur tua dan kematian. Memang umur dan kematian tersebut adalah peringatan penting bagi manusia bahwa sebentar lagi dia akan meninggalkan dunia yang fana ini, dan diwajibkan mempertanggungjawabkan perbuatannya. Jelaslah bahwa orang-orang kafir di atas kekal di dalam neraka dan tidak dikeluarkan selama-lamanya. Azab nerakalah yang mereka rasakan sepanjang masa sebagai imbalan yang setimpal bagi orang yang zalim yang tidak mau tunduk kepada ajaran rasul sebagai utusan Allah dalam kehidupan duniawinya. Ayat ini menegaskan jangan diharap mereka akan memperoleh penolong yang akan menyelamatkan mereka dari azab neraka dari rantai dan belenggu yang terbuat dari api neraka.