Surah Qaf 50:26
سُورَةُ قٓ · Meccan · Verse 26 of 45
ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَأَلْقِيَاهُ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلشَّدِيدِ
Translation
and set up other gods alongside God. Hurl him into severe punishment!’-
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Wording
Imagine the scene on the Day of Judgment: all of creation stands before Allah, and the final verdicts are delivered. Our verse (Qaf 50:26) captures a pivotal moment of divine judgment, as Allah, the Almighty, issues a direct, decisive command concerning the gravest of sins. It states: "The one who set up another deity alongside Allah, so cast him both of you into the severe torment."
The Dual Command
The ayah begins with the command, ﴿فَأَلْقِيَاهُ﴾, meaning "so cast him, both of you." This command is directed by Allah to the two angels assigned to each person in life, the "driver" and the "witness," mentioned in earlier verses. The use of the dual form, addressing two angels, makes the command strikingly immediate and forceful. It highlights the directness of Allah's decree and the swift, unwavering execution of His will. As the scholar al-Zamakhshari noted, some ancient Arabic idioms would even use a dual address to emphasize a command to a single person, signifying intensity, or a repeated action, like "cast, cast!" This choice of wording powerfully conveys the absolute certainty and severity of the instruction.
The Defining Crime
The verse then points to *who* is being condemned: ﴿الَّذِي جَعَلَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ﴾, "the one who set up another deity alongside Allah." This specific phrasing is profoundly significant. Earlier verses condemned "every persistent disbeliever," but this verse seems to isolate one particular type of disbeliever. Scholars like al-Razi and Ibn Ashur discuss its grammatical role. It can be understood as a direct substitute for the "persistent disbeliever" mentioned before, or as a new sentence highlighting this specific offense. Either way, its placement underscores that associating partners with Allah (shirk) is not just one of many sins, but the ultimate, defining transgression that warrants such a severe fate. It emphasizes that at the core of all disbelief and defiance is the ultimate rejection of Allah's singular right to be worshipped.
Into Severe Torment
Finally, the command concludes with ﴿فِي الْعَذَابِ الشَّدِيدِ﴾, "into the severe torment." Ibn Ashur observes that this phrase serves to re-emphasize the punishment, branching out from the general command to cast into Hell to specifically highlight the *severity* of that torment for this particular sin. The repetition of the command to cast, combined with the explicit mention of "severe torment," leaves no doubt about the immense and painful consequence awaiting those who dared to elevate anything or anyone to the level of Allah, our Creator and Sustainer. It is a stark reminder of the gravity of shirk and the uncompromising nature of divine justice.
Sources: al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb), Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Jalalayn, al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi)
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Qaf 50:26 is discussed in 2 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Qaf 50:26 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.