Juz 25: Fuṣṣilat 47 to Al-Jāthiyah
Section 15 of 20 · Tafsir of the Qur’an · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
14. Descriptions of Paradise and Hellfire | Verses: Az-Zukhruf 43:67-77
The Quran presents vivid contrasts between the eternal destinations of the righteous and the wrongdoers, with particularly striking imagery in Surah Az-Zukhruf. These descriptions serve not merely as information but as motivation for believers to strive for paradise and avoid hellfire.
A profound reality of the Day of Judgment is captured in verse 67:
الْأَخِلَّاءُ يَوْمَئِذٍ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلَّا الْمُتَّقِينَ
“Friends, on that day, will be enemies to one another, except the God-fearing.”
This verse contains a sobering truth: worldly friendships and associations based on sin, mutual interest, or convenience will transform into enmity on the Day of Judgment. Each person will blame their associates for leading them astray. The only exception is friendship built upon righteousness and taqwa (God-consciousness), which will endure and flourish in the hereafter.
For the righteous, Allah depicts paradise with extraordinary detail. The inhabitants of paradise will be addressed with honor:
يَا عِبَادِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ وَلَا أَنتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ
“O My servants, there is no fear for you today, nor will you grieve.”
The people of paradise are those who believed in Allah's signs and submitted to Him as Muslims. They will enter paradise with their spouses, experiencing eternal joy. Every man will have two spouses from the people of paradise, in addition to the spouses they had in the worldly life if those spouses are among the righteous. This indicates that women will outnumber men in paradise, giving more opportunity for those who did not marry in this world or whose spouses did not attain paradise.
The delights of paradise are described in sensory terms that humans can comprehend:
يُطَافُ عَلَيْهِم بِصِحَافٍ مِّن ذَهَبٍ وَأَكْوَابٍ ۖ وَفِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِيهِ الْأَنفُسُ وَتَلَذُّ الْأَعْيُنُ ۖ وَأَنتُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
“Platters of gold and cups will be passed around them, and there will be whatever the souls desire and the eyes delight in. And you will be abiding therein forever.”
Paradise contains gold platters and cups, fruits of every kind, and everything that the heart desires and the eyes find pleasing. Importantly, residence in paradise is eternal—there is no expiration date or checkout time. This permanence is emphasized to contrast with the temporary nature of worldly pleasures.
In stark contrast, the wrongdoers will dwell forever in the punishment of Hell:
إِنَّ الْمُجْرِمِينَ فِي عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدُونَ
“Surely the guilty ones will be in the punishment of Jahannam, abiding therein forever.”
Their punishment will never be lightened, and they will remain in a state of despair. They will cry out to Malik, the guardian of Hell, begging: "Let your Lord finish us off!" But the reply will be, "You are going to remain as such." This indicates that even death—which in the worldly life can end suffering—will not be available to them.
Allah emphasizes that He did not wrong them; rather, they wronged themselves by rejecting the truth when it was presented to them. Their eternal regret will be that they had the opportunity for salvation but squandered it through disbelief and disobedience.