Surah Al-Hashr — Verse 17

Word Meanings:

• ʿāqibatahumā – the final outcome and end result of both of them (the devil and the human who followed him).
• khālidayn fīhā – abiding eternally in the Fire, never leaving it and never dying therein.
• al-ẓālimīn – those who transgress the limits set by Allah, wronging themselves through disbelief and disobedience.

Explanation of the Verse:

This verse concludes the striking parable of the devil and the human being he misled. The devil tempted a man to disbelieve, promising him false hopes and luring him away from the truth. Yet, when the man followed him, the devil abandoned him on the Day of Judgment, declaring his innocence of him and admitting his fear of Allah. Now, this verse seals their fate: the final outcome for both the tempter and the tempted is that they will be together in the Hellfire, dwelling therein forever—never to escape, never to find relief. They share the punishment because they shared the crime: one led to misguidance and the other embraced it willingly.

This is the just recompense for those who wrong themselves by overstepping Allah’s boundaries. They knew the truth, yet chose falsehood; they were warned, yet persisted in transgression. Their eternity in the Fire is not an injustice from Allah—rather, it is the natural and fair consequence of their own choices, for Allah is never unjust to His servants.

A Call to Reflection:

Dear reader, pause and reflect on this profound truth: the devil does not love you—he only seeks your destruction. He promises you fleeting pleasures and whispers sweet deceptions, but his ultimate aim is to drag you with him into the Fire. Do not let his whispers deceive you, for his end is sealed, and whoever follows him shares his fate. Allah, in His infinite mercy, has warned you clearly and sent you the Qur’an as a guide, the Prophet ﷺ as a mercy, and repentance as an open door. Turn back to your Lord today, before the door closes and the outcome becomes irreversible. The choice is yours: the eternal bliss of Paradise with the righteous, or the eternal torment of the Fire with the wrongdoers. Choose wisely, for this life is but a fleeting moment, and what follows is forever.