لَن تُغنِيَ عَنهُم أَموالُهُم وَلا أَولادُهُم مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيئًا ۚ أُولٰئِكَ أَصحابُ النّارِ ۖ هُم فيها خالِدونَ

Their possessions and children will not avail them in any way against Allah. They shall be the inmates of the fire and they shall remain in it [forever].

EXEGESIS

The particle lan with which this verse commences is a future tense negative particle which emphasises the negation, such as shall not, will not ever, indeed, will not, and never ever.^{‎[1]Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage, p. 852.}

The term khālidūn is a plural active participle.^{‎[2]Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage, p. 275.} Its singular is khālid. Here it is a reference to, and therefore means: those who shall live or remain forever in hell, just as it has been used to refer to those who shall abide forever in paradise, as in 9:100.^{‎[3]Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage, p. 275.}

EXPOSITION

The meaning of this verse is that the thing which calls the hypocrites to their misdeeds is the enjoyment of the life of this world, which is wealth and children.^{‎[4]Mizan, 19/194.} They used to boast about the abundance of their wealth and children, and due to it described themselves as mighty and their opponents as mean (63:8).^{‎[5]Munyah, 28/81-82.} However, they were mistaken and their claim was flimsy at best for they had forgotten that they would need to save themselves from God’s everlasting punishment due to their misdeeds, which none other than God can accomplish for them.^{‎[6]Mizan, 19/194.} Thus they were (and people like them are) in need of God, while their wealth, which they had accumulated, or their children who would succeed them and for whom they belaboured, could never avail them against God in the sense of protecting them from God’s punishment.

Therefore the message is: let them all believe in God and worship Him for otherwise they shall be the inmates of the fire, wherein they shall abide eternally, never leaving it, ever!^{‎[7]Mizan, 19/194; Tibyan, 9/553; Tabrisi, 9/382.} This is because no power combined can repulse anything from them when the hour of reckoning arrives save faith and virtuous deeds. Wealth and children can perhaps help against human power but they cannot help against God’s power, which none can withstand. The verses 3:10, 3:116, and 60:3 repeat this stark message in very similar terms, while 26:88-89 is also worthy of note.

[1] Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage, p. 852.
[2] Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage, p. 275.
[3] Arabic-English Dictionary of Quranic Usage, p. 275.
[4] Mizan, 19/194.
[5] Munyah, 28/81-82.
[6] Mizan, 19/194.
[7] Mizan, 19/194; Tibyan, 9/553; Tabrisi, 9/382.