What does Quran 39:40 mean?

Quran 39:40 (Surah Az-Zumar, Ayah 40) translates to: "To whom will come a torment disgracing him and on whom will descend an enduring punishment.""

Which Surah and Juz is Quran 39:40 from?

This ayah is from Surah Az-Zumar (The Groups), the 39th surah of the Quran. It appears in Juz 24.

Are there hadiths related to Quran 39:40?

Yes — there are 5 hadiths related to this ayah from Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Sunan Abu Dawud, Sunan Ibn Majah.

What tafsir is available for Quran 39:40?

Commentary on this ayah is available from Ibn Kathir, Ibn Kathir, Al-Jalalayn, Ibn Abbas — classical scholars of Quranic exegesis.

What topics does Quran 39:40 relate to?

This ayah connects to these Quranic topics: Divine Punishment, Hellfire, Day of Judgment, Justice, Divine Wrath.

Ayah 39

قُلْ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْمَلُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِن...

39:40Az-Zumar

Ayah 41

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ لِلنَّاسِ بِ...

مَن يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌۭ يُخْزِيهِ وَيَحِلُّ عَلَيْهِ عَذَابٌۭ مُّقِيمٌ

Mai yaateehi 'azaabuny yukhzeehi wa yahillu 'alaihi 'azaabum muqeem

To whom will come a torment disgracing him and on whom will descend an enduring punishment."

Themes in this ayah

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Paradise & Hell70

Scores run 0–100: how strongly this ayah speaks to a theme. 70+ is central, 50+ is clear, under 50 is weak.

9 other themes with weak connections

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Paradise & Hell

39:40Ayah 175

16 ayahs in Az-Zumar are strongly about Paradise and Hell. This is one of them.

← Previous on Paradise & Hell39:34They will have whatever they desire with their Lord. That is the reward of the doers of good -Next on Paradise & Hell →39:47And if those who did wrong had all that is in the earth entirely and the like of it with it,

Tafsir

Scholars offer complementary perspectives

View Full Tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on 39:40→

to whom man introduces the relative clause that is the direct object of the action of ‘knowing’ will come a chastisement that will disgrace him and on whom there will descend a lasting chastisement’ an everlasting one namely the chastisement of the Fire. Indeed God then disgraced them at Badr.

"Whoever causes harm, Allah harms him, and whoever is harsh, Allah will be harsh with him."

Sunan Abu Dawud #3998Narrated Abu Qilabah:Sahih

A man whom the Prophet (ﷺ) made the following verse read informed me, or he was informed by a man whom a man made the following verse read through a man whom the Prophet (ﷺ) made the following verse read: "For, that day His chastisement will be such as none (else) can be inflicted (la yu'adhdhabu) Abu Dawud said: 'Asim, al-A'mash, Talhah b. Musarrif, Abu Ja'far Yazid b. al-Qa'qa', Shaibah b. Nassah, Nafi' b. 'Abd al-Rahman, 'Abd Allah b. Kathir al-Dari, Abu 'Amr b. al-'Ala', Hamzat al-Zayyat, 'Abd al-Rahman al-A'raj, Qatadah, al-Hasan al-Basri, Mujahid, Hamid al=A'raj, Abd Allah b. 'Abbas and 'Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Bakr recited: "For,that day His chastisement will be such as none (else) can inflict (la ya'adhdhibu), and His bonds will be such as none (other) can bind (wa la yathiqu), except the verse mentioned in this tradition from the Prophet (ﷺ). It has een read yu'adhdhabu with short vowel a in passive voice.

Jami` at-Tirmidhi #3422Anas narrated that:Sahih

The Prophet said: “Whoever is reckoned with, he will be punished.”

Sunan Ibn Majah #2076It was narrated from Abu Sirmah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:Da'if

“Whoever harms others, Allah (SWT) will harm him; and whoever causes hardship to other Allah will cause hardship to him.”

Sahih Muslim #6497'Urwa b. Zubair reported that Hisham b. Hakim found a person (the ruler of Hims) who had been detaining some Nabateans in connection with the dues of Jizya. He said:Sahih

What is this? I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Allah would torment those persons who torment people in the world.