Surah Assaaffat ayat 8 Tafsir Quran 37:8

﴿لَّا يَسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى الْمَلَإِ الْأَعْلَىٰ وَيُقْذَفُونَ مِن كُلِّ جَانِبٍ﴾
[ الصافات: 8]

37:8 [So] they may not listen to the exalted assembly [of angels] and are pelted from every side,

They namely the devils lā yasma‘ūna this is the beginning of a new sentence cannot listen in — this ‘listening’ of theirs represents that faculty with which they memorise what they hear — on the High Council the angels in the heavens the normally transitive verb al-samā‘ is complemented with the preposition ilā ‘to’ here ‘in on’ because it includes the additional sense of ‘paying attention’ while listening; a variant reading has yassamma‘una which is actually yatasamma‘ūna the tā’ have been assimilated with the sīn for they the devils are pelted with flames from every side from the remotest regions of the heavens

Who peers inquisitively into the realm making an effort to hear what is discussed in the August Assembly, but they are debarred, being assailed with flames on every side

The Adornment and Protection of the Heaven comes from Allah Allah tells us that He has adorned the lowest heaven with the heavenly bodies for those among the people of the earth who look at it.
The stars and planets in the sky give light to the people of earth, as Allah says: وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَآءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَـبِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَـهَا رُجُوماً لِّلشَّيَـطِينِ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ ( And indeed We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made such lamps (as ) missiles to drive away the Shayatin, and have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire.) ( 67:5 ), وَلَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِى السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَزَيَّنَّـهَا لِلنَّـظِرِينَ - وَحَفِظْنَـهَا مِن كُلِّ شَيْطَـنٍ رَّجِيمٍ - إِلاَّ مَنِ اسْتَرَقَ السَّمْعَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ مُّبِينٌ ( And indeed, We have put the big stars in the heaven and We beautified it for the beholders.
And We have guarded it from every outcast Shaytan.
Except him who steals the hearing then he is pursued by a clear flaming fire. ) ( 15:16-18 ).
And Allah says here: وَحِفْظاً ( And to guard ) meaning, to protect as it should be protected, مِّن كُلِّ شَيْطَـنٍ مَّارِدٍ ( against every rebellious Shaytan.
) means, every insolent and impudent devil, when he wants to eavesdrop ( on news in the heavens ), a piercing fire comes and burns him.
Allah, may He be glorified, says: لاَّ يَسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى الْمَلإِ الاٌّعْلَى ( They cannot listen to the higher group ) meaning, they cannot reach the higher group -- which refers to the heavens and the angels in them -- when they speak of what has been revealed by Allah of His Laws and decrees.
We have already mentioned this when explaining the Hadiths quoted when we discussed the Ayah, حَتَّى إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَن قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُواْ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ قَالُواْ الْحَقَّ وَهُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْكَبِيرُ ( when fear is banished from their hearts, they say: "What is it that your Lord has said" They say: "The truth.
And He is the Most High, the Most Great. ) ( 34:23 ).
Allah says: وَيَقْذِفُونَ ( for they are pelted ) meaning, they are hit, مِن كُلِّ جَانِبٍ ( from every side. ) means, from all directions from which they try to reach the heaven. دُحُوراً ( Outcast, ) means, they are rejected, and are repelled and prevented from reaching it, and they are pelted. وَلَهُمْ عَذابٌ وَاصِبٌ ( and theirs is a constant torment. ) means, in the Hereafter, they will have an ongoing, everlasting and painful torment, as Allah says: وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ ( and We have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire ) ( 67:5 ). إِلاَّ مَنْ خَطِفَ الْخَطْفَةَ ( Except such as snatch away something by stealing, ) means, except for the one among the Shayatin who manages to get something, which is a word he has heard from the heaven.
Then he throws it down to the one who is beneath him, who in turn throws it down to the one who is beneath him.
Perhaps the flaming fire will strike him before he is able to throw it down, or perhaps he will throw it -- by the decree of Allah -- before the flaming fire strikes him and burns him.
So the other devil takes it to the soothsayer, as we have seen previously in the Hadith.
Allah says: إِلاَّ مَنْ خَطِفَ الْخَطْفَةَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ ثَاقِبٌ ( Except such as snatch away something by stealing, and they are pursued by a flaming fire of piercing brightness. ) meaning, shining brightly.
Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Shayatin had places where they sat in the heavens listening to what was being revealed by Allah.
The stars did not move and the Shayatin were not struck.
When they heard the revelation, they would come down to earth and to every word they would add nine of their own.
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sent, if a Shaytan wanted to take his seat in the heavens, the flaming fire would come and would not miss him; it would burn him every time.
They complained about this to Iblis, may Allah curse him, and he said, `Something must have happened.' He sent his troops out and they found the Messenger of Allah ﷺ standing in prayer between the two mountains of Nakhlah." -- Waki` said, "This means in the valley of Nakhlah." -- "They went back to Iblis and told him about that, and he said, `This is what has happened."'

The Adornment and Protection of the Heaven comes from Allah Allah tells us that He has adorned the lowest heaven with the heavenly bodies for those among the people of the earth who look at it.
The stars and planets in the sky give light to the people of earth, as Allah says: وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَآءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَـبِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَـهَا رُجُوماً لِّلشَّيَـطِينِ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ ( And indeed We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made such lamps (as ) missiles to drive away the Shayatin, and have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire.) ( 67:5 ), وَلَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِى السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَزَيَّنَّـهَا لِلنَّـظِرِينَ - وَحَفِظْنَـهَا مِن كُلِّ شَيْطَـنٍ رَّجِيمٍ - إِلاَّ مَنِ اسْتَرَقَ السَّمْعَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ مُّبِينٌ ( And indeed, We have put the big stars in the heaven and We beautified it for the beholders.
And We have guarded it from every outcast Shaytan.
Except him who steals the hearing then he is pursued by a clear flaming fire. ) ( 15:16-18 ).
And Allah says here: وَحِفْظاً ( And to guard ) meaning, to protect as it should be protected, مِّن كُلِّ شَيْطَـنٍ مَّارِدٍ ( against every rebellious Shaytan.
) means, every insolent and impudent devil, when he wants to eavesdrop ( on news in the heavens ), a piercing fire comes and burns him.
Allah, may He be glorified, says: لاَّ يَسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى الْمَلإِ الاٌّعْلَى ( They cannot listen to the higher group ) meaning, they cannot reach the higher group -- which refers to the heavens and the angels in them -- when they speak of what has been revealed by Allah of His Laws and decrees.
We have already mentioned this when explaining the Hadiths quoted when we discussed the Ayah, حَتَّى إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَن قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُواْ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ قَالُواْ الْحَقَّ وَهُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْكَبِيرُ ( when fear is banished from their hearts, they say: "What is it that your Lord has said" They say: "The truth.
And He is the Most High, the Most Great. ) ( 34:23 ).
Allah says: وَيَقْذِفُونَ ( for they are pelted ) meaning, they are hit, مِن كُلِّ جَانِبٍ ( from every side. ) means, from all directions from which they try to reach the heaven. دُحُوراً ( Outcast, ) means, they are rejected, and are repelled and prevented from reaching it, and they are pelted. وَلَهُمْ عَذابٌ وَاصِبٌ ( and theirs is a constant torment. ) means, in the Hereafter, they will have an ongoing, everlasting and painful torment, as Allah says: وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ ( and We have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire ) ( 67:5 ). إِلاَّ مَنْ خَطِفَ الْخَطْفَةَ ( Except such as snatch away something by stealing, ) means, except for the one among the Shayatin who manages to get something, which is a word he has heard from the heaven.
Then he throws it down to the one who is beneath him, who in turn throws it down to the one who is beneath him.
Perhaps the flaming fire will strike him before he is able to throw it down, or perhaps he will throw it -- by the decree of Allah -- before the flaming fire strikes him and burns him.
So the other devil takes it to the soothsayer, as we have seen previously in the Hadith.
Allah says: إِلاَّ مَنْ خَطِفَ الْخَطْفَةَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ ثَاقِبٌ ( Except such as snatch away something by stealing, and they are pursued by a flaming fire of piercing brightness. ) meaning, shining brightly.
Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Shayatin had places where they sat in the heavens listening to what was being revealed by Allah.
The stars did not move and the Shayatin were not struck.
When they heard the revelation, they would come down to earth and to every word they would add nine of their own.
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sent, if a Shaytan wanted to take his seat in the heavens, the flaming fire would come and would not miss him; it would burn him every time.
They complained about this to Iblis, may Allah curse him, and he said, `Something must have happened.' He sent his troops out and they found the Messenger of Allah ﷺ standing in prayer between the two mountains of Nakhlah." -- Waki` said, "This means in the valley of Nakhlah." -- "They went back to Iblis and told him about that, and he said, `This is what has happened."'

( They cannot listen ) so that they do not listen ( to the Highest Chiefs ) to the speech of the angels, i.e. the guardian angels, regarding that which is communicated amongst them ( for they are pelted from every side ) they rise up to,

They cannot listen to the higher group (angels) for they are pelted from every side.

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