Al-An'aam 6:128 · The Cattle · Arabic, translation, recitation

Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"On the day He gathers everyone together [saying], ‘Company of jinn! You have seduced a great many humans,’ their adherents among mankind will say, ‘Lord, we have profited from one another, but now we have reached the appointed time You decreed for us.’ He will say, ‘Your home is the Fire, and there you shall remain’- unless God wills otherwise: [Prophet], your Lord is all wise, all knowing."

Pickthall (classic)+

"In the day when He will gather them together (He will say): O ye assembly of the jinn! Many of humankind did ye seduce. And their adherents among humankind will say: Our Lord! We enjoyed one another, but now we have arrived at the appointed term which Thou appointedst for us. He will say: Fire is your home. Abide therein for ever, save him whom Allah willeth (to deliver). Lo! thy Lord is Wise, Aware."

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

"One day will He gather them all together, (and say): "O ye assembly of Jinns! Much (toll) did ye take of men." Their friends amongst men will say: "Our Lord! we made profit from each other: but (alas!) we reached our term - which thou didst appoint for us." He will say: "The Fire be your dwelling-place: you will dwell therein for ever, except as Allah willeth." for thy Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge."

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعاً

(on the Day when He will gather them (all) together.) gather the Jinns and their loyal supporters from mankind who used to worship them in this life, seek refuge with them, obey them and inspire each other with adorned, deceitful speech. Allah will proclaim then,

يَـمَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ قَدِ اسْتَكْثَرْتُم مِّنَ الإِنْسِ

(O you assembly of Jinn! Many did you mislead of men,) So the Ayah;

قَدِ اسْتَكْثَرْتُم مِّنَ الإِنْسِ

(Many did you mislead of men) refers to their misguiding and leading them astray. Allah also said;

أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يبَنِى ءَادَمَ أَن لاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ الشَّيطَـنَ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ - وَأَنِ اعْبُدُونِى هَـذَا صِرَطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ - وَلَقَدْ أَضَلَّ مِنْكُمْ جِبِلاًّ كَثِيراً أَفَلَمْ تَكُونُواْ تَعْقِلُونَ

(Did I not command you, O Children of Adam, that you should not worship Shaytan. Verily, he is a plain enemy to you. And that you should worship Me. That is the straight path. And indeed he (Shaytan) did lead astray a great multitude of you. Did you not, then, understand) 36:60-62, and

وَقَالَ أَوْلِيَآؤُهُم مِّنَ الإِنْسِ رَبَّنَا اسْتَمْتَعَ بَعْضُنَا بِبَعْضٍ

(and their friends among the people will say: "Our Lord! We benefited one from the other...") The friends of the Jinns among humanity will give this answer to Allah, after Allah chastises them for being misguided by the Jinns. Al-Hasan commented, "They benefited from each other when the Jinns merely commanded and mankind obeyed." Ibn Jurayj said, "During the time of Jahiliyyah, a man would reach a land and proclaim, `I seek refuge with the master (Jinn) of this valley,' and this is how they benefited from each other. They used this as an excuse for them on the Day of Resurrection." Therefore, the Jinns benefit from humans since humans revere the Jinns by invoking them for help. The Jinns would then proclaim, "We became the masters of both mankind and the Jinns."

وَبَلَغْنَآ أَجَلَنَا الَّذِى أَجَّلْتَ لَنَا

(but now we have reached our appointed term which You did appoint for us.) meaning, death, according to As-Suddi.

قَالَ النَّارُ مَثْوَاكُمْ

(He (Allah) will say: "The Fire be your dwelling place...") where you will reside and live, you and your friends,

خَـلِدِينَ فِيهَآ

(you will dwell therein forever. ) and will never depart except what Allah may will.

В тот день, когда Всевышний Аллах соберет вместе всех людей и джиннов, сбившихся с пути и вводивших в заблуждение других, Он упрекнет джиннов, которые сбивали с пути людей, представляли им зло в прекрасном свете и подстрекали их к совершению грехов. Им будет сказано: «О сонмище джиннов! Вы ввели в заблуждение и сбили с пути многих людей. Как же вы осмелились нарушить Мои запреты и дерзко ослушаться Моих посланников? Как вы посмели сражаться против Меня, удерживая рабов с пути их Господа и уводя их на путь, ведущий в Преисподнюю? Сегодня вы заслужили Мое проклятие и удостоились Моего гнева, и каждый из вас получит наказание в зависимости от тяжести его неверия и вреда, который он причинил окружающим. Вы не сможете оправдать свои поступки и не найдете для себя убежища. Никто не станет заступаться за вас, и никто не ответит на ваши молитвы». Нетрудно догадаться, какое ужасное наказание, какой великий позор и какие мучительные страдания выпадут на долю джиннов в этот страшный день. Что же касается их клевретов из числа людей, то они попытаются оправдаться, однако их оправдания не будут приняты. Они скажут: «Мы и джинны использовали друг друга. Джинны удовлетворялись тем, что мы подчинялись и поклонялись им, возвеличивали их и молили их о покровительстве. Мы же довольствовались тем, что благодаря джиннам удовлетворяли некоторые из своих порочных желаний. Мы поклонялись джиннам, и они прислуживали нам и помогали нам обрести некоторые мирские блага. Мы совершали грехи, которые не можем отрицать. Теперь нам приходится расплачиваться за совершенные деяния. Поступай же с нами, как пожелаешь, и вынеси Твой приговор. Мы не имеем доводов в свою пользу и не можем оправдаться, и нам остается лишь дожидаться Твоего решения и приговора». В этих словах просматривается смирение и желание вызвать сочувствие к себе. Однако будет уже слишком поздно, и поэтому Аллах примет справедливое и беспристрастное решение, приговорив их к вечному наказанию в Преисподней. И поскольку этот приговор является следствием Его божественной мудрости и знания, в конце этого аята Аллах нарек Себя Мудрым и Знающим. Его знание объемлет все сущее, и Его наивысшая мудрость охватывает всякую вещь.

Mentioned in the third verse (128) is a dialogue before a gathering of Jinns and human beings on the plains of the Resurrection (Al-Hashr). Allah Ta` ala will address the satans among Jinns telling them about their excessive role in misleading human beings. What would they say in reply has not been mentioned by the Qur'an. As obvious, there was not much they could do but to confess the truth before the All-Knowing and the All-Aware. But, in not mentioning their confession, the hint given is that they will be so confounded with the question that they would not know how to make an answer. (Ruh al-Ma'ani)

After that, the text turns to the satans among human beings, that is, those who followed the instigations of satans during their life of the world, went astray themselves, and kept becoming the cause of others going astray. It is from them that an answer submitted in the court of the Judge of all judges has been mentioned - though, the initial question was not asked of the satans of human beings, but in an implied manner, they too were the addressees, because they too had done the same job of making people go astray as was the job of the satans of the Jinn. Thus, their reply was based on their being the implied addressees. But, it seems obvious that the human-like satans too are liable to be questioned which, though, is not mentioned here explicitly. However, it does find mention in a verse of Surah Ya’ Sin, which is: أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ that is, had I not taken a pledge from you, 0 children of Adam (through messengers), that you shall not obey the Shay-tan? - 36:60).

From this we know that human satans too will be subjected to the question on this occasion and they would, in reply, confess that, surely, they committed that crime and that they listened to the satans, and they would also confess that, surely, the two of them benefitted from each other through their friendship and cooperation. The human satans learned from them the ways of securing gratification from worldly enjoyments and, on occasions, called on them for help in one or the other way, as is the practice in idol-worshipping Hindus and, for that matter, even among ignorant Muslims, who would practice methods through which the help of satans and jinns can be harnessed in some tasks. As for the satans among Jinns, their gain was that they found a pliable people to listen to them because of which they succeeded in making human beings follow their dictates, so much so that they forgot all about death and the Hereafter. That was when they confessed that they had forsaken the thought of death and the Hereafter because of the instigation of satans, and now they see it in front of them.

Thereupon, Allah Ta ala will say: النَّارُ‌ مَثْوَاكُمْ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّـهُ ۗ إِنَّ رَ‌بَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ("The Fire is your abode where you shall remain forever, except what Allah wills [ that is, wills to take someone out of it ]. Surely, your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing" ). But, as in the definitive statements of the Qur'an (Nusus), it stands proved that even Allah Ta` ala would not so will, therefore, it is for ever that they shall have to be in it.