Surah Al-Anbya, Ayah 101

The Idolators and their gods are Fuel for Hell

Allah says to the people of Makkah, the idolators of the Quraysh and those who followed their religion of idol worship:

إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ

(Certainly you and that which you are worshipping now besides Allah, are (but) Hasab for Hell!). Ibn `Abbas said: "Kindling." This is like the Ayah:

وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ

(whose fuel is men and stones) 66:6. According to another report, Ibn `Abbas said:

حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ

(Hasab for Hell) means firewood in (the dialect of the people of) Zanjiyyah. Mujahid, `Ikrimah and Qatadah said: "Its fuel." Ad-Dahhak said: "The fuel of Hell means that which is thrown into it." This was also the view of others.

At that point Allah Ta` ala revealed the verse : إِنَّ الَّذِينَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُم مِّنَّا الْحُسْنَىٰ أُولَـٰئِكَ عَنْهَا مُبْعَدُونَ (Surely, those for whom the good (news) from Us has come earlier shall be kept far away from it. - 21:101) that is those for whom Our grace and good result is ensured will be kept away from Hell. And for the same Ibn al-Ziba` ra، Allah Ta` ala has revealed this Qur’ anic verse a. وَلَمَّا ضُرِ‌بَ ابْنُ مَرْ‌يَمَ مَثَلًا إِذَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْهُ يَصِدُّونَ (43:57) that is when Ibn al-Ziba` ra put forward the example of Sayyidah Maryam (علیہا السلام) ، the people of his clan, Quraish, were overtaken by joy.

When the Truth appears with clear arguments, a man is compelled to recognise it by the compulsion of his very nature. Now, those who accept the Truth after recognising it, remain in consonance with their nature. On the other hand, those who give importance to material things and, therefore, do not accept the Truth, are as if ignoring their nature—virtually casting a veil over it. Denial of Truth is always at the cost of shutting one’s senses. The fate of those who run this risk is that their entry into Islam becomes absolutely impossible: they are no longer receptive to the truth. Those who fail to recognise the Truth, though presented in rational arguments, will recognise it only when the Day of Judgement tears the veil away from their eyes. But, recognition at that stage will be of no avail, because it will be time not for acceptance itself, but for reaping the benefit of an earlier acceptance of the Truth.