Surah Saba — Verse 42

Word Meanings:

• لَا يَمْلِكُ – do not possess/have power over
• نَّفْعًا – benefit or advantage
• وَلَا ضَرًّا – nor harm or injury
• ظَلَمُوا – those who wronged themselves (through disbelief and sin)
• ذُوقُوا – taste (an imperative command, meaning experience directly)
• تُكَذِّبُونَ – you used to deny/reject

Tafsir (Explanation):

On the Day of Resurrection, the scene is utterly different from what the polytheists imagined in this worldly life. Those who were worshipped — whether angels, prophets, jinn, or idols — will have absolutely no power to benefit their worshippers, nor can they protect them from any harm. No intercession will avail, no plea will be heard, and no bargain can be struck. All authority on that Day belongs exclusively to Allah alone, and every false claim of divinity or partnership will be exposed as pure delusion.

Then, the Most Just and Most Wise will address those who wronged themselves by associating partners with Allah and persisting in disobedience: "Taste the punishment of the Fire which you used to deny!" This is not merely a statement of fact — it is a humiliating rebuke, a painful reality that confronts them with the very thing they mocked and rejected in the world. The Fire they laughed at, doubted, and dismissed as fables is now their eternal reality, and they are commanded to experience its torment firsthand.

This verse carries a profound lesson for every soul. The false deities people rely upon — wealth, status, power, or even other human beings — are utterly helpless on the Day when nothing matters except one's deeds and one's relationship with Allah. How foolish it is to spend a fleeting life bowing to creations that cannot even benefit themselves, let alone their followers! And how merciful is Allah, who warns us now, before that Day arrives, so that we may turn back to Him, purify our worship, and save ourselves from tasting a Fire whose heat no mind can comprehend.

O believer, let this verse awaken your heart today. The door of repentance is open, the path of guidance is clear, and the mercy of Allah is vast. Do not wait until the Day when excuses will be rejected and the Fire will be your only companion. Rush to your Lord now, worship Him alone, and taste instead the sweetness of faith — a taste that will lead you, by His grace, to eternal bliss.